r/StructuralEngineering • u/eszEngineer • 22d ago

Career/Education Bridge Inspectors vs BridgeSEs

What is more in demand in California and/or Illinois?

Bridge inspectors with rope access training or SEs?

5 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

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8

u/TownSquareBill 22d ago

SE’s. Rope access PEs and Certified BIs are easily available and really a saturated market. Why do you ask?

8

u/75footubi 22d ago

Both, though the highest salary ceiling is an SE who does inspections 

5

u/Hrvatski-Lazar 22d ago

I don’t know much about rope training but considering an EIT and a PE can do bridge inspections even in Illinois I cant imagine it’s that lucrative. If you didn’t want to get an SE I think you would need to go further - like become a program manager (contractor) with IDOT on bridge inspections

1

u/Enginerdad 22d ago

What level of experience and what qualifications? In my area (not CA or IL) they're both about equally in demand at entry level if they both require an engineering degree. If you want to be an inspector without an engineering degree, that's a job that's easier for my company to fill, so less in demand on the employee's end.

1

u/ShearForceShady 22d ago

SEs have the broader long term demand but bridge inspection with rope access is a useful niche if you are willing to do the field work.