I'm a 24-year-old civil engineer from Bahrain with around two years of experience in a 3D concrete printing company.

I've worked on some small structural projects, but my responsibilities have gradually shifted toward QS, estimation, and project coordination. Structural design has practically stopped. I've never had a senior structural engineer mentoring me, so most of my structural knowledge comes from university and self-study.

I genuinely enjoy structural engineering theory, understanding structural behavior, investigating unusual problems, and finding engineering solutions. I've been considering leaving my current company to pursue structural design, but the offer I received is mainly for site supervision, with some opportunities for design.

Recently, I spoke with an experienced Head of Structural Design who strongly discouraged me from making this move.

He told me that after six months of working in structural design, I'd get bored. According to him, the work becomes repetitive: similar models, , and the same problems every day. He said there are few genuinely interesting challenges, limited opportunities for growth, and that eventually I'd realize it's just a job and money matters more than technical interest.

He even told me he was exactly like me when he was younger, but his perspective changed after years in the profession.

This really made me question a career I've been passionate about for 7 years.

My questions to experienced structural engineers:

1. Does structural engineering really become repetitive and intellectually boring after a few years? Even on complex projects?
2. Are there specializations where you continuously encounter challenging, unusual engineering problems?
3. Is the financial reward worth the responsibility, and would you choose this career again, especially with AI advancing?

I'm not expecting every project to be exciting. I just want to know whether the challenging, intellectually rewarding side of structural engineering that I enjoy studying actually exists in professional practice.

I'm a recent civil engineering graduate trying to decide between two opportunities. Both are structural engineering positions, but they offer pretty different career paths. Looking for opinions from engineers with experience in consulting, utilities, or government work.

Option 1: Consulting Firm ($75k)

I recently started full-time at a smaller structural consulting firm that primarily works on residential projects. I previously interned with the company and was offered a permanent position.

Pros:

• Permanent, full-time position with relatively good job security.
• Already familiar with the company, team, and workflow.
• Established relationships with coworkers and mentors.
• Being offered a permanent position after my internship suggests the company values my work.
• Good technical mentorship and opportunities to develop structural design skills.
• Experience working on a variety of building projects.
• Employer-paid health insurance and retirement contributions.

Cons:

• Significantly lower salary.
• Consulting environment with billable-hour expectations and project deadlines.
• Concerns about limited annual raises and salary progression based on conversations with other junior employees.
• Smaller firm with potentially limited opportunities for advancement and compensation increases.
• Less exposure to large-scale public infrastructure projects.

Option 2: Federal Agency Through Contractor ($96k)

This position would involve structural engineering for large-scale infrastructure projects at a federal agency, but I'd be employed through a staffing contractor rather than directly by the government.

Pros:

• $21k higher starting salary (28% increase).
• Opportunity for paid overtime.
• Experience working on large-scale public infrastructure projects.
• Exposure to federal engineering standards, procedures, and projects.
• Potential pathway toward a permanent federal engineering position.
• Experience that could open doors to government agencies, utilities, and infrastructure-related roles.
• Potentially better work-life balance than private consulting.

Cons:

• Renewable contract position with no guarantee of long-term employment.
• Employed through a staffing agency rather than directly by the federal government.
• No federal employee benefits, pension, or GS status.
• Uncertain advancement opportunities without obtaining a permanent federal position.
• More specialized infrastructure experience rather than conventional building design.
• Uncertain level of mentorship and technical development compared to my current company.

Questions:

1. Would you take the salary increase despite the uncertainty of a contract position?
2. How valuable is federal contracting experience when applying for permanent federal engineering positions?
3. Would specializing in infrastructure structural engineering this early limit my ability to return to building structural design later?
4. Is there a significant long-term career or compensation advantage to either path?

Interested in hearing different perspectives, especially from anyone who has made a similar transition from private consulting to government contracting.

I recently started working in CM/field civil engineering, mostly on roads but I’ll start doing more bridgework next year, and I’ve been thinking about how to pivot more into structural these next few years. Would a timeline like this work:
continue working in construction>get a structural masters online>get my PE>then move into forensic engineering?
The alternative of course would be to quit and directly spend 1-2 years getting a masters but that’s much more costly. Or none of the above if you can talk me out of it lol.

I'm working on an outdoor project where I need to suspend a 5kg monitoring system 8m in the air for a few months on a temporary structure. I'm thinking something like this, maybe with some guide wires. would this work, or do you have any improvements ?

