Introduction
I'm gonna be going over five things that you might expect that you might be doing as a structural engineer and compare that versus the reality as you're actually doing it as you were actually working in the industry. Hi, I'm Matt, and I'm a structural engineer in the Southern California area. Let's get started with today's content.
EXPECTATION #1: You know everything after getting your degree.
Reality : You don't know.
You don't know how the businees works.
A lot of things taught in school are pretty much outdated. They don't teach you how to actually design efficiently and effectively in the real world. You don't know anything about how a structural engineering business runs. There's always something that I don't know.
Advice : Make sure to ask questions because your superiors know that you don't know a lot about structural engineering and how the business works.
EXPECTATION #2: Someone will teach you and check your calculations.
Reality : Not all the time.
Be resourceful, check your own work.
If you end up in a good structural engineering design firm, they should be checking your work in some way, somehow. But even then, whoever's checking your work, don't expect them to check all of your hand calculations that you're using the variables right or you're using the correct method.
Advice : You just have to be resourceful. If you're learning a new subject or if you haven't designed, let's say, some steel beam before, you have to get the books, you have to do the research, you have to learn on your own time to make sure that you're doing the calculations correctly. Be resourceful, check your own work. They will check your work, but only you're the one that knows the most.
EXPECTATION #3: You’ll be doing calculations all day.
Reality : You'll do a lot of calculations, but that's not all you're going to do.
There are a lot of coordination.
You'll also be doing a lot of things that aren't calculations and analysis. So, there's gonna be a lot of coordination with architects, maybe the owner, the mechanical, electrical, and the plumbing engineers.
Advice : The missing link is the communication skills, all the business skills, all the soft skills. that's something that not every structural engineer can do. Every structural engineer can do calculations, but not every engineer can bring in business, retain clients, and attract new clients. If you can develop these skills, you can become a reliable person to work with.
EXPECTATION #4: School projects are similar to real-world projects.
Reality : No.
Be prepared for highly detailed projects.
I know you probably had a building design project in school, but it's probably not as detailed as you would expect. There's all the stuff that needs to go into actually designing a complete building and all the coordination that goes into it.
Advice : Be prepared for constant design changes. In the real world, the architect is going to constantly change the designs; for the most part, along with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, you're going to have to coordinate all those things so plumbing doesn't go through your beams, and electrical doesn't go through your walls.
EXPECTATION #5: 40 hour work weeks
Reality : Most likely not.
You may be working 50 hours a week.
It's a deadline-based industry. So, like in school, if you have an exam, you're most likely gonna be putting in more hours the closer to the exam deadline. Same thing in the structural engineering industry. So, you may be working 50 hours a week or even more.
Advice : Definitely it depends on your firm. Some firms may make you work only 40 hours a week, because if you work more, they're gonna have to pay you overtime, and they don't want to do that. Just because you hear someone saying that they work 80 hours doesn't mean that the whole industry, in every firm, operates the same way.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. This post is also available in my original video 'Civil Structural Engineering – Reality vs Expectations.' If you want to get tips, advice, and my insights as a practicing structural engineer on my YouTube channel, click the link below to visit. I'll see you next time.
Reference
Youtube : Civil Structural Engineering – Reality vs Expectations
Topics
#Structural engineering
#Mat Picardal
#Motivations
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I'm a structural project manager in California with an undergraduate degree from Cal Poly Pomona and a master's degree from UC San Diego. My career so far has allowed me to design and manage various types of building structures, ranging from residential wood apartment buildings, commercial steel buildings, and concrete parking structures and towers.
I create videos on:
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Helping young structural engineers advance in their careers.
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Hints, tips, advice and my insights as a practicing structural engineer.
So, those who are interested, please feel free to visit my YouTube channel.
