owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
(OP)
i am a fresh graduate and i wanted to seek your advise. i am actually really confused right now. i wouldn't start by asking which is better since they are of different fields and shouldn't be compared.
i recently started working on the owner's side which is obviously a bigger company. but i think i am not satisfied experience-wise. i kind of wanted to transfer on a smaller company which is on the contractor's side.
i am still unsure whether it would be wise to leave my company for a smaller one. people around me keep telling me it would be a waste given the salary and all. and maybe i'm just not seeing the whole picture. i'm really at a loss right now. i hope you can give me an overview in these fields because i don't have enough insight right now.
anyway i am assigned to paperworks. more on documents and contracts
thank you very much.
i recently started working on the owner's side which is obviously a bigger company. but i think i am not satisfied experience-wise. i kind of wanted to transfer on a smaller company which is on the contractor's side.
i am still unsure whether it would be wise to leave my company for a smaller one. people around me keep telling me it would be a waste given the salary and all. and maybe i'm just not seeing the whole picture. i'm really at a loss right now. i hope you can give me an overview in these fields because i don't have enough insight right now.
anyway i am assigned to paperworks. more on documents and contracts
thank you very much.





RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
for starters, which do you think would be preferable?seeing in actual by being assigned on site?or designing and planning without much background on materials?
i would actually prefer both if it is possible right now.
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
I started with drafting and a little design, just piecemeal work as part of a project. Slowly progressed to minor site visits and small scale projects. I now do the whole project from start to finish including drafting when required, overseen by a superior of course.
My friends with the big salary are smart people, but their experience is outside of their narrow job description is limited and they are generally apprehensive when dealing outside their comfort zone. I prefer a challenge when I go on site or receive a new project, the same old stuff day in and day out would bore the hell out of me.
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
One thing that often comes up here is: "Is frequent changing of jobs early in one's career damaging to their future?" This question has not been asked by you, but should be. Are you making a mistake too early in your career by not giving your situation a chance to be of value to you later? Mistakes early on can follow you later and may affect your success later on. Not always, but when they do, it is not good.
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
however right now, i'm also a bit hesitant thinking if i could do it. it is easy to say i'd like to be like this and that but i am also aware that the world of construction is very complex since you don't know what problems may arise halfway. i feel like what i had carried from school isn't really enough. and as much as possible, i'd like to avoid regretting the decision i made. greedy, aren't i?
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
perhaps 20 questions...
are you working for a consultant, government agency, residential / commercial / industrial developer, mine, vendor or supplier?
are you a civil, structural, environmental, transportation, geotechnical, drainage, water, sewer, bridge or other type of engineer?
does your company do engineering or architectural or planning or design or scheduling or estimating or construction management or manufacturing or inspection or something else?
You have your eyes on working for some sort of construction company? or industrial or commercial entity?
how big and how small are the companies?
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
this company i am eyeing is a construction company. they do residentials, commercial buildings and the like. im not sure if they do design. but i heard they are more focused on implementation. so maybe more on construction management
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
thank you very much. i will surely take the time to consider what you have said
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
1. Work on your attention to detail. For example, learn to answer the questions you are asked. You were asked details about your current job in this thread and I'm still confused.
2. Start writing in normal sentences and use proper grammar and punctuation.
3. Listen to your gut. You should be aware of your strengths and weaknesses - the construction world is not for everyone and lots of engineers are more comfortable sitting behind a desk.
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
If I'm not mistaken, in construction there are 2 sides, The owner and contractor. Owners do the inspections, monitoring and rough estimates as guideline when bidding for contractors. While contractors do the implementation and the actual construction. In my company, we develop subdivisions, but only the amenities, roads and drainage. I belong to the procuring department whose in charge of contacting contractors, doing various documents when there are additional works, negotiations. It's mostly clerical, I don't even have AutoCad in my pc unit. It's actually depressing that there are items of work and materials that I don't recognize considering the very small experience I had on site. And that is why right now I am considering to transfer on the contractor side which is mostly implementations and maybe actual field experience. Because there are times I am actually jealous whenever I see my friends getting better on actual constructions.
I seek your advise since I am not sure if it would be okay to transfer since it has only been a few months since I started working. And I know my knowledge on the implementing side is not enough to judge if I would be making the right decision. Would I survive the field considering the amount of experience I have right now?
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
If I'm in your shoes I move on. I think the worst thing a new engineer should be doing is reviewing construction specs, estimates, procurement documents, contracts, etc. particularly when you have no practical design or construction experience.
And don't worry about your lack of experience if you want to pursue another job, including going for a job with a construction company. If you work hard and enjoy your work, there are plenty of companies that are willing to put you in the right spot for you to learn and gain experience.
Another thing: There are actually three sides to construction, you forgot about regulatory agencies (and the possibility of working in that side of things).
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
If I was in your position I would talk with my boss and explain what I wanted to do and if there is any way to go about it.
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer
http://bwengr.com
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East - http://www.campbellcivil.com
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
It is just so unfortunate that when I already decided to try pursuing a job on the Contractor's side, my co-worker just resigned, leaving us tons of work. Seems like I'll be staying in here for a while
For now, I think I'll try learning everything I can regarding the necessary documents. I hope it won't be too late for me when I become free to try going on site.
Anyway I am a 'she'. And I have this notion that a female engineer only has a few years of freedom to try various things as compared to males. That is why I am in such a hurry.
Thank you very much for your replies. I will think it over deeply and I hope things will work out within the year.
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
In answer to a question, regulatory agencies are the government folk's that have rules we have to follow, such as building codes, workplace safety rules, etc. Sometimes they seem to have no common sense, but it is a fact of life these days. Part of the cost of construction is involved with following the rules, usually necessary for the public good, but not always.
RE: owner side / contractor side (seeking advise)
You are asking questions that imply you have no mentor. That's a difficulty for young engineers, regardless of gender. If you have no one in your organization, look outside for an engineer with experience that you trust to give you one-on-one advice and guidance. It is invaluable.
As for your question about regulatory agencies.....in general civil engineering, you may deal with a lot of "regulatory agencies". Those are governmental agencies that have regulation power (control) over what you do for projects that affect the public. An example would be submitting drawings to the planning and zoning commission, the building department or a drainage control district to review and approve your project. They have specific standards of design that they require and you MUST follow at least their minimum protocol.
Find a mentor and good luck.