×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Will a rail job help me get a structural job later?

Will a rail job help me get a structural job later?

Will a rail job help me get a structural job later?

(OP)
Hi everyone,

I'm a civil grad with no experience. Eventually I'd like to go into structural but I've been looking for 2 months with no luck. I recently received an offer for a transportation position doing alignment, drainage and other rail stuff. Right now I have no other offer and I don't know if I should take this job. Would this job help me in getting a structural position later? The two are unrelated so I don't think it'd make much difference, except I'd have some work experience... If it doesn't help me with getting a structural position, should I take it? I'm afraid that I'd be setting my career direction into transportation and I wouldn't be able to go into structural later. Any opinion on this? Please help! Thanks!

RE: Will a rail job help me get a structural job later?

Does the job sound interesting to you? Is it an engineering (as opposed to drafting) job - will you be able to count it as expereince towards your PE?

If the answer to all those is yes I suggest that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Moving sideways into your preferred area of interest is much easier than finding the perfect job when unemployed.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Will a rail job help me get a structural job later?

tokki.. if you want to do design work eventually.. either go back to school (structural emphasis) or just find a drafter position at a structural engineering firm. It wont pay like engineers but at least you will be able to find design job later (either at the same company or somewhere else).  

If you do it other way then you will get a pay cut later.

RE: Will a rail job help me get a structural job later?

Find out from the firm that gave you an offer whether they have a structural discipline inhouse.  Many firms doing transportation work have inhouse structurals doing transportation related facilities such as maintenance buildings or stations/bridges.

Pure structural design firms and A/E with inhouse structurals alike have entry level engineers with civil background.  That's how most structural engineers start out.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources