A Day In The Life Of A Civil Structural Engineer
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2019
- A day in the life of a civil structural engineer (site visit edition).
►The Structural Engineering Channel Podcast:
bit.ly/2Ja3rAU
►iTunes link for TSEC Podcast:
apple.co/2JaawkT
►Music I use: www.epidemicsound.com
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/ @matpicardal
Mat Picardal is a structural engineer at DCI Engineers. This video and this channel does not necessarily reflect the opinion nor beliefs of DCI Engineers. All thoughts expressed are purely his own observations and experiences.
For business inquiries email matpicardal@gmail.com
How does your day as an engineer compare? Comment below and let me know!
Just started three weeks ago in a small firm in Mexico, so far the main difference is that I haven't done site visits. Thanks for your videos!
As a land development engineer, I don't models that look as cool as yours!
Glad I could help Orlando!
I'm still in the middle of the civil engineering college, but my professional goal is to be a structural civil engineer! By the way, what program do you used to analyse the steel beam? I wish you a very good career on engineering!
Thanks Rodrigo, awesome goal! For steel beam analysis I tend to use Enercalc, for steel detailing, sometimes RISA Connection.
I am a truck driver. Have been for the past eight years. I can tell you I would love to start my day at 630am. Most days I work 10 to 14 hours. Trucking has given me a lot of time to think of what and who I really want to be. I am going to start my path to engineering at 31yrs old. I will miss all the sights and places I have traveled along the way. But I have not lost the will to learn and the desire to see where Math and logic can take me. Wish me luck. Thanks for the video, love from Canada.
Good Luck bro!
Best of luck to you!
Good luck my friend.
Best of luck bro!! it would be awesome!
GOOD LUCK!!!
I am a civil engineer from algeria , and to all the engineers around the world don't forget to drink water .
xD
@@kishorraika6411 I am soo sorry man, i forget you guys don't have clean water in nepal.
Thanks for reminding
i am diploma civil engineer have any vacancy algeriya
Haha got you brother
I'm so happy I found a engineering day in the life other than computer and software engineering.
I felt the same way, thanks for the comment Haider!
@@MatPicardal No problem! A lot of times I'm looking for a day in the life of a civil, mechanical, electrical engineer but all I see is computer engineering. It was a good video.
exactly True! thank you for the video
@@MErdogan34 you're welcome, glad I could help!
@@haidermoh.9937 hell I'm a computer science major but I love variation every once in a while.
I have been a civil engineer for over 25 years and I always give two pieces of advice to young guys starting out; 1) get construction experience 2) Avoid Engineer's Disease ( analysis-paralysis) which means make a decision don't analyze stuff to death.
Truth!
Not just guys! 😁
@@oreoandbeesly Definitely. I'm following in my sister's footsteps
Haha dont structural engineers analyse stuff ?
Just stumbled across your video. I'm a bridge engineer and work on the 4th floor of the same building for Jacobs! Small world. See you around the building.
Hi Lauren! Super small world, say hi to Jazzy, Esmeralda, and Adeleine for me!
This comment thread made me smile
lol this is dope
This comment ❤️❤️❤️
This made my day seeing this
I am a Civil Engineer and my first project is road. Though it’s not that hard as vertical structures but every experience is worth it. Good luck to all engineering students! Fighting ☺️
Thanks for the comment!
I am a student of civil engineering , a very interesting life as structural engineer where at night spend time watching Boku no Hero Academia 😂
"You idiots!!!" - Bakugo
@@MatPicardal hey, does engineering course needs a lot of money on college?
@@anonymous-zf1qm Not really. Depends on the college. If you go to a Public 4 year it will be less.
@@Melbester9 if sa private school? Mga magkano?
I also am civil engineer. Life hard in my country so i have stop watching animes and focused myself for opportunity 🤣🤣
Good stuff.. Im architect by the way, and my job is giving u guys a nightmare
Peace
Hahha thanks xero!
Irrelevant architects pfft
Mat Picardal in my decade a civil construction site manager I’ve yet to meet one decent architects. Most have no concept of build ability, ignorant of change control, cannot coordinate any design in order. All Architects are good for is just producing concept designs. Beyond that they struggle and most work there days can be done by draughtsman. Architects are a joke to the industry. I eat architects for breakfast especially in design n build route.
An architect's dream , is an engineers nightmare . Civil engg undergraduate here
saurabh pathak to the contrary, I’ll challenge your perception, an architects dream is a clients nightmare. Usually what looks like their dream gets turned to a box after concept stage validation and subsequent value engineering. A civil engineers dream is a project that’s built to time, budget and quality.
You remind me of good old days, you are doing a good job. I am retired Structural engineer. Now I work part-time as university professor.
Thank you Professor!
currently watching this instead of doing my structural analysis homework... :D
You're still learning :)
Same here
same girl, same
Ditto😄
omg sameee!!
Please make more videos about the site where you work, lifestyle, upcoming projects for you etc... Please because you motivate me and many other people.
Thanks Jayant, will do!
Mat Picardal isn’t project related info kind of confidential to some degree? I know most international engineering consultancies and quite strict with those rules
I'm a structural engineer with 6 years experience. It's not all and Rose's and sunflowers. Low pay when starting off (less than 6 years is considered starting off), long hours and dealing with awkward builders/technicians everyday can be laborious and stressful. Very hard to progress within a company to earn decent money. I'm in the process of starting my own design and build company. From Ireland.
H00FH3ARTED oh i feel you .. actually i kinda decided to go for masters in construction management for a better income on the long run .. do u think i made the right decision?
Construction is the best my man
I’m an civil engineering major, I am so glad I found your channel. In a way, it’s really inspiring. Thank you 😊
going back to this video before our collab! cant wait to see how fast you get to 100k, thanks Mat !
Hi, Im from Argentina, Im 24 years old and one month ago I have civil engineer diploma. This kind of videos are amazing and motivate me to do my best in my work. I wish you the best in your life. Regards
Thank you for your kind words Nicolas, wish you the best also!
You've just inspired me to finally pursue this career. I've always been hesitant because I've just never had that much confidence in myself. But thank you for inspiring me. 🙏
It’s awesome to find a structural engineer vlogging! Your workday seems pretty standard haha - I’m also up at 6 ish and in bed by 11 👍🏽
Glad you could relate!
thanks for sharing what you do! There aren't too many videos like this out there. Civil engineering undergrad myself.
Hi! I'm from Philippines and now i'm having a mental breakdown, but when i watched your video, i'm already motivated solving statics problems thankyou for this! btw, i'm a sophomore civil eng from PuP
Awesome! Also, don't just rely on professors to teach you. Ask for help, attend office hours, study groups, get a study buddy to check each others work, look for online tutorials, find Schaum Outline type books that simplify subjects.
I am a recent graduate from Civil Engineering department. I am so excited to see this video demonstrating a day as a structural engineer!!!
Thanks for your support!
Awesome video, man. Good to see another “one of us” haha. Your day and mine are pretty similar but I’ll admit I’m jealous of the site visit, I don’t get to do that very often.
Thanks David!
i’m on my 2nd year of Civil Engineering and seeing this makes me thrive much more (knowing that i’m lazy sometimes lol) thank you for sharing this!
Glad you could relate April!
Helo
I cant wait to graduate, and I hope work is as fun as my calsses are currently!
Scrolling through comments to see if anyone mentioned the fact he just did an 11 hour work day
Not always like that, been currently working 40 hours lately. It's the eb and flow of the private industry.
@@MatPicardal 40hours for a day is too much.
@@Hypocrite420 😁😆yeah
Besides choking deadline, infinite model tweaking analysis & design cycle, constant revision of model to accommodate other traits, report drafting, fixing site issues due to human stupidity, constant self studies to keep up with the industry and code, yes that's pretty much it. Still bravo for presenting the good stuff and motivate fellow Engineers so they have something to look forward to :D
I’m a civil transportation engineer in Canada and besides all of the structural stuff in this video, it does relate to my work day pretty accurately.
