Soon to be grad looking for some advice

[gopherloafer]

Hi, I will be graduating this December and am feeling lost as to what my should be my next step. My degree will be a bachelors in mechanical and I have been reading about and looking at the various jobs offered to mechanical engineering grads. Mostly I have been looking at the big companies that recruit at my school such as lockheed, northrop, ge, etc.

What I would really like to work on are the large structures that contribute to society like dams, bridges and buildings. I am really interested in their design and would like to contribute to this field. I know anyone reading this is probably thinking "a little late to realize this now, should have went civil", but at my school I didn't have the option of civil engineering, and wasn't really exposed to the difference between mechanical and civil until later on in my course work when it was too late to switch anyways.

I was wondering if anyone had any guidance on what I should do from here. Would it be extremely hard to switch and get a masters in civil after a bachelors in mechanical? If I did this, would it look bad or unusual to employers? The problem with this is I really need to get a job after graduation. I know some civil engineering firms hire mechanical engineers for hvac but I'm more interested in building the entire structure and would be afraid of getting stuck in hvac if I started out there. I don't really know any engineers out in the "real world", so if anyone here has any advice I would really appreciate it.

 

[Contraband629]

I am in this exact situation right now. I just graduated this past June with a degree in mechanical engineering. I spent my entire senior year interning as a civil engineer for a city public works engineering design department. I found that I like civil engineering much more than mechanical engineering. They strongly encouraged me to apply for graduate school and get a MS in civil. I am in the application process right now and the admissions people have told me it should not be a problem because the background is very similar with the exception of soils mechanics. I'm currently employed doing a job that is a combination of civil and mechanical. I draft a lot of as-builts in AutoCAD, create traffic control plans, and help in the design process of ducts and wire trays amongst other things. They aren't major civil work but its a start especially in this economy. Next fall I should be jumping into graduate school for an MS but I cant decide if I should study structural or just regular civil. I have had companies tell me that due to my lacking the civil background they cant hire me but that hasn't stopped me. After doing a MS I'm sure I will be more fit for a full fledged civil job. Oh yeah, passing your EIT helps too.