If you don't know what career to choose. List out those things that you want out of your career like money, flexible timings, travel etc and check out different jobs that have this. Next make a list of 10 jobs that meets your requirements. Then check the no of job vacancies for that particular position in your preferred city (just doing a linkedin search can give enough perspective). Compare the no of jobs for each position and the choose top 3 careers. Now try find some people in each of these 3 careers and talk with them to see which might be most suitable for you. You might have to do a couple of these interviews for each career to get better perspective. This would be the career advice I wish I could have given myself, before I had gone for my undergrad.
One of the best advice I got was to be a good enough engineer to be able to predict most of the software results before software even produce any results. For example let's say I have a distributed load "q" on a simply supported beam. I know that no moment on the bending moment diagram on that beam could have a value higher than qL squared/ 8 so if my software gives me a value of qL sqaured / 6 then I know something is wrong with the stuff that I programmed in to the software. This is a basic example, but engineering instict is the key and we must know at least approximatley what we must get before we even get any software results.
The one skill set I am not hearing is understanding construction. Understanding how a structure is built is key to good design. This skill includes being able to communicate with tradesmen, as well as contractors and clients.
Great tips! I realized early on that the soft skills necessary for dealing with clients are the same as those for dealing with your boss. There's no escaping them.
LOL!! I have no problem with soft skills. Because in the information age of 2021 and beyond, there are lots of CZcams channels, ebooks, and books 📚 teaching you soft skills (aka how to behave professionally). However, technical skills are a lot harder to learn. An example: Structure Analysis class was a hard class for me back in college.
Guy at work who used to be a structural engineer told me not to be an structural engineer, he was right. I like designing buildings, however the schedule & hours always suck. Pay isn’t anything special either, HR & marketing stooges make more than me 😒
I completely agree with you my dear. I think this is because most engineering students enjoy and cared about math, analysis, design and drawings subjects. Students in college dont get enough education to develop their soft skills.
The best advice I have ever gotten is learn how to detail. The difference between a good SE and a paper SE is their abilities to detail. Our product is a set of plans. Not our calc.
How about the other way around Matt? What would you advice? The civil engineer postgrads who are good with soft skills but intermediate with technicals skills and trying to get a placement into the industry Tbh: my life’s case study
Hi, has anything been changed after two years as you left this comment? I’m just curious, because I guess I have the similar situation. Would be really grateful for your answer
@@sher7436wow, I guess that is exactly what you needed, congratulate you! Hope you really enjoy the work that you do. So from your point of view is it helpful to finish Civil Engineering or not? I mean if you had had a choice, would have you finished the program anyway?
"working 40 hours a week"?? What kind of job do you have?? I worked half days in my career - any 12 hour period in a day.... It was called on the job training.
Hey Mat, I wanted to ask you a question regarding detailing. What exactly do you mean by ‘detailing drawings’? What are some sources for how to learn these skills. I’m a high school senior aspiring to be a structural engineer and I know this question is a little “down the road” for me but I was just curious.
Generally there are two major drawing 1. layout plan which give you overview 2. Detailing drawing which provide information how structure is connected, in term of rc how many reinforcement are there and for steel how many bolts or what's the plate thickness.
Hi Joel, I hope you can achieve your dreams, I am a senior civil engineering student. I would like share my opinion about this. It is better for you to improve Excel skills and learn Autocad which is used commonly for drawings. Also, you should study hard for the lessons as much as possible since they will be a basis for your professional career.
Hey mat am great full for the advise,am a students from Uganda ,how ever I have question in regards to seismic shock waves of a short return period in regards to the structural stability of a high rise structure as a postulate to buffer stability and design life of the structure of the future?
You should ask questions when necessary, and make observations about the job they are dealing with. I also think that we should be humble even if we know a lot about technical stuff. True communication and asking for a piece of advice can make us go a lot further. I am also new, I will graduate this year. These are my thoughts which I have gotten during internship practices , good luck!
How can I find a job as a civil engineer in USA? I only have a BSc in civil engineering from a university outside the US but with ABET accredited program in civil engineering. I also have 2 years of experience in construction.
