Jobs

[Calif]

Hello everyone

Been looking for a job for a little over 3 years although I am currently employed. I saw a job posting thru a headhunter site for a structural engineer with building design experience in masonry, steel and concrete structures in addition experience in fabric structures. Now, this is a speciality in structural engineering to design fabric structures which is to say, most people who become structural engineer will not have the oppurtunity to do such work. I do not have any experience in fabric structures but always thought it would be interesting to do. I spoke to the headhunter about this job and he made it clear that the employer is in no rush to get someone for this position and is wiling to wait for a year for the right person for the job. There is this urge in me to purchase books on this subject in structural engineering and learn all about it on my own yet, this is a speciality and most employers do not look for people within this speciality nor take on projects of such nature. How would you approach the situation where you would like a job within a speciality, willing to put the hard work in, yet most employers do not get involve in project like this, and it is hard to get into.

Calif

The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste

 

[SteelPE]

What is your end game. Are you trying to get a new job, or are you trying to break into the design of fabric structures? I imagine if you were dead set on designing fabric structures you may have to start at the bottom and work your way up. Being a structural engineer for a while it should not be that hard as you already know the basics. I imagine if you went on the interview and stressed that you are willing to learn and focus on what you bring to the table they may hire you.... but if the employer is set on hiring someone with experience then you may be out of luck.

Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it.

 

[Calif]

I am actually trying to do both. Get another job and due fabric structures. That is my end game. It is a nitche which I think would be interesting. I do not mind starting at the bottom and working my way up. I have been a structural engineer for a couple of years now designing mostly steel and masonry buildings but would like to broaden my skill more into other things. I do not want want to exclusively do fabric structures but would like to add it as part of mys skills as an engineer. An interview is basically out of the question with this guy since he wants the experience. I have a master degree, working to get the PE and I think I should just look for companies that do this stuff as well as teach myself the basics in fabric structures. I wonder should I send my resume in. I guess it would not hurt, right? There is a 90% he wont call me for an interview but at least if conditions change, my resume is there.

The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Whatever you learn in the real world - will come back to haunt you and MAKE you money!!!

 

[SteelPE]

If you want to send your resume in why not???? What's the worst they are going to do.... not call you (have had that happen many times). Resumes/interviews are all about selling yourself to the company (something I am absolutely terrible at). You may have made a mistake by calling the hiring agency and telling them you had no fabric structure experience (if that is what you did).

 

[Calif]

SteelPE

I responded to a position for a job on hiring board but you had to go thru a head hunter since the company looking for a employee is using that head hunter agency. The head hunter told me after he contacted me for the position, what the employer was looking for and asked if I had fabric structure experience. I could have lied, but I would have been found out during the interview when I showed my lack of knowledge of analysis and behavior of these kinds of structures. I luckily found out the company who does this kind of work (not that the headhunter told me the employer name or address) by googling the fabric structures and the city name. So I will submit it tomarrow by snail mail to the employer and hopefully they will remember me if they need a position filled. I still ask myself what I need to break into a company like this? Obviously, book knowlege will get you but so far and unless you can use software and work on real projects to show your competentcy, I am stuck unless someone gives me a break.

The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste

 

[davidinindy]

I taught myself Pro-E and Solidworks at home on my own time. It allowed me to add those programs to my resume, and thus got me jobs I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. to be fair, I did make the potential emploers aware of it. I did learn enough to pass their little proficiency test though.
I know guys who learned carbon fiber in their garage, which led to jobs in that field.
Teaching yourself new skills is never a bad thing.
Go buy some books, or go to the library and read up.

David

 

[Calif]

Hi David

Thanks for the response. I plan to learn it on my own because I have an interest in it. Currently, I am studying for the PE exam in two months so my time is spent between work, sleeping, eating and studying. I want a book on it that I would like to purchased called "Tension Structures Behavior and Design". In addition, there are a couple of articles on the ASCE website about tension structures and fabric structures. The next step is what kind of software does the typical engineer use to analysis these kind of structures. There is so much to learn in engineering. I swear, we should get paid more than what is handed to us. The wealth of things you could learn or just to design in one material like steel or concrete, you could study it for years.

The resisant virtues of the structure that we seek depend on their form; it is through their form that they are stable, not because of an awkward accumulation of material. There is nothing more noble and elegant from an intellectual viewpoint than this: to resist through form. Eladio Dieste