Mastering structural engineering. 1

[FOX89]

I am a structural engineer working in a steel structures fabrication and design company, the problem is and because the company isn't a consulting firm we only carry out the connections design and rarely members selection, an issue that make me find my self out of the road !

Now i want start again, determined to do it right this time but many obstacles and questions keep flashing into my mind;
How can i expand my knowledge in structural engineering generally and steel structures in specific ? what is the best practical procedure to follow ? which references should i read first ? what about the software's !

i feel like it needs a full organized plan so i'm totally lost and don't know how to begin this journey !

i wish someone professional help me with setting up a plan, or telling me how did you begin in your earlier starts.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jeffandmike]

Your question is fairly broad. There are lot of ways to skin the cat... and you can take this whichever direction you want, so please keep that in mind when reading my response. My advice below also assumes you are working in the US.

The first question is... where do you think you want to end up, when this is all said and done? Take a look at the document located here (ASCE's Engineering Grades):

https://www.asce.org/uploadedFiles/...ntent_Pieces/engineering-grades-brochure.pdf.

This will give you an idea of the education, experience, certifications, etc. generally required at each level in an engineering career.

It wasn't readily apparent from your post, but I am assuming you are already in possession of an engineering degree from a university that will allow you to be eligible to sit for the engineering licensure exam, once you have acquired the requisite experience... correct? If not, (obviously) get this degree first (BSCE).

One of your next goals should be to obtain your engineering license, regardless of who you're working for, and whether or not you are required to have an engineering license to do your job. This license is crucial to freedom and flexibility in your career. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Can you do it without this? Maybe... but it will be a lot harder now than it was 30 years ago.

Once you have obtained an engineering license, I would recommend establishing a Record with NCEES (

http://ncees.org/records/).

You may not think you need it now, but the fee to establish/maintain it is small, and it dramatically increases your opportunities for mobility. You may not fully recognize how potentially limited the market is where you are until you go someplace else.

At some point relatively early in your career, I would recommend obtaining a MSCE degree. Yeah... I know... this also wasn't really necessary 25 or 30 years ago, and some of the older engineers probably think it's a waste of time. Well, from someone who sits squarely between the older and younger engineers, I can tell you that it makes a difference to have this. My suggestion would be to continue to work full time and to obtain the degree in an online fashion, say one class at a time. Doing this, you can probably obtain it in less than four years. There are many good universities (not the ones that advertise on TV) that will award the degree without setting foot on campus, or with only minimal time on campus. If you're lucky, you'll find an employer that will cover most, if not the entire, bill for your efforts. Who knows? You also might broaden your horizons and learn something new in the process of obtaining the degree.

Overall, I think you're worrying too much about how to get where you're going... what software you will/will not learn, etc. How certain are you, at this stage, that steel is absolutely where you want/need to be? Would not having expertise/experience in concrete, masonry, timber, foundations, etc. make you more valuable? What about writing/communication skills (which are also a crucial characteristic of any well-rounded engineer)? Are they lacking in any area? Is there anything you can do to improve them? Also, what are you doing (or have you done) to differentiate yourself from your peers, or from other job seekers (i.e., SE licensure, specialty certifications, etc.)?

I've outlined what I believe are some of the most important steps in an engineering career. Be somewhat flexible in your journey. You might find that you end up in a substantially different place than you otherwise would have... and it might be a good thing.

 

[FOX89]

i found your comments very helpful jeffandmike, especially the last one.

unfortunately, i am working in the middle east (aslo got BSCE here) not in the us. when you got your BSCE you are considered to be good to go (in my country) ! knowing that the universities are also not as qualified as in the US and that is what make harder and harder.
i know that a huge part of responsibility rests on me "no pain, no gain" so i am trying to make it right.
for now i really find my self into the steel structures but of-course i must get experience in concrete, foundations ... "as you said" once i have the opportunity to do it.

 

[JAE]

Wherever you find a position doing design I would certainly find one where you had a good mentor within that firm.

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[KootK]

I'd recommend kick starting your steel education by reading all of the AISC design guides, as was mentioned in the other thread. Assuming that you'll keep your day job, that could easily take you a couple of years.

Give some serious thought to the kind of work that you want to be doing long term. Once you're well along the path, you'll be surprised how difficult it is to change specialties.

As JAE mentioned, mentorship is huge. Find someone that is willing to show you the ropes and believes in your ability and potential. If I could figure out who the heck he is, I'd park my butt outside JAE's office until he agreed to take me on as his apprentice.

In my opinion, some of the most satisfying structural engineering careers are those with heavy specialization. I know a specialty glass guy and a specialty timber guy personally. They both make a good deal of money, have reasonable work loads and, most importantly, are highly sought after by their clients. They actually get help people and be appreciated for providing that help. It's a shocker, I know. I hate to say it but generalists like myself are a dime a dozen. It's mostly commodity work and it often feels like commodity work (fast pace / tight fees). The world nowadays is a place where it is much more lucrative to be truly excellent at one thing than it is to be merely competent at a bunch of things.

If you wish, I'm sure that you could thrive as a steel specialist. Larry Muir and William Thornton both appear to be doing well. I also know of a fellow that does nothing but feature stair design for a steel supplier all day every day and he loves it. Take heart from the fact that steel connection design is way harder than steel member design. Overall building design, of course, is another matter.

I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.

 

[FOX89]

Thanks alot for the nice tips .. you are a very supportive engineers.