Mech thinking of Structural 1

[pavlik]

Hey forum,

I am degreed Mechanical Engineer working in building design (HVAC), and thinking about switching over to Structural design.
I probably will go to graduate school, but I think it'd be more beneficial to spend a year or two at a structural firm. Could anyone suggest how I could market myself better to structural firms?

Thank you

 

[PLB]

Hey PAVLIK,

That's a tough one. Here in the U.S. there are plenty of Structural people trying to get the same jobs that you may be seeking.

I would suggest that you objectively sit down with a paper and pencil and list all the projects that you have worked on that had Structural elements in them. Also, list out Pro's and Con's of going into the Structural field. Also, list all of the talents and skills that you have that you can use to "sell" yourself to that Structural employer.

Do you have Struct. Design capabilities?
Do you have CAD skills?
Do you have Project Management skills?
Do you have Supervisor skills?
Are you good at estimating?

These and MANY other questions that you can think of may help you to see if Struct. is right for you AND if so, where your strengths can help you to get a "foot in the door" to get some Struct. experience.

Hope this helps,
Paul

 

[SlideRuleEra]

Talk to smaller firms that may be happy to have an employee with dual skills (both mechanical and structural). There are many, often smaller projects that have elements of both disciplines but the budget will allow only one project engineer.

 

[JAE]

pavlik - I would think that your experience working with the mechanical end of things would have already given you exposure to:
1. How engineers think and solve problems.
2. How projects come together with different discipline requirements, coordination, and cooperation.
3. How a design firm operates.
4. Some of what structural engineers do and what they need to do their jobs.

Therefore, I would think that getting into graduate school right away would be better than spending some time working in a structural setting just doing Cadd drawings or something. Coming out of graduate school with an MS in structures and lots of real-world experience would be great. But as a dept. head, if I saw on your resume that you worked those extra years doing drawings and no design, I wouldn't be that "moved" by it all.

That said, I am of course assuming that you would find it difficult to get this interim job actually designing structures without the proper degree.

 

[EddyC]

a) Make a prospective employer realize that MEs are taught Stress & Strain while in college. Most structural engineers are unaware of this since they deal mostly with HVAC MEs rather than machine design MEs. Let them also know that you were taught dynamics and vibrations. These issues come up with specialized structures and are an area of weakness for most structural engineers.

b) Read the AISC-ASD 89 book. Once you read and understand this book, you will have a good chunk of structural knowledge under your belt.

c) Let propspective employers know what type of on-the-job-training you are expecting from them and how much they should expect you to learn on your own. If their answer is "we don't have the time and money for this" then you will really have your hands full.

FYI: I am an ME who has done some structural engineering. This has happened to me with 2 different employers. Both times it happened because the ME work dried up, but they kept me on because they liked me. The same sort of thing happened to an ME friend of mine. As far as I'm concerned, this type of transition is possible for an ME to make.

 

[CSEllc]

So Pavlik, You want to become a structural engineer..... That's GREAT. If you are going to make the switch, then do it the right way....

GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND TAKE THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN COURSES.

As a minimum you will need to take structural analysis, basic structural design, structural steel design and concrete design. If the school offers timber or wood design and masonry design courses take them also.

I do not recommend going to work for a structural firm (large or small) without having a good understanding of structural design. Your effectiveness and worth are significantly less if you have no basic education on the matter. I know as an owner of a small engineering firm, I would not hire you if you had no formal education in structural design. I don't care how much mechanical work you have done, you have not done any structural design and have no education in structural design. I would have to sit down and "teach" you everything. If I have to spend that amount of time with you, I might as well just do the work myself.

Hope I wasn't to brutal.

 

[plasgears]

The multi-discipline of MechEng and CivilEng is intriguing. My favorite engineer was a combined Elect/Mech, and we worked well together.

Many years ago I worked with a CE who was concerned about a structurally guided chemical process tower. We worked out a design together that addressed Karman vortex frequencies in a wind. The final design had thermal growth capability in the process tower, and the two-level sliding supports were selected on the basis of selecting preferred excited frequencies in the second mode.

You can be a benefit to yourself and fellow CE's with a combined ME/CE.