×
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

Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

(OP)
I Graduated and started working for a Geotechnical Firm. They have me Working under a P.E who does QA on landfill liners. I Put together The reports needed for the permit.
*Putting the reports together involves no Engineering in my opinion. I was not informed this is what they wanted me to do for the far future. I was also not informed The job requires working Weekends very often and working from 40-70 hours a week on salary pay.

QUESTION:
Would this qualify as experince for PE?
Will working here To Long, hurt my ability to get a job latter in Design Side?

My goal is to Start own buisness Some day. Building Underground Houses.

QUESTION:
Is a PE required to build houses,pools?
Is getting a masters Degree more Condusive to my goal, Instead?  
 

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

1) yes the work qualifies
2) probably won't hurt but Geotechs don't do a lot of design
3) owning residential construction business does not require a PE
4) MBA or construction management might be a better degree for running a construction company

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

I guess your interview for this job was not as thorough as it should have been.  Working overtime on an annual salary is not unusual especially when deadlines are approaching.
Geotechnical firms may have to provide detailed drawings about laying out liners in different environments and the drawings may require a PE stamp. I would suggest that you should start going after your PE as you are in the realm of civil engineering..  

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

What Chicopee failed to note was that working OT for project deadlines is not uncommon... but (I don't know the general work ethics of your environment), working 70 hours should not be the norm... maybe 5 hours of OT may not be uncommon...

I often work 10 to 20 hours a week OT, but, am paid for it...

Dik

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

That is too much OT

Also, most states require recommendations from 4 PE's -- Right now - you just have one.  Need to work that out!!

 

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

Plan for your four recommendations, either by switching companies or having multiple PEs in the same company sign for you, or by maintaining a good relationship with college professors who are also PEs.  

Go ahead and get your PE before you start your company building underground houses, it will help some.

I would not stay at your current job for four years, but a year or two could be valuable.

Always stay flexible with your career path.  You never know what you'll end up doing, and staying fixed on a particular goal might mean you pass up opportunities you didn't originally plan for.

 

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East - http://www.campbellcivil.com

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

I would pay attention to everything going on at the company.  Maybe what you do right now is not much engineering.  But the company must be doing more than just putting together reports.  You normally start at the bottom and learn what's going on, before taking on more responsibility.

B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil and Structural Engineering
http://bwengr.com

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

Hello Delak,
Everyone has provided some great points and valuable information. No matter what business you are in weather you are working for a design firm or your own business it is all based on relationships. Its important to start building those as soon as possible. Build relationships inside the office and outside as well. With clients as opportunities arise or network with professional organizations.

As engineers we sometimes are so eager to focus on the calculations and design of our projects. But there is also the business and people side. Like brandobw mentioned, I would pay attentionto everything that goes on. Observe your coworkers, team members. See how they interact with each other. See how they interact with you. Pay attention to those aspects that go beyond the design, how was the contract written? how to estimate fees for professional services? Why is the report written in that format? Pay attention to budgets, etc, etc.

Personally, I am currently working my first salary payed position. My concern was the same when I went through the interview process but I raised the question. They told me that their approach was not to over work anyone...that around submittals would require longer hours. So far, there has been only a few times when I have longer hours (around submittal just like I was informed) but my supervisor has also turned around and sent me home early on a friday. They actually keep track of the hours weather salary or not in this company.

Ultimately, I would see how the company culture blends in with who you are. A salary position with working constant 70 hour weeks is certainly not fair. Above all, you have to be where you are happy and where you can contribute both your engineering and non engineering skills.

Good luck!

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

(OP)
Thanks for all the Info.. Extremely valuable for me.

I do think I am getting paid OT for the weekends. Landfill liner crews work sun up sun down then turn on spot lights, and work 7 days a week. Getting sent out of town for that is not fun. On top of that they want me to inspect concrete pours lol.

A bit overwhelming non the less. I think I shall try to learn all I can that pretains to my interest and once that drys up, Move on 2 years seems about right if nothing changes. Its a good company they did Geo for the Cowboys stadium maybe I will move more to that side altho that doesn't look likely.

I aplogize if this is rambling to non formally:
*I have constructed a pool and started on a fake rock panel construction structure. Is the path to my goal, to contuinue learning building structures untill i feel ethically compitant to start a buisness, not necesarily fullblown comercial just buyland-build-sell. (not sure how this process works)
 

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

IMO you are being taken advantage of.  I'd be curious to know the billing structure for your company on this contract.  For example, if they are billing you at 60-70 hours per week and then paying you for 40, guess who is pocketing the difference.  (Based on a time/materials contract, not a fixed fee)

Working OT in and of itself is not uncommon for professionals, how much is a judgement call.  Personally I think 4-5 hours per week is reasonable, to make up for non-productive time we all have.  Consistently working you at 50+ hours will burn you out.

Sometimes companies will make it up with a generous bonus, once, twice or quarterly per year.  If you are not being rewarded for this extra effort you are being taken.  Don't be lured into this trap young engineers fall into thinking this is the norm to gain experience, but that's just my opinion.

In my earlier career I would work for a company for about a year then move on.  I always gave ample notice and never left a mess, (don't burn any bridges).  I felt it served me well though, not to become 'inbred' with one company culture, and I learned much from various bosses.

There is nothing wrong with asking for what you want either, for more pay, less hours (or comp time for vacation), bonuses, different assignments, training, travel allowance, company car etc (as an example of some things to sweeten the deal, doubt you'd get everything).  You can be professional about it and they should respect you for it too.  If not, don't hesitate to take it on down the road, don't waste your time. If all you get are excuses move on.  A company will try to keep talented and hard working employees, unless they are a sweat shop.

Good luck.    

RE: Qualifying Experinces / PE a must for Company

You now have incentive to get your P.E. that much sooner.  Try to diversify and work for other firms before going solo.  A P.E. license & varied work experience will open up more business opportunities. Good luck.

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