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Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help
2

Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

(OP)
It’s been over two years now since I started working and up to now, I can say that I am still inexperienced because I’ve been into jobs of entirely different fields. Ever since I was in college, I always wanted to become a Structural Engineer but due to some unexpected events and circumstances (long story), I was forced to take jobs that had higher pay compared to that of a new structural engineer even though I know that my heart is into structural engineering. I never wanted to do this but I had to.

Even though I’m not working as a structural engineer, I keep on reviewing my structural engineering subjects, but my heart yearns for more than solving sample problems in books, I want to know what a real structural engineer does. I know that the solution to my problem is simple, which is to work as a structural engineer. If only for myself, salary isn’t a big issue to me, what matters to me most is the sense of fulfillment that I’d be getting when I’ll finally get the chance to work as a Structural Engineer. But again, as much as I would like to, my situation prohibits me.

I’m sorry, I know that my post is annoying, but maybe I just want to vent out my frustrations. And also, I’m hoping if you guys could help me have a glimpse of the real structural engineering world. Perhaps I could ask for some previous design tasks you’ve worked on in your jobs so I’ll have something to work on besides my textbooks sample problems. I know I’m such a shameful man for doing something close to begging but I’m just tired of my situation and I want to get out of it. Thank you and sorry for wasting your time reading my frustrations and I welcome the violent reaction this deserves.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

Did you graduate with engineering degree? If so quit your high paying job and get a engineering job. Once you have it, you will realize that its mostly answering emails, bitching about Drafters/architects, and every once and a while design something that is more that picking a beam size out of a book.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

ztengguy,

Been working on my own for a little over two years now due to a company bankruptcy. I had the exact same discussion with another engineer the other day. I find that I spend about 20%-25% of the time doing engineering. The other 75%-80% is correcting drawings, answering emails/phone calls, printing/mailing drawings, reviewing shop drawings, attending meetings, site visits, writing letters, writing proposals, explaining things to contractors/owners they will forget 5 min later, billings, following up on billings etc.... Not really quite engineering.

jmv,

When I left school I wanted to be an environmental engineer. Things didn't quite work out that way and I ended up being a structural engineer. I worked for a steel fabricator designing small buildings (strip malls, 3 story office buildings, warehouses etc). Lots of people have dreams of designing 100 story buildings as a structural engineer..... most will not. I'm an easy going guy and can tend to make the best of a situation hence not going back into environmental engineering. Then again, when I lost my job I had no desire to leave the engineering field (say to work on site) because I knew I wouldn't be happy.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

Want to solve problems and play engineer?

Build something! Fix up a car, build a deck, pour a patio, build a computer. I don't see a lot of young engineers with hands on experience. (I don't see a lot of older engineers with hands on experience). It works your brain as an engineer and scratches the itch.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

It sounds to me like you know what to do, but are lacking the courage to do it. If a lower salary is not a problem, it is difficult to see why your "situation prohibits" you working as a structural engineer.

Volunteering for habitat for humanity might help you get your fix and could network you with someone who may set you on a more fulfilling path.

Good luck.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

habitat for humanity projects ?

engineers aboard ?

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

He doesn't have to be an engineer. I was suggesting that swinging a hammer just might satisfy his inner builder.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

What do you want from your career? If you want to be a structural engineer, get off your ass and do something about it. That probably involves a lot of foot work and interviews. It may also involve quitting, as almost no one will take a Project Manager (or similar) serious in their search to switch into structural.

A bit of advice, in case you do go for it: In my structural engineering career I've been the lead engineer on the long frame and cross frame designs for a stadium, built numerous public buildings, and have been engineer on a wide variety of very unique structures. I never went after those assignments. Each time I was chosen for something truly "special", it was because I follow through on every promise, admit when I didn't know how to handle a situation, and give credit to others in the team when deserved, and above all else get the job done on time. That involves a whole lot of midnight oil and family/friend/opportunity sacrifices.

FYI: My career started with accepting the best possible intern opportunity and turning down a number of more highly paid jobs. This was on my father's advice: He told me early and often that hard work is what brings you luck, and to get stuck into a tough job to learn the most you can. When I graduated and was reviewing offers, he pointed out that then AND NEVER AGAIN would I be able to take any job, no matter how measly the pay, without significant sacrifice.

You cannot simply "become" a structural engineer. In my experience the first sacrifice required is pay. We are one of the lowest paid specialties in one of the lowest paid professions.

Now maybe you can achieve this in a way I have never heard of, but I doubt it. If you want to make money doing this, you have to make a whole lot of sacrifices first. The longer you wait, the more tough those sacrifices will be.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

Work part time as a structural engineer? contact a small local structural consulting firm, tell them you want to work for free and your situation. see what happens. a small consulting firm often do many odd jobs and dabble in most things without specializing in any one thing (often is not always).

