First Job offer

[aoar]

Hi all, please forgive me if this is in wrong section. I believe this conforms with the posting policies..

I am graduating this semester with my BSME (3.5+ GPA, Taking FE exam in april) and recently received an offer from a construction contractor in NYC which mainly deals with sewer and water main projects, water pollution plants, pumping stations, and highway construction.. I would prefer to find employment in the NYC area.

Their business seems to sway more towards the Civil engineering side of things. Through undergrad, I've found thermodynamics, heat transfer, and HVAC to be sort of a passion and interest. While many career paths may change, I guess my main question is how valuable would the experience at a contractor doing heavy construction be? Would there be opportunities for advancement, or would construction simply be… construction? I have sent out a decent number of resume's but could probrably ramp up the effort if needed...

Thanks for your input in advance..

 

[MikeHalloran]

" ...chocolates. You never know what you're going to get."

After the analysis is done, someone has to put the hardware together, figure out why it doesn't work, and find a way to fix it, now, cheap, and good enough. I.e., construction has its own set of challenges. Boredom is not one of them.

Construction also puts you in occasional proximity to billionaires, which can be good for you careerwise. On balance, they'll probably be mad at your outfit when you meet them, but if you impress them as smart and unfailingly honest, they may think of you when they next need help.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[aoar]

Without doubt I'm positive the job will be challenging, I don't think I would mind being outdoors most of the time around heavy equipment. Later on in my career though, I would probably prefer to be in the office environment.. However don't really see being near billionaires a possibility as most of the projects would be municipal... The job description was a bit vague, responsibilities were kind of open ended...

Would a traditional consulting firm look to hire someone with some hands on experience with construction or would it not match their requirements? I guess what I'd really like to know from experienced personnel (you guys) if the job would be relavant to other advancements. Ie, I was reading another thread about an engineer doing piping work, who did not get much responsibility from his job, who’s supervisor was extremely busy and extremely bored.. I'm just hoping im not in this position...

 

[GregLocock]

My honest reaction is , if it sounds like a good job, and it is your first job after uni, then go for it. Don't worry about fine details of career management yet (although I would readily admit that I am not exactly a poster child for career management - pigeonholed far too early)

Cheers

Greg Locock

SIGlease see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.