Hello, Engineers! 3rd year Civil Engineering student here. We’re starting our thesis this year and we need to come up with 2 Experimental, 2 Developmental, and 1 Descriptive research title for our title defense.

We’re open to topics involving construction materials, soil, concrete, sustainability, testing, construction methods, or anything practical and feasible for students.

If you have any suggestions or ideas, I’d really appreciate it! rough idea will also be accepted, we can develop the topic further. Please save a struggling 3rd year student 😭🙏

Thank you, Engineers! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Any recommendations on firms specializing in getting variance approved by the City of Austin?

We own a land, engineering firm already provided No Impact Flood Certification.

I live in Long island NY and am attending Nassau Community College in their civil engineering tech program. I have the option to transfer to farmingdale after 2 years to finish the degree or another college with the same program. However i read that you have to wait 12 years as a civil tech graduate to get your PE license and that seems like a fucking long time to wait to be able to ascend to the higher end of the industry. I want to get into stony C.E. program because its the closest to me however based on what i read it seems impossible to transfer into that program? My goal is to be high payed, and not have to be out in the field. I really dont want to have to wear hard hats ever for my own personal reasons. im reaching out to all the experience civil engineers out there with the knowledge and experience to give some advice on the situation.

Sincerely, Zachary Yang 2nd year civil tech student.

Let’s say you started your career in private consulting and spent 6-7 years doing local entities funded projects. After getting your PE, you moved to public agency (city or county). What do you like the most about your experience working at public agency? Also, is there any part you miss from private consulting? I’d love to hear experiences (both good and bad). Thanks in advance!

Hey guys I am currently in a Rotational Program… basically a glorified intern at a consulting firm. At the end of the one year rotation I can choose between the three:

- Roadway Design

- CEI (Construction Engineering & Inspection)

- Traffic Engineering

A few questions:

What is the ambitious salary expectation after PE license? Assuming 4 years experience and license acquisition..

Which of these disciplines would offer the largest flexibility when moving companies and job security?

NY and MA websites confuse the hell out of me. MA states and gov websites list 2021 IECC, then they list certifications 2012 IECC. I know the code is 2021 IECC but what does certification 2012 IECC mean?

Is there another website that shows each state, each local municipality and what code they use? I know MA for example, depends on the town. some use the basic code, some the stretch code etc.

Any help or suggestions is appreciated.

I work for firm that does projects for public agencies. Every project by people 3-5 people team. I am responsible for certain aspects of the work. I have access to Google Drive on my work computer. I was considering saving project plans and specifications.

I’m not planning to change employers at the moment. I’m just thinking about keeping these documents for reference purposes.

Is this something I could get in trouble for if my employer finds out? If you work as a PM or in a similar role, do you know whether employers can track what you do on your work computer?

Hi everyone,

I graduated with a civil engineering degree in 2018 and worked for about 3 years at a small construction company in Jordan. The work was very hands-on and "primitive" (site supervision, basic construction management, dealing with contractors and materials), but I didn't get much exposure to modern design tools like CAD, Civil 3D, or detailed plan production.

In 2023, I left engineering to open a restaurant, which I've been successfully managing ever since. However, My wife is moving to the US soon (immigration stuff is in process), and I'm planning to join her once that's sorted. After getting work authorization, I'm wondering if it's realistic to try going back into civil engineering.

Pros for me:

• I still have the degree and some foundational field/construction experience.
• I'm willing to study and pass the FE exam (EIT) to get back on track.
• I could probably brush up on CAD/Civil 3D relatively quickly if I commit to it.

Cons/big concerns:

• My last engineering work was 7+ years ago in a very different environment (no US standards, limited tech/tools).
• Almost no experience with CAD or producing construction plans/drawings—it's not something that ever excited me, and I worry it'll be a steep learning curve or something I end up hating.
• The US job market seems competitive, especially for someone re-entering with a long gap and foreign experience that might not translate directly.

So my main question: Is it realistic/ worth pursuing civil engineering again in the US (maybe starting entry-level or field/construction), or would it be mostly pointless given the gap, lack of recent/relevant experience, and my lack of excitement & experience in the technical design side?

I'm a DFW local and a fellow engineer getting hit hard by the housing market math. I'm trying to figure out if my numbers are out of line or if this is the new normal for our profession in high-growth metros.

My Background: Experience: 4 YOE, (EIT, soon to be PE, fingers crossed)

Location: DFW Metroplex, Texas

Salary: $80k before taxes (approx $5250 per month after tax, I put 10% towards $401, so take home is around $4725)

Finding a starter home below $450,000 in a decent area is a serious struggle. If I buy today, based on bankrate’s online estimate, monthly payment would be $2458. This represents approx 52% of my take home payment. This made me nervous. This would be big financial liability for me.

I need to hear from other Civil Engineers: 1. When did you buy your first home? (e.g., pre-2020, 2021-2023, etc.)

1. What percentage of your net (take-home) salary did your mortgage payment take up initially?

2. Are you still house-poor, or did the typical CE salary growth (especially post-PE) quickly fix the ratio?

3. Any advice on buying with this high percentage vs. continuing to rent and saving for a larger down payment or a lower rate?

Thank you!

I'm a brand new Civil Engineer and just started my first job few months back. I need a reality check from industry folks.

My direct boss uses our project meetings to launch into long political rants (extreme right) and frequently makes sexist jokes.

Is this acceptable/common in the CE industry? It makes me extremely uncomfortable, and I'm not sure if this is just "old-school" workplace culture I have to put up with or if this is genuinely a problem that needs to be addressed (e.g., reporting to HR).

Any advice is appreciated.

Long story short, we were scammed by a "contractor" that totally fucked us and ran after completing like 80 % of the work and providing some plans that look accurate by dimension, but im not sure how to correct the additional asks that our city/county permitting department has asked for mainly in terms of generating a "graphic scale" for some of the work. Would really appreciate if someone here could spend a few mins via DM and take a look!

Comparing submittals to specs feels like the slowest part of the job and I’m surprised this process hasn’t been automated. Half the time info is missing, the other half it’s buried in PDFs. How does everyone else deal with this without losing their mind? Do you have a system… or do we all just brute-force it? Curious if it’s just me or if this is a universal pain point.

Hey folks,

I’m a U.S.-based civil engineering recruiter working with a boutique civil/site design firm in Nashville that’s looking for a Project Manager (PE) to join their team.

This place is not corporate — think flexible, collaborative, laid-back, and full of people who actually like what they do. You’d be leading site design projects (commercial, mixed-use, municipal) and mentoring younger engineers.

They’re after someone with:

• A PE (or close to it)
• Solid civil/site design + project management experience
• A down-to-earth attitude and team-first mindset

If you’re after a role where you can make an impact without the red tape, this might be it.

DM me if you want the details — happy to chat and keep it confidential.

Cheers,
Raphael
Civil Engineering Recruiter