My first job as structure engineer 11

[turtlepig]

Hi guys, I want to ask your opinion.

I got an offer as a structural engineer in a small company. They only recruit one person and don't have any senior structure engineers or even junior structure engineers in their company. So, I will work alone there. They said they only do small buildings like two-story buildings.

The problem is:
I am a fresh graduate. I don't have any work experience as a structural engineer. However, I did have little experience calculating building and writing the report. But I'm not confident enough to work alone even if it's a small building. There are so many things I don't know about this field.

My plan was to get a job with a training program in it so I could learn while working. But that such a thing is like a fairy tale-looking job haha. So what should I do guys?

Actually, I did have a job before this, I was in the same position as what I talked about above. So I ran away only after 2 weeks. I'm not cool at all. But don't worry I told my ex-boss before I resigned.

 

[WesternJeb]

Any company willing to let a fresh graduate be the sole structural practitioner is a firm that is going to fail, imo. Who is going to stamp the drawings that you produce for the first few years until you get your license?

 

[271828]

It's hard to imagine a worse scenario for a new guy. Small buildings have a lot of the requirements and problems that bigger buildings have. There needs to be someone on your team who has done this stuff before.

Your plan (to get a job with a training program...) is much better. Unless you're completely desperate, I'd recommend keep looking.

 

[Lomarandil]

I'll agree as well.

Years ago, I joined a company as the sole structural engineer in the region (and one of about 3 in the world). Most of my work was designing small to mid-rise buildings, which was a new sector for me. At that point in my career, I had PE and SE licenses, about 8 years of experience designing lots of different types of structures, and some graduate degrees. Even with that, it was a rough first year as I tried to learn all of the nuances of buildings on the job. Worked out, but I couldn't imagine trying that same jump as a new grad.

 

[RPGs]

That seems untenable. The obvious reason being you'll run the risk of making mistakes and designing unsafe buildings. As others have said, if you aren't a PE, how are you going to produce signed/sealed plans and designs? What does this company even do--is it a design-build firm?

Otherwise, assuming you are in the states and are following the EIT to PE career path, I'm pretty sure you need to be working under the direct supervision of a PE for your work experience to count towards licensure. If that's your goal, I would prioritize finding a role working under a PE--not whatever this company is doing.

Of course it's no good to starve or be homeless if you truly have no other options...

 

[271828]

At that point in my career, I had PE and SE licenses, about 8 years of experience designing lots of different types of structures, and some graduate degrees. Even with that, it was a rough first year as I tried to learn all of the nuances of buildings on the job.

That's about where I would've been at that stage. I imagine going it alone would've been rough -- and risky.

We don't know what we don't know. Even only 2-3 years out of school, IF I recognized there was an issue to address, I could generally find design guidance, an example, or something, and figure it out. There were issues I didn't recognize, and an older engineer in the office pointed them out. If I would've been alone...

 

[JStephen]

One thing to watch, if you're in the US, to get your PE license, you're supposed to have experience working under other PE's. There may or may not be work-arounds for the situation you describe.
It's also possible the job describe is basically drafting with very little actual engineering. Which would largely avoid some of the issues addressed above, but does not make it a very desirable job, either.
In either case, you could get a few years down the road and discover the experience gained still doesn't qualify for the licensing you'd like to have.
The discussion above is also one to have with the potential employer, to see what they are thinking.

 

[Eng16080]

If I'm understanding correctly, this is outrageous. It's hard enough to gain a deep understanding of structural engineering working in an office with other engineers. I can't imagine working solo from day one. Being fresh out of school, you need feedback from a mentor/expert on a regular basis. Without getting feedback (with engineering or anything really), it becomes impossible to progress. You can, of course, learn a lot from this site, reference materials, design guides, and plans from other firms, but being so fresh, it seems like it would be difficult to even know what questions to ask or what to search for.

Also, I'll add that this company must have no clue what they're doing to offer the sole engineering position to somebody with zero experience. This position will likely get filled by a fresh grad who, unlike you, isn't aware of their own lack of experience (which is quite normal). That creates a dangerous situation.

I'm also curious how the company plans to submit stamped plans.

 

[271828]

I'm also curious how the company plans to submit stamped plans.

This is a good question. My guess is they know a PE or SE outside the firm and are planning to have him/her seal work done by the OP. BIG guess on my part, though.

