If by "design side" you mean civil/structural/geotechnical engineering, it can work out quite well if your credentials allow you to progress to professional registration & a PE license. If not, it would be best to move into the management side of design as much as you can, where the work is more about coordinating w/ contractors, rather than technical details. There is currently a large portion of "design side" engineering being outsourced to BIM modelers, who sometimes (most of the time) have very little experience in actual construction or project management. Project deliverables would experience a huge drop in quality if competent personnel weren't overseeing the technical details and coordinating documentation.

Experienced construction industry people tend to know about site prep, material handling/traceability, and selecting the best/realistic resolutions to disputes. Those are important traits that avoid damaging the client's wallet. You'll need to find a mentor who can help guide you at the beginning of a new path, so you don't spin your wheels and lose earning potential.

TLDR: Yea. If I can do it, you can too. Use time judiciously.


Edit to add my path:

Started w/ construction-side project engineering and scheduling. This was one of those jobs which was "engineering" in title only. It was mostly procurement, tracking materials in delivery and laydown, monitoring concrete pours, ensuring QC reps got everything they needed, etc. After a few years, I went to a steel fabrication company as a design engineer. Passed the PE exam and got credentialed and good money bumps. Not a ton of advancement available in that particular position. Currently making plans to move towards a project management role where I can combine the knowledge bases at the lead/senior level. You can do it.

I have found the pay is sometimes less in making the switch in that construction personnel get paid overtime and they may not get paid that on the design side. Some that I have known have taken fairly significant pay drops making the switch. Of course, you don't have to freeze your ### off or bake in the sun or get soaking wet either. For most I have known, that was the deciding factor.

The most common wish of construction crews is that the design engineer would have spent time on the job site building what they are designing. Somebody that has worked as a framing carpenter has a better perspective of what can and cannot be reasonably built with wood. An electrician has a better handle on how wires should or should not be routed in a project.

DrZoidberWoop you seem to have the most similar experience as me. I actually worked with heavy civil contractor for 9 years, and got PE during that time, as I got BSCE in school. Then did PM role with university for a few years. Recently took a PM role with smaller civil firm. Yes, I was thinking of finding a mentor to help with "catching up phase". Thanks to everyone that responded.

CL1914 -- you're in luck. The E-T community has provided more mentoring on design topics than I've found anywhere

I started my career doing traffic engineering support for the design and construction groups for a state DOT. My favorite designers were those that had worked in the operations side of the department, especially construction or maintenance. They were better at generating designs that could be built and maintained, they were more willing to listen and accept input than those that only had design experience, and could come up with practical solutions.

My glass has a v/c ratio of 0.5

Maybe the tyranny of Murphy is the penalty for hubris. - http://xkcd.com/319/

I graduated from an engineering program and immediately started working for a contractor jackhammering concrete in the field. After 12 years in construction (mostly in a PM role) I jumped to design for the most part. I'm still a contractor but now I focus on construction engineering (e.g. temp works, connection design, etc.). Eng-tips was the best resource for me and continues to be.

The thing about construction is that if you have the proper mindset, you've probably been thinking like an engineer all along and it doesn't take too long to get up to speed. Some of the best engineers (in the spirit of the title) I know of are contractors, not designers. One thing that might be troubling is code provisions but that just means you have to look things up more often for a period of time.

Software may also be a concern depending on what role you switch into and may actually be the biggest hurdle.

After school (bachelor degree in structural engineering), I worked for a deep foundations, support of excavation contractor. I started as a site coordinator and then became a site super. I knew I ultimately wanted to work in design, so after 3.5 years, I enrolled in an online structural engineering masters program, and switched to estimating (where there was more schedule flexibility to accommodate my schooling). Prior to finishing my masters, I was hired by a geostructural engineering firm who were enticed by my field experience. I was abundantly clear during the hiring process that my design skills would be on par with a new graduate. There was no specified time to get up to speed. Though I suspect this took longer than they had hoped. Getting up to speed was very challenging for me, and required a lot of reading during personal time. I've been working in design of temporary structures for 4 years now. Make the move. It can be done.