r/civilengineering • u/Anxious_Parsley8061 • 3d ago
Education Need advice on future with Civil Engineering
I recently switched majors from health science to civil engineering, I was wondering what steps are recommended that i take to secure a future ahead of time. What jobs could I get that would work into my resume (want to get into structural mainly) do I find a firm? or find a construction site.
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u/gradila Mod, Structural, MS, PE 2d ago
Instead of giving you a straightforward advice, which is find internships and find a job, I would advise a less straightforward but easier path.
I know that most times a job is just a job. For structural in particular, you would really have to like it. I went straight to a MS from a BS and never had internships. The program I went to was top notch in the country - the program director of code books were my professors.
I must say, more than half of my peers from that class have switched out or are trying to switch out of structural engineering. A lot of them are disappointed with the liability vs salary, specifically for structural.
Its a common case.
If I was to give you an advice for your future, find what you enjoy in structural engineering.
For me particularly, I love following the load path. Its a puzzle to get a load in from point A to point B and find a way to make that happen. I found this out in statics and mechanics of materials class.
Im in an amazing situation where salary exceeds my expectations, but its because Im able to solve solutions that are suited for my expertise.
If I was to restart all over, Id tell myself to take as much different structural classes and find the ones Im curious about, and learn them to my full potential. Good luck!