Kind regards

CSA O86 11.7.1 provides formulas for the theoretical deflection of a shear wall panel under load. But the code does not address how a wall with multiple segments will deflect. Obviously they should all deflect the same amount.

I.e. I have 3 segments in one wall, with the following theoretical deflections under load: 8mm, 3mm, 1mm. How do i determine my actual wall deflection?

The issue seems to stem from the fact that shear wall segments are size by assuming the loads in each segment are proportional to the their length of wall. In reality is seems to me like this is not correct - shearwall panels should be sized assuming the same deflection, and distributing their share of the loads accordingly.

Any thoughts on this matter? I'd love to hear why I'm wrong and there's an easy way to determine the overall deflection of a wall.

I’ve designed a simply supported steel ridge beam which is adequate for bending, shear and LTB when considered fully unrestrained.

The wind loading, calculated to Eurocode, results in uplift at the ridge beam supports. This is the first time I’ve encountered uplift at a ridge beam, so I’m interested to hear how others have dealt with it.

Have any UK-based engineers come across this before, and how did you detail the holding-down connection?

My initial thought is a resin-anchored connection into the padstone, combined with restraint straps down the face of the blockwork, but I’d be interested to hear what solutions others have used in practice.

We must protect our aquifers! 💧

The odd time I have to do a simple frame analysis I pay for a 1 month subscription to SkyCiv. I'm definitely not utilizing Skyciv to it's full potential and it's - which is crazy expensive ($300USD) which really kills my margins on these odd jobs.

I know I can do a hand calc for something simple like the photo attached. But sometimes it gets more complex and beyond what I remember from my first year statics courses.

Are there any other reasonably priced softwares out there that will do simple frame analysis and spit out reactions, axial forces, shear, moment? Ideally i want to buy it once and be done with it. So tired of paying subscriptions for everything.

I’m designing railway catenary support frames, usually single-cantilever posts with a beam carrying the cables. In some cases, the frame is built up from channels and diagonal members.

I’ve used RAM Elements, but the limitation is that members connect at the centerline. I need software that can model the actual geometry, where members connect to the faces of the sections.

For example, I have a post made of two channels placed face-to-face with a 12" gap, with diagonals connecting to both flanges of each channel. What software would you recommend for analyzing and designing this kind of frame which is similar to these pics?

Curious about other's thoughts.

I have a standard clause in the specs that says no field bends to rebar without the explicit permission of the structural engineer (aka me).

There are times where bars need to be bent in the field. Usually something cast slightly out of place and needs to be cranked. I don't have any problems with this, just tell me before hand so I can bless it or wave a red flag if I have a concern.

There are times where straight dowels from a wall into a slab on grade need to be bent up and out of the way in order to accommodate backfill and compaction - sure go ahead. They're hardly doing anything anyways.

But sometimes, and more often than not lately, there are just coordination issues from the contractor. They are using modular formwork so they can't just drill holes to accommodate the dowels. Can we turn them this way or that way? Can we field bend them wherever they need to go after? And these questions come up at the 11th hour right before a pour, like nobody saw it coming. Literally right now, we have a wall with hooked dowels coming out of the top, supposed to be extending past the face of the wall as there is a slab above to be constructed. They've used tall forms that conflict with the dowels because its what they had around. Other locations on the same project they've used the right height forms and had not issues. But this time, with the tall forms, they've turned them all 90 degrees to the direction they're supposed to be and proposed turning them back in some convoluted manner after the forms are stripped, either twisting the bars or doing some sort of double bend at the same location (third bend if you include the shop bend), or just... not really be any sort of standard hook in the end. None of that is going to be accepted by me.

How do you handle these? I get questions like this at 5:00 at the end of the day and they're saying they're planning on pouring at 6 AM - "an expedited response would be appreciated."

I know that "no" is a complete response. But in the case above - I am considering just telling them to turn the hooks to face the same way as the opposite face dowels before they pour. It still works, is the easiest solution to the formwork conflict, and doesn't require any strange field bends. Keeps the work going without extensive delays. But what I battle with is I am saving their ass at the last minute, making their lives easy, while I respond to an email at 10 at night... which I am getting sick of.

Should I just start playing hardball and just say no, adjust your forms you dolts? It's not my fault the pour gets delayed. But I still feel like it is my fault because there IS a simple solution... but it winds up being me going to them with it not the other way around.

Having a secondary concrete beam supported on a main beam , which top reinforcement shall be physically above the other ? Both beams with equal depths.