OP: Note that the review and seal option might not be allowed by the regulations. Even when it is, it is a very bad practice IMO. Whether the PE or SE is "in responsible charge" is the question. I like the way NSPE puts it:

The professional engineer in Responsible Charge is actively engaged in the engineering process, from conception to completion. Engineering decisions must be personally made by the professional engineer or by others over which the professional engineer provides supervisory direction and control authority. Reviewing drawings or documents after preparation without involvement in the design and development process does not satisfy the definition of Responsible Charge.

https://www.nspe.org/resources/issu...es-and-position-statements/responsible-charge

 

[human909]

I agree with most of the comments here, if you chose this path it will be hard. However what you describe is pretty similar to what I did.

I joined a company as a fresh graduate with none too stellar marks. I did have some decent experience in structural steel detailing however. I taught myself and sought out guidance and reviews from people outside the firm. It worked and it gave me confidence to stand alone that was what I was doing most of the time. However it isn't easy nor for everybody. On the plus side of things the variety of work meant it kept things interesting. I've met other quite intelligent people who have started out at big international structural engineering firms give it all up after a few years as they find it boring.

 

[Eng16080]

OP: what human909 wrote above is the sign of a good engineer and exactly what you should be doing at your job:

I taught myself and sought out guidance and reviews from people outside the firm. It worked and it gave me confidence to stand alone that was what I was doing most of the time.

But... it's still preferable to be working with at least one other engineer with experience.

It's also important to point out that the ideal situation of having a mentor who is both very knowledgeable and able to help you whenever you need it is unrealistic. Most of the time this person will be too busy working on projects/deadlines of their own to do anything else. Still, the brief conversations that you might have with them, as well as plan/calc. reviews are invaluable. When they're not available and you're totally lost, then that's where human's advice comes in.

 

[RattlinBog]

Trying to approach this from a slightly different angle, as I'm not going to say anything different than what others have said for advice. Based on your post, it appears you're in between jobs right now (correct me if I'm wrong). You received a job offer from this company. Where else have you applied? What else is out there? Surely this can't be the only good opportunity in your area. You should probably have at least one other option to consider. I'm trying to imagine myself in your position. I would probably feel pressured to take the first thing that gets offered to me just to start making an income again. That's not a good place to be.

Let's say you take the job. How long can you keep up the intensity of working full time during the day, and studying full time at night to try to keep up at your day job? That's probably reality if you're fresh and all alone. I know I couldn't handle that for very long, maybe a year or two. Do you see this as a career, or will you have to jump to the next thing in a few months/couple years after burning out? How much will you have developed yourself in that time? Just my opinion, but I would take a moment to really think about what you want your life to look like 5, 10, 20 years from now. Engineering takes a community effort--it would be incredibly challenging to do this alone.

 

[human909]

Thanks for the subtle complement Eng106080

But... it's still preferable to be working with at least one other engineer with experience.

Agreed. Without another engineer looking over you shoulder it is easy to miss minor aspects and continue to miss them until you stumble across them years later and think "oops, why has that been an oversight for me for so long". Sensibly cautious design and continuing review of projects during and after construction has kept me safe from such 'oversights' when they have occurred.

On the other hand not having somebody to give you the quick answer also means that it might take me many hour of study and research to find the answer to a simple question. However that time often means I end up with a deeper understanding of the broader behaviours and concepts. I must say that as I have autonomy it has given me more scope to spend more time where I need it. So I can create efficient designs rather than choosing the fastest solution.

As it happens now. I now have a mentor that is helping me along with a side hustle. Things are going well, but it hasn't been a straight path to get here.

 

[WARose]

I got an offer as a structural engineer in a small company. They only recruit one person and don't have any senior structure engineers or even junior structure engineers in their company. So, I will work alone there. They said they only do small buildings like two-story buildings.

Just when you thought you had seen/heard everything.

 

[phamENG]

They said they only do small buildings like two-story buildings.

But you said they don't have any structural engineers. What do they do? Are they contractors? If so, this may not be all bad, as long as they are hiring you to be a contractor and not a design engineer. I had several classmates go to contractors and enter their superintendent track. A few of them took the Construction Engineering PE exam and have their license now. Not sure if that's a normal way to go in Indonesia, but maybe?

In other words, as long as you aren't walking in off the street with zero experience in something and are being asked to be the subject matter expert, you should be okay. If they are going to teach you to run a job site and manage a construction project and that's what you want to do, go for it. But if they want you to design those buildings without any experience or guidance, walk away.