US Structural Engineering Market - Job Prospects 1

[bowlingdanish]

Hi There,

Note sure if this is the right forum, but I am considering a move from Australia to the US to work as a structural engineer, to gain more/different experience and have a rad time. However obviously I would be tentative to make a move if the market is dire. I would be eligible for an E3 visa (

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-3_visa),

so would be able to work if offered a job.

What are the prospects like for a junior engineer (will be ~3 years) with experience in building structures? Are there areas within the states that are doing better than others? Would really appreciate insight from those within the industry.

Thanks for your time!

 

[KootK]

My understanding is that the market is white hot, at least in the midwest states. I used to work there before returning to Canada and have had six former colleagues approach me about jobs in the last year. Now is a great time to make a move I think.

I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.

 

[bowlingdanish]

Thanks KootK, that is very promising. Hopefully it holds for a little while and there's some work for juniours too.

 

[Trenno]

Assuming your current company doesn't have offices in the US?

I too will be pushing pretty hard for an internal move, hopefully to somewhere in Europe in coming years.

Anyway, sounds like a great opportunity - good luck!

 

[bowlingdanish]

Thanks Trenno. No we're just a local company with the one office, we still work on reasonable sized jobs though. I've considered applying somewhere here with an overseas office, but the market is pretty grim in Perth at the moment, and I'd imagine they'd want you to stay for at least a year or so before moving internally, if at all.

 

[Trenno]

Brisbane is pretty good at the moment. New tower proposals seemingly everyday and the big new casino development.

If you're ever looking to work in the UK, have a look at joining Istructe and perusing the job ads at the back of their monthly magazine.

 

[KootK]

My Yankee friends tell me that, during the downturn, things were so bad in construction that many engineers learned to do other things. They became nurses, computer programmers, and MBA's. They're happy where they're at and not willing to return to structural engineering. My friends tell me that, if you need help, you have no choice but to hire a grad, and often one for whom communication in English is a challenge.

If I were a young Aussie buck unencumbered by family, I wouldn't bother with the circuitous transfer route. I'd grab a credit card, through my stuff in a sack, and camp outside Thornton Thomasetti or Magnusson Klemencic until they let me in. Fortune favours the bold. If you crash and burn, you can sleep in my basement while you save up for a ticket home.

I applied for a job with WSP's NY office last summer (skyscraper central). I could have had it if I was brave enough to move my family there.

I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.