City Relocation

[MagnumEI]

I'm currently a senior in college, graduating in May. I've been working for a small land development firm for the past two years as an Intern/co-op. I plan on staying in Orlando for another year till the fiance graduates and will continue to work for the same company.

I plan on leaving Orlando and moving to NC, SC, or GA. My question is: when I relocate will I be at a disadvantage in the job market because of my foreign situation? Is FL looked at as a easy or hard place to be an engineer?

I know my question is pretty broad, but thanks for any help.

 

[LHA]

I don't think some states are "easy", while others are "hard" to be an engineer. If this were the case, engineers form the "hard" states would repeatedly be "better" engineers, and I have never found that to be true.

What will set you back a little, though, is that you won't know local ordinances and reviewers. So, you will almost certainly take a small pay cut. This will correct itself within a year or so, so when negotiating, you might do well to offer to start at a little less for a year, for this reason. That way, they are clear that you expect to renegotiate very soon.

Remember: The Chinese ideogram for “crisis” is comprised of the characters for “danger” and “opportunity.”
-Steve

 

[cvg]

I agree with lha - states aren't easy or hard - but each has different ways of doing things and different requirements. For instance, low lying ground / high water tables in Florida require special engineering expertise that we don't worry much about here in Phoenix. Earthquakes in California require special knowledge and testing requirements for licensing. If you move further north, you may need to learn more about freeze/thaw and requirements for footings to be below the frost depth. However, 2-years of interning and 1-year of full time experience isn't much and I wouldn't expect to take a large pay cut due to experience, but more due to local economy. Local cost of living will have a large influence on your salary.

 

[bltseattle]

In my opinion you should ask for a pay raise not a cut. For one, you will be a graduate, and presumably an EIT. This is greater qualifications than a student intern. Second, isn't it appropriate when negotiating a salary to ask for more than you would settle for? Let them whittle you down if they can make the case that your out-of-state experience is not relevant. But to a great degree civil design tasks are comparable, especially within a similar geographic region such as you describe, where weather/climate, soils, and freeze/thaw patterns are all similar.

 

[jheidt2543]

Just a couple of thoughts:

Go where the work is. You are young and mobile. Once you have a family moving is more difficult, particulary with kids, schools etc.

Big firms can be good, you have a lot of help and mentoring. However, I started in a small contracting firm as the only engineer. I was able to be involved in almost every project, it was a great learning experiance.

Keep your eyes and ears open, listen to your elders and don't quit learning.