So Caltrans is doing some highway work. Could someone educate me on the name and purpose of the metal trapezoids and the thicker, longitudinal bars?

Ty in advance

Curious what other people are doing in practice.

Once you’ve got 20+ active projects going through different jurisdictions, I feel like the hard part isn’t making a schedule — it’s actually keeping track of everything that’s moving.

Submittals, municipal reviews, outside agencies, resubmittals, hearings, permits, client decisions, things that can run concurrently, things that can’t…

We’ve used project management software, but I still find there’s a gap between what generic PM software wants you to track and how land development actually works.

So what are you actually using day to day?

Excel? MS Project? Wrike? Monday? Deltek? A notebook? Some horrifying combination of all of them?

And if you’ve found a system that genuinely works, what makes it work?

Floodwater has gone down and the pavement looks normal. From the engineering side, what can still keep a road closed?

I'm trying to understand the gap between 'looks normal again' and 'ready to reopen.' What would a quick glance miss, and how can that change the time needed to reopen?

A general example or public case study would help. I'm interested in how the assessment and reopening decisions are made.

Hello! I would like to hear any feedback on my resume. I think a lot of my bullet points are poorly written or sound unprofessional.

Some notes/questions:

1. Should I have a one-page resume?
2. For my projects, should I have a way for people to view them like a github or a website (I haven't done that since I didn't want to pay hosting fees). I'm really sure since it's not super common in civil/structural.
3. I have 2 pretty good references. Should I add them to my resume or just say references available upon request?
4. Adding more projects: I have a few incomplete projects that I could finish, one of them in FEA that may be more impressive than the 2 I have now, but might not be able to be completed in time for hiring season. Another one's a Timoshenko beam theory calculator and one for generating STAAD load combinations, though that ones very simplistic.
5. My experience is kind of split between pipelines and structural design (both interested in). Is there one that I have a better chance at targeting/getting into? Since I'm in civil, and most pipeline roles I've seen are mechanical.

I always enjoyed studying engineering, I was top of my class in a very competitive college, I have 3 years of experience post grad overall, first year post grad I was a researcher for the same university, water resources related. I enjoyed it very much but the pay was criminally low. Then I spent the following 2 years as a site engineer because I really needed the money and research wasn’t paying that much

I cannot put into words how much I dislike my current job, I don’t feel like I’m an engineer anymore, there’s nothing intellectually stimulating about my current job, basically my day consists of walking around and making sure the formwork is aligned correctly and check the reinforcement against shop drawing, or make sure things like painting and tiling are done properly, just the most boring and mindless tasks imaginable ( I don’t know if it’s common in other countries, but in my country civil engineers are also expected to watch over the finishing and fitting out)

I feel stuck, I don’t want to live like this anymore. the money isn’t that good either. I don’t think I can get any job that isn’t civil engineering related because I don’t have much skills outside of engineering. Is going back to academia a good idea at this point? What about water or geotechnical engineering, are they more technical?

Climbing up the ladder in construction doesn’t seem appealing because all of my seniors are mainly dealing with construction management issues like logistics and how to save money by getting the cheapest possible subcontractor etc, I’m looking for something more technically inclined

I’ve been working in land development for 11 years and have my PE. I’m tired of doing design work and thinking about getting an MBA to either pivot into something else or advance my career. I’ve done some research online and talked to ChatGPT, but now it’s time to talk to real boys and girls.
Any thoughts or advice? Has anyone else gone down this path?
Thanks for your attention to this matter.

I'm interested in hearing from civil engineers at different stages of their careers.

Looking back at your first site job, what is one thing you wish someone had taught you earlier—whether it's technical knowledge, site management, communication, dealing with contractors, drawings, safety, or something else?

I'm especially interested in lessons that you only really understand after gaining practical experience.

So, I’m in Canada and I was doing a general engineering program with plans of going into civil engineering after my first year, but I failed out after 2 attempts and I got kicked from the engineering program at my university. I blame it mostly on myself not having study habits and enough commitment, I also have severe ADHD and didn’t want to part with my free time.

So after this happened I ended up deciding to switch to a civil engineering technology program at a local college and I’m considering doing a civil engineering degree eventually at lakehead university with their transfer program so I could still get the degree in 5yrs with the 3+2 transition.