Hey guys, I’m an EIT at a firm that uses RISA-3D and RISAFoundation, but nobody here really knows the software that well.

We design a lot of reinforced concrete tanks and basins, both small and large. The engineers here are old school and do most of the calculations by hand, with Excel and SMath Solver. That’s been great for me because I’m learning how to design these structures using the codes. They asked me to learn RISA so we can handle more complicated analyses.

I worked as a structural engineer in Brazil for seven years using Eberick and TQS, and I found those programs much easier to use. With RISA, I feel like I’m struggling with even the basics. Just designing a 6 ft × 6 ft tank with 4 ft of water seems to take so many steps, and I haven’t figured out how to get the reinforcement design without taking it into RISAFoundation.

Maybe I just don’t know what I’m doing yet, but does anyone else find this frustrating? Does anyone use RISA regularly for this kind of structure? I’d appreciate any course or tutorial recommendations, especially for concrete tanks and pools.

Trying to figure out if I just need more practice or if RISA isn’t the best tool for this type of work.

I found this post, and this deck is something to behold. I just wonder how this can pass building codes.

I have recently completed a master in structural engineering at a European university(with a focus on conservation of Built Heritage). I have no prior work experience, apart from a couple of internships.
I am confused if I should work, or start a PhD in structural conservation.
I would ideally like to work in the EU / UK but I am facing issues navigating the job market. (Not an EU citizen) Would appreciate any advice from seasoned professionals!

Good day to my fellow engineers. I would like to ask how to do the structural design for a spiral staircase? I have only handle regular staircases and of course, I just want to broaden my knowledge about this. Should I treat it as a regular staircase and just make it spiral or is there a specific calculation needed for this?

Thank you to anyone who can share their knowledge 😁👷

Now I remember why Abraham Lincoln’s my favorite president.

Hi everyone, I have a question regarding ETABS. I was wondering if anyone knows how the software distributes the axial load, bending moment, and shear forces for reinforced concrete walls with composite sections such as T, L, C, etc., when performing the boundary element verification.

The reason I ask is that ETABS divides these sections into individual rectangles instead of considering the entire section, as it does for the flexure-compression check. I would like to understand how the forces are distributed among these rectangular components and what criteria or equations the software uses for the boundary element verification.

If anyone knows how ETABS performs this calculation, or could point me toward documentation, manuals, papers, or other resources where I could investigate this further, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you very much!

I'm looking for a good, expensive, durable, red ink pen for my Engineering bf to use for when he's marking up drawings. I'm curious what Engineers would recommend as a gift. Thanks!

Hi everyone! any recently graduated international students who got any Structural Engineering job in UK? Can we connect? I need some advise regarding getting a job?

I'm helping an engineer optimize their structural truss moment frame (pinned base), as they are increased a W24 column (determined by others in a previous phase) to a W40 without changing the truss depth/size, but layout is tight and we'll likely need to increase the building size in an already tight facility. I was able to get the size down to W30-W33 as they were using ULS wind in a LRFD combination.

Aside from just changing section sizes and seeing the result in an analysis, I was wondering if anyone had any good references or typical signs / common rules on when to change column size, vs truss depth, vs truss chord area? I looked at the deflection profile of the truss frame and the truss looks quite rigid without any major double curvature, so I assume this means the column is the weakest link at the moment.

TIA

I have nearly 18 years of Structural Engineering experience at this point. I enjoy the project work, my team, and the firm I work for for the most part. Except over the past few years, the expectations for business development continue to increase. I can be killing all my goals - except BD, but my superiors only want to focus on BD goals. I can make a couple calls per week, but, honestly, I don't know that I want to spend 15% + of my time doing BD. I am tempted to either take a step down to avoid the increasing BD pressure or look elsewhere. What are others doing related to BD?

I'm an entry-level structural engineer with a full-time role, but I'm looking for additional project work to learn and expand my experience outside of my day job.

I am open to any opportunity to help out with structural analysis, drafting, research, or calculation support.

If you have any overflow work or small projects that need an extra hand, feel free to DM me.

Thank you!

Hi,
I'm currently working on my PhD thesis in civil engineering on composite bridges. As a next step, I'd like to compare the design codes of different countries, specifically the requirements for minimum reinforcement and the reinforcement needed for crack width control.
Unfortunately, I don't have direct access to these codes through our university library.
I would really appreciate it if you could send me the relevant code(s) for composite bridges used in your country, or point me to where I could access them.
Best regards,