Glad other fields can relate! Go civil engineering!
Thank you for sharing an experience that may be different between the different countries from which we watch your videos but it tells us a lot about the tools you use and the activities you do, again thanks
I feel so proud to being a civil engineer after watching this video but currently I am in final year of BE
I have completed my degree
I’m a civil engineering student and I’m in love structures, my dream is to become a structural engineer. Your life looks really cool. Cheers ✌️
Glad I can help Martin!
His life looks boring dude... lol
slimmy666 not as yours lol
I'm a civil engineering student at UF and this keeps me going. I hope to become a civil engineer in the next 4 years!
This is my dream job, thank you so much for posting this, it really helps on letting me know what the job would be like.
Glad I could help!
accidentally clicked on this video and now i realize i needed to see this. i'm currently on my first year of studying CE and i absolutely have no idea why i'm majoring in it
How is it so far, I’m planning on getting into CE
I'm a second year, Civil Engineering student. I plan to do Masters in Structural Engineering. This video really motivates me. Hope you have a really good future!!
You as well Allen, you got this!
Awesome video! I am a Civil Engineering Undergraduate at The University of South Carolina and I want to specialize in Structural Engineering , cool to see what an average day sorta looks like. Keep it up, I am interested to see more!!
Thanks for the support Chris
Thanks. I love this. And another thanks for the podcast link in the description. (I learned apple podcasts is playable in any browser window ) 😉
Thanks for the support Balaji!
I see ETABS, i press like button 🔥
Yes!
and Enercalc!
Can I survive being a civil engineer not knowing how to use modeling software like etabs?? I've passed the board exam and still don't know how to use them...
@@josephoyek6574 same here
Same here hhh
I appreciate you making these. Theres not many like it.
I appreciate the support!
Love the video, to see how the professional lives of other engineers are like around the world.
Nice! I think I remember you from Cal Poly. Currently practicing structural engineering on Guam. Keep it up!
i’m an architectural engineering student (extremely similar to civil engineering), senior year. please make more of these, love them!!
Hi! CAN u tell me what’s the difference between civil engineering and architectural engineering? Never understood it
ndeye khady ba architectural engineering focus’ more on architecture. we’re able to communicate with architects and use our engineering mixed with architecture knowledge to fit their needs. Hopefully that helps your understanding! we basically take the same courses, but architectural obviously has architecture classes sprinkled in!
tulip alonso so you’re like helping architects?
ndeye khady ba no, we’re more helping to civil engineers but we are basically architecs. we just more understand how thing works more than normal architecs ‘cause usually we have more knowlegdes from civil engineering :)
I’d love to know about your first engineering job. Especially that first month or two. I’m about to graduate and work full time at a structural firm that I’m currently interning for and I feel so lost at times.
That's a good video topic, thanks for the idea David! In the mean time, the closest thing is this video: czcams.com/video/xqP07ot0OgU/video.html
Great video bro ! Nice projects too I’m in the Venice Dual Force Main near not far from your site !
This whole thing is a mood... I love it Mat!
I am civil structural engineer too and I don't know if you feel the same, but sometimes I feel that I hate the architect when I finish all the work, the details, the documents and they say "I want to make a change but don't worry it's doesn't will change the structure " I you Know that this is other project jajaja fu@#€
Hi Felipe, haha yes when I was first starting. Most of the time, I believe it's our fault for not setting expectations from the very beginning with the team, having a good contract to protect us from these types of things, and agreeing to these types of request when asked. This is what I mean by us not being trained in business. If the architect/team knows and it's in the CONTRACT that we will get paid for these changes from the very beginning, then no one can argue when we charge additional services, it's in the contract and all the emails that we should be communicating throughout. What typically ends up happening is scope creep where we end up doing all these extra designs pretty much for free, and we wonder why we're underpaid. If a company doesn't make money, it can't pay it's employees well.
If the client is truly unreasonable and ends up being the "client from hell", well no one is forcing us to work with them. Unexperienced SE's may tend to think that because they pay you means that you have to do everything they say...no, we get to choose who we work with. If they are truly unreasonable, the money you lose and the mental stress that you have to go through may not be worth it.