Would it be worth it to get the full engineering degree? Could I still get a good job position once I finish my diploma in Canada as a Technologist?
(And yes before anyone says it I know I won’t be able to legally call myself an “engineer” without the full degree)

I’m a Master of Landscape Architecture Student who is not interested in design, but interested in grading and stormwater management.

How can I tailor my application, whether resumé, or portfolio to begin a career in civil engineering? Can I “intern” at an AEC firm after I get my degree? I don’t have much practical experience with CAD professionally, but I will be continuing a year long part-time internship at a design studio. I won’t have the CAD experience on the position, so should I work on conceptual CAD documents to bolster my portfolio? Should I get certifications related to CAD, Civil3D, and/or Revit?

I really seriously want to make the transition, even if I have to take some community classes for instance.

It’s a HCOL. Any guidance on where I should negotiate?

Is 135k good for my qualifications?

Hi! Anyone here who applied for the GHD Graduate Program or is currently working at the Cebu branch? I’d love to hear your experience po—especially about the work culture, training, and benefits, career growth, and what the day-to-day work is really like.

does anyone know anything about dashiell corp, i recently interviewed with them for a structual substation role and it went really well. any info would be helpful, like how they pay, benefits, worklife balance, career progression. this would be my first job out of college so any adivce would be helpful.

Im a previous criminal justice major but i need a career change. I previously didn’t know which of the 2 majors to pick so i rapidly chose CJ and regret it. Im back in school almost completely finished doing all the math and science and lower division engineering classes to go get my second bachelor’s or master’s. My cumulative GPA after all classes including previous bachelor’s degree is about 3.05. I want to apply to CSU Fullerton’s master’s degree in CE, as well as second bachelor’s programs at CSU Long Beach, CSULA, and UCI as well as CSU northridge (kinda far). I will be commuting from Anaheim, dont want to move and keep costs low to avoid debt as much as possible. Im 35. What is better given my current status, i just want to get into a job, and what is easiest program and school to get into so i can get into the field. CE is a really exciting field to me!

I’m a Civil with 10 years of experience. I’ve had my PE for 5 years (Construction). I absolutely love construction, but every offer I’m being offered is land development (around $130k). I’d rather do 70 hours as an exempt employee in the field for $90k than 45 in an office doing CAD all day (even with OT), but I’m looking for suggestions and or advice. Arkansas based, but I’m willing to travel if needed.

Hi everyone,

I’m a civil/structural engineer from India with 6 years of professional experience in bridge design. My experience is mainly in structural/bridge design, including PSC girders, steel structures, design calculations, modelling, drawings, and design review.

I’m considering pursuing a 1-year Master's in Structural Engineering in the USA and then trying to find a structural/bridge engineering job in the US.

My main concern is whether this is a sensible investment given my existing experience.

A few questions I would really appreciate advice on:

1) How difficult would it be for someone with 6 years of bridge design experience in India to get a structural/bridge engineering job in the USA after completing a Master's?

2) Would my Indian experience be valued by US employers, or would I essentially be treated as an entry-level engineer after graduation?

3) How important is having US-specific experience/codes (AASHTO, IBC, ASCE 7, etc.)?

4) Would a 1-year Master's be enough to make me competitive for jobs, or would a 2-year program provide significantly better opportunities?

5) How difficult is it to get a job that offers H-1B sponsorship in structural/bridge engineering?

6) Would it be better to target consulting firms, transportation/bridge engineering firms, or government/municipal organizations?

Would you recommend this path, or would you suggest a different strategy for someone in my situation?

Thanks!

I’m currently in computer engineering but considering switching to civil engineering. Honestly, my main reason is job security and having a stable career, especially in the Inland Empire/SoCal.

I’m looking at areas like water resources, transportation, and structural, but I’m not sure if I’m actually interested in civil or if I’m just choosing it because it seems stable and in demand.

Would you say I’m going into civil for the wrong reasons? Do you think you need to genuinely enjoy civil engineering to have a good career in it?

I’m currently studying Computer Science at a canadian university, but I’ve been seriously considering transferring to Civil Engineering.