I am a civil engineering student from India What would u just me to do after completing it & how to build a career out of civil engineering & I am even interested in doing my higher studies too Can u suggest some ideas
Can you teach me about steel and concrete analytics?, my Name is Lucious Defanto I am Student Civil Engineering at Departement of Engineering Jenderal Soedirman at 5th Semester I like many your content thats motivated me to pick my degrees program as a Civil Engineer from your subs on 20k people. Maybe I can be your apprentice about this hehe : D
@@exs7 Yeah, I should've explained it rather than purely complaining. Frankly, I enjoyed the civil/structural engineering work. Mainly from a risk/reward perspective, realtor/loan officers get the reward on a single project at least 50%-80% more compared with the engineer, not to mention the engineer stamp the drawing for taking life day responsibility. As civil engineers, we are required to provide safe, constructible, and cost-effective deliverables. If we need to meet those three criteria at the same time, it requires a lot of effort, which is always limited by the budget. We are not compensated by how much I can save on construction for the owner. It's always the case I design the structure which met the safety requirements without knowing the contractor's preferred construction method and the suitable material/price at the job site. the material market is dynamic, material price and availability always changes. A lot of friends who even passed the SE exam left the industry, went to the tech/finance companies.
Hi Mat, Y are a good speaker, I can understand yu pronunciation without focusing much. So can we be friends, if yes please text channel for conversation.
What's the best career advice you've ever gotten?
Haven't started my career...still studying 😳
If you don't know what career to choose. List out those things that you want out of your career like money, flexible timings, travel etc and check out different jobs that have this. Next make a list of 10 jobs that meets your requirements. Then check the no of job vacancies for that particular position in your preferred city (just doing a linkedin search can give enough perspective). Compare the no of jobs for each position and the choose top 3 careers.
Now try find some people in each of these 3 careers and talk with them to see which might be most suitable for you. You might have to do a couple of these interviews for each career to get better perspective.
This would be the career advice I wish I could have given myself, before I had gone for my undergrad.
One of the best advice I got was to be a good enough engineer to be able to predict most of the software results before software even produce any results. For example let's say I have a distributed load "q" on a simply supported beam. I know that no moment on the bending moment diagram on that beam could have a value higher than qL squared/ 8 so if my software gives me a value of qL sqaured / 6 then I know something is wrong with the stuff that I programmed in to the software. This is a basic example, but engineering instict is the key and we must know at least approximatley what we must get before we even get any software results.
@@nidpaul This is solid advice which I had been real with myself about the stuff you listed.
The one skill set I am not hearing is understanding construction. Understanding how a structure is built is key to good design. This skill includes being able to communicate with tradesmen, as well as contractors and clients.
Great tips! I realized early on that the soft skills necessary for dealing with clients are the same as those for dealing with your boss. There's no escaping them.
LOL!! I have no problem with soft skills. Because in the information age of 2021 and beyond, there are lots of CZcams channels, ebooks, and books 📚 teaching you soft skills (aka how to behave professionally).
However, technical skills are a lot harder to learn. An example: Structure Analysis class was a hard class for me back in college.
This video greatly applies to what I am going through, especially the introvert part and communication.
Guy at work who used to be a structural engineer told me not to be an structural engineer, he was right. I like designing buildings, however the schedule & hours always suck. Pay isn’t anything special either, HR & marketing stooges make more than me 😒
Best career advice for young Engineers!
School should emphasize the things that engineers need to be successful, but they hardly mention any of these things.
I completely agree with you my dear.
I think this is because most engineering students enjoy and cared about math, analysis, design and drawings subjects. Students in college dont get enough education to develop their soft skills.
Great videos man, young professional CE myself, subscribed!
Thank you!! I'm a bachelor student from South East Asia and you video really help motivated my studies.
The best advice I have ever gotten is learn how to detail. The difference between a good SE and a paper SE is their abilities to detail.
Our product is a set of plans. Not our calc.