Nice video! Can you make one on the SELECT FEW skills (including necessary softewares) that civil engineering students should focus on in order to become employable?
I'll give more advice and tips on those!
Crazy to think that when you posted this video, I was in my second year of civil undergrad. Now, I’m graduated with a masters degree in structures and PE civil/structural exam passed, and I’m attempting the SE bridge specific exam! Thanks for the inspiration Matt! ❤❤❤
More video please! Starting my job life as a graduate structural engineer.. need motivations more
Nice video, good example and excellent career! Inspired by yours truly sir a 5th year civil engineering here in Philippines. 🙂
Thanks Mark, glad I could help!
I’m a junior getting my bachelors in civil engineering. Hopefully I’ll be living a life like this in a year 🥺
Wow you're from around the area! I am a sophomore at cal state fullerton still trying to figure out if civil engineering is the way I want to go. Thanks for the videos it's nice seeing a visual of the real world of an engineer.
I just love how you enjoy your life man..big ups💯💯🔥🔥
Hi Mat, I work as a structural consulting engineer in Australia, designing, documenting , inspecting and certifying structures in the residential/commercial sectors. I recently quit my office job to consult in my own business. I am making a similar wage as before consulting on my own, working from home, less hours, less stress and no commute.
That's awesome Mark! Do you still do a lot of the design work yourself (analysis, drafting drawings, etc.) or do you have a small team, or do you do more of the inspecting/certifying?
Is there any scope for detailing engineers in Australia
I'm about to do same
😊
@@MatPicardal Yes manage the client, design, draft , inspect and certify. The projects are smaller in size and the engineering design is simpler then working on larger projects. Work life balance was the aim, not commuting 10 hours a week and feeling like your running in a rat wheel, which is what being a consulting engineer feels like working for a larger company alot of the time.
@@devikavijayan9596 In Australia we have a national and state registration scheme administered by Engineers Australia. It usually takes at least 5 years quality experience plus an assessment process to gain accreditation. Once accreditation is obtained you can certify engineering designs and constructed projects which means your position is valued higher in the wage market and you can at that point consult for yourself.
Hi, im a 3rd year student studying civil engineering, seem to be loosing interest
But thanks you gave me the impression that its not so bad..
Glad I could help, depends on what firm you end up in also.
Hey guys I'm also 3rd year student studying Civil engineering.
Anybody can help me what to do for my best future.....
so you are 22-24 years old now
@@MatPicardal hello sir is M Tech necessary for every structural engineer???
Same ..I'm a 2nd pursuing civil eng..I had lost hope maahn😂
This is exactly my everyday routine. 👍👍
Is it a timber structure, in your site visit?
It's funny, you're swaying along with the structure's testing! 😂
Good luck Engineer! 👍
Hi Mat. It looks like you've been given some degree of autonomy - which is a good sign at a structural firm. Some firms will keep their cards close to the chest and not communicate to the design engineers what the real concerns are for their employees, the company, and their big projects. Hopefully you find a place to grow or start your own firm some day. I've tried working out of my house doing small commercial/residential projects here in Oregon. It's much harder than it looks. I now work for an AHJ and review hundreds of projects in Oregon. The thing that separated me from others was obtaining my SE, not just the BS, MS, and PE. I hope you can continue your success with your work and your channel! Peace!
Thanks for your support Ryan, especially coming from a seasoned SE. I appreciate the helpful comments you've been putting up for everyone.
Civil Engineering graduate from the Philippines.. nice video 😊👷🇵🇭
Mahirap ba?
I’m currently in school to be a Civil Structural Engineer like you, this video is awesome and really motivates me to push through! My dream job is working at the company my mom works at (M3 Engineering & Technology) she works minimum 40 hours a week and they get let out at noon on Fridays how cool is that lol
Very cool! Seems like a great company with a good culture!
Do you mean maximum?
Our days are very similar! Great video man!
Thanks!
Keep it up.. So good to see you as Civil structural engineer... Same here... Good luck....
