Advice for an Engineering Technician Student 1

[Panther140]

Hello, I was lurking on this forum and I decided to join because I'm seeking real world advice, not skewed numbers from BLS.
I am currently a student in a civil engineering technology program at a tech school in Wisconsin, and I want to know more about what Ill be getting into after graduation, so here is what I want to know:

1- What is a realistic starting pay for somebody graduating from my program and getting their first job?
2- What would be the most tactful position to seek as far as potentially working my way up in the company? (Cadd tech, surveyor, materials testing? etc)
3- What kind of things should I do to make myself more employable while I still have time before graduating? I have 1.5 years left.

 

[GregLocock]

1) what field? what degree will you actually have?
2) choose a job (of those available) that interests you, but if you want to work your way 'up' then you need one with contact with senior management, not hanging out in the labs with the cool guys nerds
3) Internships. Good projects with both theoretical and practical testing. All the 'non engineering' soft skills.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[IRstuff]

I don't understand why you would spend 4 yrs on college and not go after a BS engineering degree, given essentially the same monetary investment, and probably a very high overlap in coursework

TTFN
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Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

 

[oldestguy]

It may help you decide any modifications to your program to go to one or two firms that may be hiring. There you explain your question and emphasize you are not looking for a job just yet. I'd bet they will take a little time to show you what they do and their facilities. They may even have summer job openings that may show up. If possible, stop in rather than calling to arrange the visit. Harder to turn you down then. A firm that does both testing as well as engineering would be best because their techs are involved with some phases of design and construction as well as testing.. If possible try in Milwaukee and Madison. The city engineering departments usually hire these from time to time and a check there first for names may be a start. There are smaller firms elsewhere through the more populated parts of the state.

 

[brandonbw]

1) Not very much. You are competing with out of work PE's with years of experience. The resumes that I get constantly are impressive to say the least looking for anything. For pay don't worry too much about starting salary. I made peanuts when I started and only took a few years to make good money.
2) Working as a drafter. A surveying company may be the easiest route as most that I have seen don't require any specialized degree to enter a company. I hear anything to do with piping is in huge demand in certain states. Is there a big field in Civil material testing? I get many calls for selling manufacturer products. An example, catch basins and filtration products.
3) Get an internship or some type of job shadowing. Getting situated into an office environment and how that goes is useful early on.

Why not go into a BS before graduating? How broad of scope of Civil are you looking at? After I started at a surveying company making tract and parcel maps, I interviewed for a structural position that designed pools for celebrities. Instead I ended up taking on a job for a land development company that worked on 500+ house subdivisions. My partner started monitoring soils on site and went to work on buildings for the power industry. The profession is broad but you can take a lot from doing even the most basic job.

B+W Engineering and Design | Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer

http://bwengr.com

 

[GregLocock]

"I'd bet they will take a little time to show you what they do and their facilities. "

I'd bet if you turned up uninvited at any engineering firm in Australia you'd just have a very short chat with the front desk/security guy.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[Panther140]

IRstuff, I am not spending 4 years at college and I am not paying the price of a 4 year school. My entire degree will cost $9,800 and it takes 2 years to get it. Its Civil Engineering Technology. Its a 2 year tech degree

 

[IRstuff]

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. If this floats your boat, than that's fine, but I think it's awfully short-sighted. Ask yourself where you will be in 15 years with the degree you're going after, compared with what you could have with a full BS engineering degree.

TTFN
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Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

 

[mtu1972]

Panther - Answers to your questions:

1) The Wisconsin Technical College system has plenty of information regarding employment and starting salaries. Currently about $40,000 per year with about 90% employed at 6 months past graduation. Their placement service must conduct follow-up inquiries.

2) Depending on which campus you have chosen, your discipline will already be determined (i.e. Highway, Structural, Architectural & Construction) and that will pretty much define what kind of jobs are available. Highway would probably have all 3 you mention. Structural and Architectural would most likely only be CAD. Construction may have some surveying and material testing.

3) Get good grades. Get a summer job with some relevance. Graduate with some humility. Having worked in WI for over 25 years, I know that the WI Tech Schools instill a over-abundance of confidence.

It has been my experience that too many of WI Tech School grad's think they know everything. Yes, they had introductory classes in many different subjects, but they are rarely told what they don't know, or the limitations of what they are being taught.

Once you get a job, you will learn far more than you ever learned during your two years in school. Just be open to that.

gjc

 

[Panther140]

Thank you. Going along with that idea that the schools give you over confidence, I take their employment rates and pay figures with a grain of salt. I have no idea what Ill be making in 15 years from now, but starting pay is somewhat consistent as far as I know. Also, I wont surprised a bit if I learn more in 1 year of working than I learned in 2 years of school.

Back on subject though, Would a construction job be somewhat relevant? Are there any lower skill jobs that might be at actual engineering companies that I should try to get into this summer?

 

[brandonbw]

Even a basic job like filing papers or making copies for an engineering firm is good experience. Really what else does a company expect an intern to do? It's all about learning as much as fast as possible. What better way to start then reading documents flowing through a company.

B+W Engineering and Design | Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer

http://bwengr.com

 

[MacGyverS2000]

If I filed papers as an intern, I'd quit and find another internship, pronto! Only the short-sghted companies I've worked for considered interns as slave labor... the smart companies taught interns, let them get their hands dirty

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[RossABQ]

Dan, I'd disagree to a point. If ALL you did over the course of an internship was file papers, yeah, I'd walk. But understanding office procedures and record-keeping procedures is part of the job. It can affect the bottom line as much as design skills. And if you don't succeed at that initial task, you may not get a chance to show what a shining star you are in other areas.