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

Depends where you are located but business is booming at the moment in most areas and it's a good time to go get a job. If you're only two years out of school then you are young - send out your resume and send out feelers with every contact that you have, you will probably find something quickly. If salary isn't an issue and you're only two years out (early 20's?) then you have little risk. Your location will have a big impact on what you get to work on - if you're in a city then you are more likely to get exposure to large/varied projects.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

(OP)
Thank you all for your suggestion and encouragement. Thought I'd be receiving the opposite. Right now, I need to work for money for my family since my father passed away. He died of cancer so we spent a lot to try to save his life. So basically that's the circumstance. By the way I have a degree in Civil Eng. Maybe I'm just longing to know what it feels like to be a real structural engineer since I'm not sure when I would become one. Or if I'd ever become one. Because see, it's my dream since college. I just got unlucky. But your replies really made me feel much better so thanks everyone. :)

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

(OP)
Do you guys know any good references that have examples based on actual practice?

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

(OP)
EngineeringEric,

Do you, by any chance have some friends looking for a part time structural engineer who could give work through e-mails? I would work for free. :)

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

Study for, take, and pass the 16-hour SE exam. You'll come out with a better understanding of structural engineering, the confidence to perform structural engineering, and the credentials to be allowed to do it. After that you should have a clear idea if structural engineering is for you and much of the problems presented in the exam and during studying will be similar to problems that "real" structural engineers face.

Maine EIT, Civil/Structural.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

Jmv08:
TME.... Don’t you need to work directly under the supervision of a Registered Engineer for some period of time before taking the PE or SE exams any longer?

Jmv08.... You probably won’t find much good experience or satisfaction doing any kind of engineering that can be done by e-mail. It would likely be very repetitive and not particularly meaningful or enlightening, in terms of furthering your engineering career and real engineering experience. The important thing about working in an office environment is that you are rubbing elbows with other more experience engineers, seeing many different problems, and many different approaches to solving these problems, you can ask questions at the moment, and you should be absorbing this, to see the big picture. Find a good Structural Engineering mentor, join a few engineering organizations, like ASCE, NSPE, AISC, ACI, AWS, and attend the meetings to start meeting people who might be future employers or mentors. When you start out, you have to be in the office so your supervisor can watch over your shoulder, can correct you and show the right way before you can go too far astray, so you can both look at the same plans and details, and do quick sketches to explain how to detail that or design that, point you at a good ref. text book on the office shelf, etc. etc. You just can’t get that by e-mail and you really won’t get that intensive support here on E-Tips either.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

frogit22 has a good idea that you try to build something. I will add that what you build should require that you first prepare a detailed design. Right now, I am in the process of designing a 6' x 10' low wood deck that fits over my ugly undersized 4' x 6' x 5" high concrete front stoop. There are many things to think about. For example, how can I make one unified deck when some of it will be only 2.5" above the existing stoop and some of it will be on some kind of new foundation? What will the new foundation be? Will frost heave be an issue? How can I keep wood away from soil? Should I use a geotextile with crushed stone over the existing soil? How can I maintain drainage on the existing concrete? Et cetera! My mind is just churing with this. I draw up a concept, realize some new issue, and then draw it up again. Eventually I will have to make a decision and run with it. This is how I go about structural engineering on those rare times that I actually get to do structural engineering in my structural engineering job, and it is heaven. You don't have to get a new job to have this kind of fun!

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

I'm going to chime in and agree on the build something recommendation. Nothing is more satisfying for me than designing and building something. It gives you a new appreciation for construction techniques and problems that arise during construction.

In the coming weeks I will be building a new front staircase with enlarged landing similar to graybeach. Previously I built a raised deck, removed two bearing walls from my kitchen/living room. I even replaced a foundation wall on my current home (I did all the work except operating the backhoe). It helps me understand where the contractor is coming from with his questions and concerns and it feels great to look at the finished product knowing I designed and constructed it.

Habitat for Humanity is a great option too, same with Engineers Abroad and Engineers without borders. They are always looking for volunteers and provide valuable experience and networking opportunities.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

dhengr: True, it doesn't sound like the OP has been working under a PE to get the time required or the references. Might not even have an EIT.

Maine EIT, Civil/Structural.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

If you want to be a structural engineer there really is no substitute for performing structural design in a professional capacity. There are plenty of posers out there who claim to be structural engineers but have never done structural design and they’re just that: posers. Sorry but that’s how I see it.

So…you have a decision to make. If you want to be a structural engineer you need to work for a structural design firm at some point and the sooner you do it the more you’ll remember from school. Fortunately you’re in a good position to look for a job since you currently have on.

Only you will know what’s right for you and like so many things in life it comes down to deciding what you want and then going after it.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

In my degree program, I concentrated on heat transfer and fluid flow, and wound up working in different fields. I don't recall right offhand seeing ANY openings in that field, ever, not that I've been looking, either. Anyway, it's been a good living, just the same, and I don't regret the directions I've gone.

Nobody can really make the decisions for you based on what little we know. Probably all of us can think of occupations more interesting than what we're doing, and at some point, you have to decide whether you want to make a living or not. And if you're going for the good living, you'd likely do better to put your energy into that rather than wishing for something different.