Thanks Varun, you too!
Dude i love this, please make more! :'D
Thanks for the comment, will definitely be making more videos!
I really like this major, I am a petroleum engineer but very interested in structural engineering specifically
Awesome, thanks for the comments and let me know what you would like to learn about!
this is awsome ...... finally a day in the life of a civil engineer
Hey Mat, Love the video. It actually inspired me to start my on youtube channel!
Awesome! That actually means a lot to me, it will lift our industry up as a whole if more of us shared!
I’m in the first year of civil engineering. Oh dear Lord give me the strength to get through this program 💪🏻
FARSHY AL-TURAB Jesus has already given you the Strength.
You missed the part where I have to fight with clients half the day to pay their invoices! I love being a structural engineer, but the personalities in the construction industry are exhausting to deal with.
Haha, that's a another topic requiring a different skillset, I talk about some of the business skills here: czcams.com/video/xqP07ot0OgU/video.html
Right. I'm not an engineer but a tradesman and clients are funny when they want nice and shiny stuff but don't want to pay the nice and shiny price they expect you to gift them free labor. Lol.
Hey, good video. Thanks. Can you please tell me which software you used for steel beam calculation and steel detailing in video? Thanks in advance.
This is a great video. I am also a Civil Structural Engineer, but i work in bridge design/inspection. Its interesting for me to see what a building engineers day is like. This makes me want to make an average day video showing what bridge engineers do.
I'd love to see that, share it with me when you do, add me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/matpicardal/
Or email: matpicardal@gmail.com
please do make it
I'm a civil engineering student, I work in the day and study at night, so my day goes from 5:00 am to 11:30 pm
Nobody asked u , but weell
Manuel Franco the guy literally said how does ur day compare so he said how it compares 🤦🏻♂️nOoNe aSkEd
@@manueleschevere12 ''No one asked''... Look at the pinned comment
Mantull sama gan
Hey man, i'm a complete stranger, but I hope u are doing well, i hope u can achieve what u want, studying and working at the same time is really difficult, I'm also a civil engineer student, but i don't work like you, and it's tough sometimes, u are awesome for working and studying this wonderfull career at the same time :D.
Civil Engineer Student : Sleep? I dont do that kind of thing
This video gives me the courage to still pursue and go for my dream and be a civil engineer. I was thinking of shifting to other course but I stumble upon your video. Coincidence? No, it's a sign. Thank you! Hope you do well everyday! Ingat po!
Nice! Very inspiring. Keep it up.
You just motivated me to pursue structural engineering. Thank you, Sir.
And I see anime being an anime fan I respect you sir. You have my respect.
That's great Vipul, glad I could help!
I just graduated my CivilEngineering degree now, and I really liked your video so, what’s ur advice to me as in what i should focus in most when applying work thank you
Resume and building your network. What have you done outside of class to improve yourself (engineering competitions, leading engineering student organizations, internships, co-ops, scholarships, etc.)?
i've watched so much Real Civil Engineer that this now shows up in my reccomended
That's a cool channel, thanks for mentioning it!
I'm Japanese civil engineering student. This video is very useful to know and compare Japanese one. I feel ours are busier. I heard that they work still midnight such as 0 a.m. when it is near the deadline.
I hate to sound rude, but I'm interested in how much you're making as a civil engineer. I'm currently a Civil Engineering student, and this is a very insightful video. Thank you!
Hi Laura, not rude at all, money's important. In California, the average range is $70k - $95k for around 4 years experience, and I'm in between that range also.
@@MatPicardal ...is that 75k-90k annual income or monthly
@@anand4236 $75k-$90k U.S. annual income. In the U.S., it's a middle class salary.
@@MatPicardal ,Hi Mat. Is PE raise included in the salary or do you get additional raise on top of that. Thank you for answering !
Bruh am i studying for this?
I would love to see more of these day in the life videos (hopefully with more detail if possible) I'm about to transfer to a University soon but I'm stressing out especially after seeing a video about how school doesn't really prepare you for working in the real world
Thanks for the suggestion, planning on doing that video soon (with more explanation and details), along with an internship survival guide type of video.