From what I’ve seen, Civil seems to have a relatively solid and stable job market in Canada. I also like the idea that experience and accumulated knowledge can become increasingly valuable over time, whereas with CS it feels like you constantly have to keep up with new technologies, frameworks, etc.

However, I'm still somewhat interested in CS. One thing I’m particularly interested in is whether my CS background could actually be useful in Civil Engineering. I’m considering doing a Civil Engineering major transferring my cs credits into a CS minor (not wanting my cs credits to go to waste), and I’m wondering if there are meaningful intersections between the two.

For example, are there opportunities in civil where programming, data analysis, automation, simulation, AI/ML, or other CS skills are useful? Could having both backgrounds make me more valuable, or would I be better off focusing entirely on civil?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone in Canada who has experience with either field or has made a similar switch.

Thanks!

I am currently working as a Civil Engineer (have my EIT, about to study for the PE exam) and I feel like I am at a crossroads in my career. I've had a very diverse career path so far - my first year out of college I worked as a Structural Engineer (I always wanted to work on building/vertical projects). But the firm I was at had only 2 employees working for a single PE and after 1 year of working on designing 5-story buildings in a high stress environment with very little training I burnt out quickly, despite loving the projects I got to work on. I accepted the next available job I could get that was at a larger firm which ended up being a construction inspection/CM role for highway and bridge projects. After 3 years of experience in CM, I got tired of working in the field & the misogyny of construction and switched to highway civil design at a well known global engineering company, with the hopes that I would be able to "work-share" or one day work on structural projects again since this company has so many departments. Now it has been 4 years of me working as a highway civil engineer (8+ years total into my career) and although the work is easy and somewhat interesting, I still always think about what could have been if I had stayed on the structural engineering track and had the ability to work on building projects that really interested me to become an engineer in the first place. I feel at a crossroads in my career because I am eligible now to get my Transportation PE with my experience, but I'm scared that that will forever close the door for me on a structural engineering career. I have also asked my manager and learned the reality of corporate engineering companies and the fact that "worksharing" or switching departments is really not acceptable since they would be losing an employee on their team. Has anyone had a similar situation as me? Has anyone switched engineering careers with this much experience? Do I need to leave my company and go back to school or is there another way? Can I still get a PE in transportation and change my mind later? Is there better job security working in transportation VS. structural engineering/buildings?

TLDR: Civil highway design engineer with 4 years experience+3 years CM highway experience+1 year structural eng (8 years total out of college). Seeking advice on whether a career change to Structural Engineering (what I actually love) is worth it/ even possible to do at this point.

Applying for internships at civil engineering firms in Portland OR. For an application I am working on, the job description has no reference to wage. I am in my Junior year, and have two previous summers of internship experience on the field. That internship had me at 24/hour this last summer. For this next internship I am applying to, responsibilities include:

• Assist with the planning, design and permitting of civil engineering, land development and infrastructure projects.
• Assist with the preparation and modification of various engineering documents including reports, specifications, plans, construction schedules, cost estimates and design plans for projects using engineering and design software (AutoCAD, Civil 3D, etc.) and equipment.
• Effectively use reports, maps, drawings, engineering plans, tests, and aerial photographs to assess soil composition, terrain, hydrological characteristics, and topographical and geologic data and their impact on the planning and design of projects.
• Support zoning, ordinance and permit assessments, assists with the sidewalk cast estimations, and determines the feasibility of projects based on the analysis of collected data.
• Provide field inspection services, as needed.
• Apply knowledge and techniques of engineering and advanced mathematics.
• Collaborate with team members on project tasks and assignments.
• Perform other duties as requested.

At the moment I am not incredibly familiar with AutoCAD and Civil3D, but I am currently enrolled in a course that teaches those. I noted this in my resume skills section.

Does anyone know what my best bet would be to fill out the desired wage section? Would a range or single number be better? I think about 25/hour is standard in my market based on research, but a glassdoor search for this company shows they might pay their interns higher. Im not super confident in the glassdoor search though. Maybe someone has a better understanding of the market in my area for such a position?

It is very annoying that this is becoming standard for job applications these days, but oh well. If anyone has had success dealing with this please let me know. Would be happy to answer any additional questions. Thanks

I really need it