Structural looking to make a change? 1

[shacked]

So I have been working in the structural(light frame construction, custom residential, hillside foundations) in Southern California since I graduated 4 years ago. I plan on taking the PE in April 2010 but now I am having second thoughts about my chosen career path.

Besides the current economic climate, living in the beach cities of Southern California does not afford much choice of Structural employers unless you want to sit in traffic 1-2 hours a day and commute 20 or so miles each way to work. To me, wasting hours, days, weeks and years of my life while sitting in traffic is totally crazy, while for some people it is no problem.

Therefore in order to make a decent living that leaves me with 3 choices:
1. Continue to work at a small structural company, get my PE and eventually go out on my own and work out of my house.
2. Commute 20+ miles each way to work a day, work for a large structural company where the pay and benefits are a lot better then the aforementioned small company.
3. Change career paths to another engineering field or related to structural, that would allow me to make a reasonable income here in Southern California.

I can’t afford to go back to school since both myself and my wife work full time and if one of us started working part time we wouldn’t be able to pay our mortgage. I am open to career change but at 36 years old I feel that doing so may set me back another 4 years.

Just curious if anyone else has switched within the engineering fields, and if so how, what, when, what happened, did you like the results?

 

[abusementpark]

There are no firms in your area that do commercial work?

 

[SWComposites]

Choice 4: move closer to the large structural firms.

 

[Ron]

Stay where you are and get your P.E. Then you become more marketable and you'll also be able to do work on your own.

See a little more that the profession has to offer before you abandon it for another career or discipline change...you've invested a fair amount of time already, so give it a little while and a reasonable chance.

A structural engineer is challenged with some good problem solving opportunities that will serve you well if you decide to make a change.

 

[stanford94]

4. move

 

[B16A2]

Forensics makes a little more, but honestly not enough to make that big of a difference. I don't see why you're so surprised having a difficult time living in SoCal with a structural engineer's wage. I mean, cost of living down there is ridiculous.

My sister and brother in law are engineers (not even low wage structural engineers) living in SoCal and are willing to accept the fact that they'll never be able to buy a house. They live in a place 1/4 the size of mine in the midwest, and 4x the cost. Unless you have family down there, I don't see having nice weather being that big of a draw for you to be there if the commute bothers you so much.

If this is really that big of an issue you need to either move or go back to school for something like a law degree.

 

[sandman21]

Why would they willing accept not owning a home? I am taking my PE in April, no wife, work for a small firm my pay and benefits are comparable to others make at large firms and moved close to work after saving for a house.

 

[B16A2]

For the same reasons the OP is posting...They dont want to live way out where there are actually affordable homes.

 

[kepharda]

I would suggest to every engineer at some point you have to broaden your horizon's.

It is difficult and stressful to break into a new field, but you are far more marketable if you have done so.

Now I wouldn't suggest for you to try to find work in the Semi Conductor Industry, but working for a firm that does Heavy Industrial or Process Engineering or Bridge Construction would not only be interesting; but would greatly increase your marketability.

That and a PE lic.

this message has been approved for citizen to elect kepharda 2008

 

[WL123]

20 miles is not that far to travel for work!

 

[crossframe]

No, but 1-2 hours a day is...

 

[WL123]

Oops, didn't see the 1-2 hours, sorry. Must be real heavy traffic problems to go 20 miles in that amount of time.
I wouldn't want to travel over an hour one way to work, anything more than that will drain you out in no time.

 

[sandman21]

You can easily find affordable homes anywhere in CA, I have not gone to the beach from my house, but I know downtown LA is 30-45 mins. during rush hour. If I had two incomes I could be even closer. But I am not them.

 

[swivel63]

i changed to forensics. i like it. no one is really building, so it was an economic decision at first. but it's fun. and i get to be outside. plus it's something new every day. no shop drawings, no arguing with architects, AND no designing one column 15 times.

 

[abusementpark]

swivel63,

How did you get in forensics? Is this something you had experience with before? What are your most common assignments?

 

[swivel63]

i was involved in a few forensic cases when i started my career with a design house.....collapses, law suits, construction defects.

i had an offer to do this type of work away from my home, but i was afraid i'd lose my engineering touch. much of the work are things that have very little to do with structural engineering (water intrusion, hail damage) but sometimes you get something like a collapse of a roof or a wall or a total building. i've had to look at those a few times and i've only been doing this for about 6 months.

it's a lot of travel, so one needs to be mindful of that. i'm on the road and out of the office around 3-4 days a week. most of it is within an hour or so away, so i'm not staying away at night time.

i got into it by looking for forensic firms in my area and just sending them a resume. it was a shot in the dark, but it turns out it's a pretty cool position. if you like to be outside, are in relatively good shape, and don't have a problem with driving around and being on the road.....you should give it a shot.