<p>I am looking for an engineering field where I won't be stuck in an office all day. I love geology, and I heard geotechnical engineers work outside a lot. Can anyone confirm this?</p>
<p>And what other kinds of engineers work outside a lot?</p>
<p>Surveyors (geomatics engineering).</p>
<p>Structural engineers get out fairly often. This past week, my husband and I (we’re in business together) spent the day at a house on an island in Casco Bay. The house was literally 10 feet from the water. Gorgeous! The homeowners paid for our ferry ride out as well as lunch. Quite a nice day.</p>
<p>Drilling engineers frequently monitor oil rigs or other set ups on-site. However, the places you’ll be sent to are some of the most boring in the US (flat, rural, and mostly other employees living there).</p>
<p>A good friend of ours got a BS in mechanical engineering from Auburn a couple of years ago. He’s been working in Alaska since. Sure, it’s cold, but he has seen some amazing wildlife, gorgeous scenery, and watches the Northern Lights. He does not work in an office at all but spends most of his time out in the field.</p>
<p>civil engineers </p>
<p>My brother is a geotechnical engineer. His outside time when he first started was substantial - company truck, hardhat, and mainly jobsite work. It is kind of neat to eat lunch sitting on a half-built seawall, a little less so in a 70 foot deep foundation pit. Now that he is more senior, he spends more time in the office doing design work and proposals but still gets out occasionally.</p>
<p>Do geological. I was in it and I switched because it was too much outside/technical work. However, know that if your outside all day you will have to be really interested in what your doing. Outside work usually entails sampling or surveying which really only attracts a specific type of person. Make sure that it is for you before you commit.</p>