How about the other way around Matt? What would you advice? The civil engineer postgrads who are good with soft skills but intermediate with technicals skills and trying to get a placement into the industry
Tbh: my life’s case study
Hi, has anything been changed after two years as you left this comment? I’m just curious, because I guess I have the similar situation. Would be really grateful for your answer
@@lisa-bf5tw Hi Lisa I'm working as a project manager now x in construction
@@sher7436wow, I guess that is exactly what you needed, congratulate you! Hope you really enjoy the work that you do. So from your point of view is it helpful to finish Civil Engineering or not? I mean if you had had a choice, would have you finished the program anyway?
@@lisa-bf5tw Lisa, correct , I would’ve finished it but at the same time would have kept applying for a transition and jump over. Before or after. :)
Inspiring thanks for the video
Hi
Very helpful information sir
Thanks a lot sir…
"working 40 hours a week"?? What kind of job do you have?? I worked half days in my career - any 12 hour period in a day.... It was called on the job training.
40 hours per week is pretty much normal for most jobs
Hi
Hey Mat, I wanted to ask you a question regarding detailing. What exactly do you mean by ‘detailing drawings’? What are some sources for how to learn these skills. I’m a high school senior aspiring to be a structural engineer and I know this question is a little “down the road” for me but I was just curious.
Generally there are two major drawing 1. layout plan which give you overview 2. Detailing drawing which provide information how structure is connected, in term of rc how many reinforcement are there and for steel how many bolts or what's the plate thickness.
Hi Joel, I hope you can achieve your dreams, I am a senior civil engineering student. I would like share my opinion about this. It is
better for you to improve Excel skills and learn Autocad which is used commonly for drawings. Also, you should study hard for the lessons as much as possible since they will be a basis for your professional career.
You should play Infrastructure sim game .
Hey mat am great full for the advise,am a students from Uganda ,how ever I have question in regards to seismic shock waves of a short return period in regards to the structural stability of a high rise structure as a postulate to buffer stability and design life of the structure of the future?
How to talk to experts in the industry to gain their experience?
You should ask questions when necessary, and make observations about the job they are dealing with. I also think that we should be humble even if we know a lot about technical stuff. True communication and asking for a piece of advice can make us go a lot further. I am also new, I will graduate this year. These are my thoughts which I have gotten during internship practices , good luck!
How can I find a job as a civil engineer in USA? I only have a BSc in civil engineering from a university outside the US but with ABET accredited program in civil engineering. I also have 2 years of experience in construction.
Go for an internship first. I know it sucks but you need experience did get in
I am a civil engineering student from India
What would u just me to do after completing it & how to build a career out of civil engineering
& I am even interested in doing my higher studies too
Can u suggest some ideas
Hi
@@odiaciviltechknowledge6013 hey
Can you teach me about steel and concrete analytics?, my Name is Lucious Defanto I am Student Civil Engineering at Departement of Engineering Jenderal Soedirman at 5th Semester
I like many your content thats motivated me to pick my degrees program as a Civil Engineer from your subs on 20k people.
Maybe I can be your apprentice about this hehe : D
Any advice crypto in civil engineering
The best advice for civil engineering students switches their major! Whoever is currently in civil engineering, change your career if possible. lol
But why?
Dont start a career in civil engineering
Why? I'm genuinely asking
U can't just drop this without an explanation, it isn't how it works
@@exs7 Yeah, I should've explained it rather than purely complaining. Frankly, I enjoyed the civil/structural engineering work. Mainly from a risk/reward perspective, realtor/loan officers get the reward on a single project at least 50%-80% more compared with the engineer, not to mention the engineer stamp the drawing for taking life day responsibility.
As civil engineers, we are required to provide safe, constructible, and cost-effective deliverables. If we need to meet those three criteria at the same time, it requires a lot of effort, which is always limited by the budget. We are not compensated by how much I can save on construction for the owner. It's always the case I design the structure which met the safety requirements without knowing the contractor's preferred construction method and the suitable material/price at the job site. the material market is dynamic, material price and availability always changes.
A lot of friends who even passed the SE exam left the industry, went to the tech/finance companies.
@@harvestingseason2725 see reply below
@@CDK0011 thanks bro
Hi Mat,
Y are a good speaker, I can understand yu pronunciation without focusing much.
So can we be friends, if yes please text channel for conversation.