<p>I'm going to be graduating at the end of this year with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, and I had different expectations post-graduation - the economy changed drastically and now I'm not so sure about my future. </p>
<p>I've been searching for a civil engineering job and it seems that 90% of all entry-level positions (mostly private firms) require 1-3 years experience in the field and proficiency in AutoCAD/other engineering software. It is also becoming increasingly more common that I see "Master's preferred" for minimum qualifications, especially for structural/geotechnical positions. I have my EIT, but that doesn't seem to matter much as I've rarely seen "EIT" mentioned anywhere in the qualifications. I've used AutoCAD before and have drafted residential floor plans in school for my CAD course, but I am by no means an expert and would not refer to myself as proficient in AutoCAD. Other engineering software was never required in my courses, and I have no previous experience using a lot of the software that's listed in many of the job listings, but I'm confident that I can learn quickly; however, a lot of the software seems like programs you would learn on the job. And unfortunately, I was never able to land an internship to get practical experience in the field during my college career. </p>
<p>I really do not want to go immediately back to school for my Master's (unless I get hired to a company or agency that provides a program to pursue it). Besides the financial issue, I have no idea what civil specific field I would study, since I have zero practical experience and have no feel for how things are in-practice (I have a feel for what fields would interest me at an educational understanding though). Another issue is that I've had so many years of educational experience, I feel like I'm peaking out and not learning at an optimal level because of the lack of real world experience. I've applied to the other 10% of positions that have more lenient qualifications (in state and out of state jobs, mostly in the public sector), but other than that, it's seeming really grim for post-graduation employment opportunities. </p>
<p>I'm not quite sure what to do, but is there is anyone that could give me some advice or projections for employment ops for graduating CE majors? Sorry for the long post, but thanks for reading - if you were able to get this far!</p>
government from states to cities are deleveraging their massive debt. No money for new public infrastructure projects.
the same gov’t is facing pension crisis. they’re making their workers retire at 67 instead of 55 yo. People not retiring = you youngins can’t get hired at public sector.
I was just reading an article from cnn. At the rate we’re going, it would be 2023 before we see housing market recover to 2007 level. So residential is dead. </p>
<p>I know people who have masters that can’t get jobs. You’re also competing with people with 5 years of experience plus PE for an entry level. Most of my unemployed civils went back to study mechanical or electrical or any other engineering. The market for other besides civils is ok. </p>
<p>Just search my old posts. I’ve posted about this many times.</p>
<p>Does your school have a career fair coming up? Those, and applying in person, are much more effective than applying online. Networking is key. How’s your resume? If its on the weaker side join something like engineers without borders, habitat for humanity, or whatever and get some experience. </p>
<p>@Rheidzan: Thanks for the useless post as usual. Civil engineering is terrible blah blah blah.</p>
<p>Don’t worry. Markets go up and down, and Civil bottomed out just a few years ago. Keep looking and you’ll find a job eventually. You still have the entire school year to search.</p>
<p>CivilGuy, many of the things you are seeing are not specific to the economy. In fact, I encountered many of the same when I was in school a few years ago ('03-'08). That’s not to say the economy didn’t affect hiring rates though.</p>
<p>The vast majority of job postings online have always required a few years of experience. I rarely see entry-level positions advertised. As others have said, try other avenues and networking is key. When I was looking for an internship my first year, none of the companies I applied to directly (essentially cold calling, emails, snail mail) yielded any results. Not even an acknowledgement. The first job I got was through a career fair. The 2nd was through a classmate who had previously worked there. The 3rd was through a connection at my 2nd employer.</p>
<p>Structural engineering firms have always had a strong preference for master’s degrees. I remember back in 2004 or 2005, I stopped by the booth of one firm and they were hesitant to even talk to me because I was unsure if I was going to pursue a master’s. Throughout the conversation, he kept harping on the necessity of an MS.</p>
<p>I’ve never take “proficient” to mean being an expert. I think they’re generally looking for someone who understands the concept of the program, can use the common functions and knows how to figure out things they don’t know (go to the reference book or help file for info on specific commands).</p>
<p>What part of the country are you in? The construction sector does vary based on location. Luxury residential towers here are doing relatively well right now. One 57 is a 1000’ high condo/hotel that just topped off a few months ago. The penthouse there sold for $90M. Another residential tower just started last year and will be over 1300’ when completed.</p>
<p>As a structural engineer, I can see why master’s degrees are preferred - there is just SO much to learn. Not only all the analytical methods, but lots of building materials - steel, timber, masonry, reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, etc. And it was in grad school that I learned some of the reasoning behind the codes - good to know when you’re struggling to figure them out.</p>
<p>I always recommend that people get their master’s degree right after undergrad school. My dad is a prof and says that almost universally, if a student delays grad school, he or she doesn’t return. It’s just too hard, once you’ve started working and enjoying a pay check.</p>
<p>If your grades are good, apply to graduate schools to see if you can have additional options in case the job market is not good enough to yield a job at graduation.</p>
<p>out of curiousity… what school are you graduating from? My daughter is hoping to start college next fall and major in civil engineering but maybe that’s not such a good idea?</p>
<p>My brother’s first job as a BS Civil Engineer was offered with one qualification: after 1 year you will be fired, because you will need to go back and get a Masters to work seriously in the field.</p>
<p>Rheidzan has a point about it being tough out there, so you will have to look at areas that still have some cash and some growth. The Hanford cleanup, growing environmental consultancies like Ninyo and Moore, oil rich areas like North Dakota or Wyoming, and the natural gas industry all come to mind. My brother’s company hasn’t hired anyone new for 10 years.</p>
<p>Klanders: I’m graduating from CSUS. Your daughter might be OK. Things might pick up by the time she graduates or while she’s still an undergraduate.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus: GPA is about 3.1-3.2. General cutoff is 3.0? Honestly, haven’t done that much graduate school research. Guess I’ll have to…feeling very burnt out though.</p>
<p>MaineLonghorn: Definitely agree about the master’s thing. I’ve taken steel, reinforced concrete, and seismic for my electives. They were good introductions to codes and basics for design, but I’ve barely scratched the surface and haven’t even touched masonry, timber, or prestressed. </p>
<p>ken285: Living in Northern California atm.</p>
<p>CivilEngr: Career fair passed. A lot of it was construction management student heavy + work experience (what a surprise). </p>
<p>In other news, my dad has some friends that are civils. I talked to them and they tried to help me out, but to no avail. Also sent out a few applications for the private sector. Got a response which I thought was going to lead into an interview, but didn’t. Also got placed on a long list for my county (Rank 2, 90/100 score), but nice to know I’m not completely on the bottom at Rank 4 or something. Talked to one of my classmates, and he said over the past year, him and a group of other students have been applying for the state whenever student jobs appear with no response. Well, the good thing is that I am getting recognized with responses, but no interviews for the same job that they are applying to…nothing really to brag about though. So depressing.</p>