@@MatPicardal thank you so much your videos are super helpful, and I hope to see more in the future!
Hello! I am currently studying civil engineering at San Diego state!! Thank you so much for this video! So interesting
I'm a civil engineering student, thank you for creating this video that views the life of a structural engineer in a single day. Honestly, I'm planning to take Structural Engineering as my specialization hahaha.
Awesome, you got this!
omg thats a long work day!! you must love what you do 😝 currently a first year civil engineering student trying to narrow down my interest! thanks for the video ☺️☺️
Get ready for it I just graduated and I do 14 hour shifts lol
change the sttream, there is still time
Not all days are that long, it was a site visit day, but yes, love it!
Hello I’m civil engineering student I want to be structural engineer so I find what relate my way in life of a civil engineer. Thank for your video please don’t stop make videos like this.
Thanks for your support Choeun!
Cool video.. Would you make more video? Would love to see you explain what you are working on...
Hi Tahir, thanks for the suggestion and I think it's a good one. Will definitely do one explaining a bit more on what exactly I'm doing and the process I'm taking depending on the phase of the design process.
Civil engineer actively seeking opportunities, and I honestly cannot wait to start this chapter of life.
That's awesome Mario! Are you a student still?
@@MatPicardal no i graduated this spring from the University of Illinois at Chicago. focusing on the first word of Civil Engineering as far as a career path
Hello mate, great video! I'm currently at university wanting to focus in structural engineering. My one question is does it get boring after a while of having the same routine?
Hi Kal, I work in a firm that has varied projects that I get to work on (wood, concrete, PT concrete, piles, mat foundations, CMU, cold-formed steel, steel, etc.) so in the 4.5 years I've been in the industry, I haven't been bored yet (at least not severely), there's a lot to learn and I'm always learning something new. Yes, there are repetitive things that we have to do of course, but its varied enough. I could be ETABS modeling one day, answering construction problems another, designing wood shear walls, foundations, etc. Note, there are firms our there where you will be "pidgeon-holed", for example, doing steel beams 24/7, or ETABS modeling 24/7. Something to watch out for when you're looking for your first company to work for.
@@MatPicardal do you ever have to do scripting and coding? and also, how math-intensive would you say your job is?
Very cool, mine is similar but haven’t had a chance to do a site visit yet. EnerCalc seems to be very popular!
Thanks for sharing Brandon!
Nice video. I should be doing my prestressed beam project, and iam watching a day of civil enginner. Well i guess back to work :D
This Motivate me to pursue mydream. Thank you😍
Glad I could help!
CZcams recommended me this vid. Btw, Im a civil engineering graduate and I'm going to take the CE licensure exams this Nov 2019. This video inspired me to study even more to pass the boards.
Good luck Lay!
Good Luck!!!
Plug for DCI! Nice to see that the California offices aren't too different from the one in Austin. 🤓👍
Thanks for watching Madeline! Glad you can relate!
I am a civil structural engineer but I used to work for wind energy industry. By the way, I use RFEM instead of ETABS.
I am civil engeneer and hate that life. We have weekends and maybe 3h on working days for ourselfs...i need more than that
There are civil/structural engineering companies that don't make you work crazy hours. So, it may not be the industry, may just be the company you work for.
Are those programs very demanding? What hardware do you use exactly?
Hi Jesus, the 2D software not so much, but the heavy 3D programs like Revit will probably require better hardware. My work computer is a Dell Precision 5530 and it's more than sufficient.
Truly inspiring, wishes for your best ♥️
Thank you!
Oh my god, I’m studying to be in your exact position. I even applied to your company a couple weeks ago (I had to do a double take when I saw the company name). Now I want to be a structural engineer even more!
THIS is my dream work
I am also last year engineering student.I hope my future will be bright in this field love from india❤️❤️❤️
Thanks ARG!
Woow. Just amazing work. like civil engineers are the bosses.
Great video! Why didnt you schedule your site visit for first thing in the morning to reduce the number of commutes?
Was taking our intern to the site as well.