Career change from GC to engineering office/consultant? 2

You're pretty much spot on. We're incompetent, overpaid paper pushers. Most of our lives are spent trying to make the valiant contractors' jobs harder. We have a scoreboard where we keep track of everything we can have them tear out on their own dime and rebuild. Whoever gets the largest dollar total gets drinks on Friday morning. Because, we want to be drunk at our desks for the rest of the day.
If you take any of what contractors say about engineers seriously, you probably don't belong in a design office.

In actuality, the work is not that much different.

It is hard to take offense at such remarks from your colleagues as it just indicates a lack of experience more than anything else. I have heard inexperienced consultants make similar blissfully ignorant comments.

Jed, I don't know if you're really angry or trying to make fun of me/us. I hope for the latter.
There's multiple reasons for the low opnion my fellows hold of consultants. The actual quality of the work done by consultants has very little, and only on occasion, to do with it.

I've had little opportuniities to peek over consultant shoulders, not enough to really get a picture. My impression was that the whole payment structure for architects and engineers (german HOAI) forces them to deal with more codes and regulations.
I'm still interested to hear what others have to say about the day-in, day-out of consultant engineers.

Late night rant below:

"Contractor to grade locally on site"
"Contractor to confirm prior to construction"
"Contractor to ensure X works correctly"
"Design shown is indicative only"

These are common terms on consultants design plans. Why? As generally the guys building whatever is being designed generally have more practical knowledge about how a design should functionally be constructed than the design/consulting engineer. Yes, I can work out every minute detail if the client is willing to pay; most are not.

When contractors call me these days I am generally 'in a meeting' as they are generally always expecting 'something for free'. I'm happy to provide engineering services to them at normal hourly rate although generally a) they don't want to pay at all or b) they complain about paying later & dispute the bill or c) they decide that since they now have to pay they no longer required whatever it was that they called about and will make do without it.

What irks me is not people asking questions - I'm generally happy to answer on the phone for free. It is when people lack common sense and now think that with GPS equipment and machine control they can't build anything the same way they used too (e.g. without GPS and machine control). I'm certainly happy to provide the data (at cost) although contractors have to realise these sorts of requests take time (and thus cost money) just like preparing a design, spec or quantity schedule does.

Consulting is generally decent though. However when the contractor screws up and builds the stormwater pipe uphill, hits a sewer main, builds a house slab 180 degrees in the wrong direction, uses the wrong type of plant in a treatment pond etc they inevitably try to blame the consultant when it is not the consultants responsibility.

That something for free is amazing. We rarely get calls on our projects, but one I was getting called constantly. Surprised things were done wrong over and over?

There are good and bad consultants, thankfully the majority do know what they are doing. But you put one bad seed in there and everyone feels the pain. I have worked for 1 engineering company that had paper pushers burning money. They didn't last. I have a hard time believing any company that just burns through money can be in business longer than a year. The construction community is pretty small and reputation is important. Whether its realized or not word of mouth can spread fast between, say, developers.

Work in an engineering office is get this done asap but the budget is low so don't waste hours. Most likely you are not going into the field for any reason because that wastes time when you could be in the office.

B+W Engineering and Design | Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer

"Work in an engineering office is get this done asap but the budget is low so don't waste hours. Most likely you are not going into the field for any reason because that wastes time when you could be in the office."

This sums it up well.

It is all about wanting the work completed and out the door as quick as possible; then people wonder why the odd project will have an issue down the track.

Until one needs the other, engineers think contractors are idiots just out to make a buck and contractors think engineers are incompetent and know nothing about construction. At times, they are both right.

General Contracting has become more of a Construction Management process. Most GC's don't self-perform any work...they subcontract everything, somewhat manage the construction process, and make a profit doing so. As this trend has progressed, GC's actually know less and less about construction....they know more about management. This is a disturbing trend in construction, but as one who does forensic consulting engineering for a living, it keeps me busy. A similar disturbing trend is that some engineers never get out of the office. They let "designers" do the work, check to see that the design will work on paper and move on to the next task.....not thinking about the constructability, compatibility and long-term efficacy of their designs. We see design outsourcing that plays into this, but I won't get on my soapbox about that load of crap.

These are gross generalizations but somewhat accurate in many circumstances. That's the unfortunate part. I make these generalizations with over 35 years of experience as a licensed professional engineer, a certified general contractor, a certified roofing contractor, and a part-time professor of construction management at a university. I don't like what I see in these trends but doubt there is a reversal process.

To specifically address your issues, both are rewarding careers and should mix better than they do. Having seen some of the construction, you have a unique opportunity to offer a lot to the engineering side, just remember that many times in construction, you might have been taught the wrong way to do things and won't know the difference until something fails. Engineering has a greater duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public than does construction, so your focus is necessarily a bit different than that of a contractor, whose primary emphasis is "on time, within budget" and make a profit.

Make the change. You'll see a difference, but again, you might be able to uniquely blend those differences. Good luck. Don't stay in the office all the time. Go to the construction site. See your designs develop into cognitive, functional, physical forms that will be constructible and will work.

Actually, I got into engineering by working for a contractor. It was a big project and all the contractor's engineers wanted to run the job and not bother with any required engineering. They were only too happy that I take on this "drudge" work. I got to design everything from jobsite workshops to tunnel drilling rigs. Without getting a college education, I was able to learn enough to pass all my engineering exams and I am now a highly qualified Structural Engineer, PE, CE, and SE, ready for my next layoff.

Go into real estate. Or be a musician.