I would suggest working on your PE, assuming you're in an engineering position at all.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

(OP)
Thanks everyone for the insights, it made me realize some things and somehow I feel much better now. Looks like I can't do much about my situation right now so I'll just try to make the most out of it. I'm currently working for a Piping Contractor and I never liked the job since day one but I when I think of it, I haven't really given the job a chance since I wanted to work for a structural engineering firm badly. I'm unaware of it but I was tormented by the thought of being stuck in this place when I badly wanted to be in another. Again, thanks guys for your time and insights, it gave me a new perspective. I wish you guys all the best!

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

jmv08, I'm sorry about your dad. I lost mine to cancer as well and it really, truly sucks. I can tell you feel completely stuck but if you can see that you're where you are for a specific purpose, then maybe it won't feel so terrible.

I agree completely about volunteering with Habitat. I do residential investigation work and learned SO MUCH from them.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

(OP)
I's sorry to hear that SLTA. Yeah, I keep on thinking that everything is happening for a reason and hope that it's for a good one. But sometimes it's hard to not get depressed especially when you yearn for something very badly and you've been waiting for it for what seems like forever. What's worse is sometimes you fear that you might not even get it at all. But I guess this is just how life is.

Thanks for the suggestion STLA.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

I was interested in Structural Engineering and originally started out as a mechanical engineer. In my spare time I started studying whatever structural book I could pick up. I'm particularly interested in residential structural engineering and working with wood. I wasn't even sure where to start. I visited a number of structural firms and they all pretty much laughed at me since my experience was mostly mechanical and crossing over into the structural field seemed silly to most of them.

Get some good books on the subjects that interest you. Some basics I suggest are:

AWC NDS 2012 (package)
ASCE 7-10
IBC 2012
Design of Wood Structures by Donald Breyer

then there is concrete, masonry, steel, cold formed steel etc... really depends on your interests.

If you are interested in creating your own firm some day then I would highly suggest working on your own set of calculators for common problems. Most engineers use Excel spreadsheets but I prefer to code stuff in Perl and Html with PDF outputs.

If you really want to dig a bit deeper, past the code books and all of the checklist stuff (accounting) then get a copy of Hibbeler's text on Structural Analysis.

The last few chapters of that text that deal specifically with matrix analysis are fascinating to me and was the means by which I wrote a concise matrix analysis program that I use for analyzing trusses.

Last summer I spent every spare moment dissecting the ANSI TPI 1-2007 and its commentary in my attempts to understand the engineering behind MPC wood trusses.

I guess what I'm trying to say is even if you are not working directly in the field or within some large structural firm there is quite a lot you can do to expose yourself to the structural field.

My most recent project (in my spare time) has been a simple beam calculator, sure its not that great, but going through the process of creating it and looking at all the different options, configurations and "what ifs" I've managed to more fully grasp what it means to engineer a beam: Beam Calculator

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

(OP)
Medeek, so you actually got to work for a structural engineering firm? Thanks for the idea! I'll definitely try to make my own calculators as you did, perhaps in excel first. I'm through with solving exercise problems from text book.

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

I didn't end up working for a structural firm.  I created my own business and I am now taking residential clients on a fairly regular basis.

http://www.medeek.com

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help


If you can't figure out how to build, then how can you design it?

Every engineer should have to be intimately involved in the construction of what he/she has designed if only to understand how the design assumptions (connections, boundary conditions, etc.) relate to the actual construction. It also helps provide insight as to how the design assumptions can be enforced by how things are assembled.

If you have the basics under your belt, design something. Then detail it. Then build it. You will quickly discover that what you think will work may prove to be impossible or extremely difficult to construct. But, in my NTBH opinion, the best engineers have had hands-on experience and a very close connection to those who build their designs.

If this "floats your boat", then dive in. Structural engineers may not have the highest income, but we often have the most fun, and get the greatest reward from, solving problems. Once, of course, we get past the other 75-90% of our careers answering emails, preparing proposals, arguing with contractors & architects, sending out invoices, chasing payments, etc.

An editorial aside: As far as architects go, a license to practice architecture must have as a prerequisite a requirement that includes laying out a building using ONLY the paper drawings that one has created for their design. No computer, no CAD, only the drawing on paper and a tape measure. Every missing dimension, angle, or necessary revision, etc. is a point off the final score.

Ralph
Structures Consulting
Northeast USA

RE: Frustrated Structural Engineer Needing Help

Your story is not unlike mine. I just got my SE license this year, after struggling to find a place where I could get the appropriate experience and training to get that license. I had to jump jobs several times to find this experience. I took several jobs that made me feel underemployed (one as a draftsperson) just because they paid well and I had a young family to provide for.

When jumping around to get this experience I unintentionally burned a few bridges, and put my wife through some stressful times. In retrospect I could have learned to enjoy other careers just as much, and probably could have made just as much if not more money. I wouldn't say getting my SE was bad for me, but it certainly had a price. I'm glad it's all done with now, but I'd caution that if you do decide to focus in on the structural route that you remember that more important than your career is your family. It may take some sacrifice from them, and you should be considerate of that as you do it. I love structural engineering, but I think for a few years there I let my selfish drive to become an SE become the center of my life. I've seen a lot of other structural engineers do the same thing. Structural engineering often demands more than any other discipline in that regard. I'd put extra effort into my family relationships if I could do it over again.

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