What's a day the life of a geo technical engineer like? 5

[Ravenclau]

Hello everyone,,

This is my experience as a geotechnical engineer. Will change some once you get your PE. I'm still an EIT.

Typically you will spend allot if time in the field logging bore holes and rock cores. Other field responsibilities are laying out the borings, making sure utilities are cleared, and spending allot of time dealing with all the problems that pop up (broken drill rigs, stuck equipment, pissed off drillers, etc...)

In the office, duties include making boring logs/soil profiles, clearing utilities, scheduling drillers, assigning lab work, interpreting lab results, some light drafting, assisting in writing sections of geo reports, trying your hand at some simpler design calcs.

I also help out in the lab on occasion when things get really busy.

If you enjoy being outside year round, don't mind writing your lab reports, and enjoy your soils lab/Geo classes you should enjoy it..

 

[oldestguy]

Nice description. However, accounting needs scoop on your time and expenses, which takes time to record, etc. As time goes on you should be contacting clients or prospective clients with what might be called business development. Reports should be originated by you and rough checked by a supervisor or owner. Early on field evaluations of available info, such as air photos, geological mapping and site visits. However, always have someone who you can "consult" with to be more confident with any decisions needled. In my experience I had to fire two different graduate engineers who made the mistake of not asking for advice. That dismissal is not good for one's record. It's nice to be "in charge", but not good when it clouds the issue of good engineering. We never stop learning.

 

[oldestguy]

I'll add to the above.
Edit: another story. I graduated from an Ivy league school in 1951 in a five yer Civil Eng program. That same year a class of 4 year civil engineers graduated, but they had been veterans from WWII. About 6 years later I happened to be working for one of my old professors in his private consulting business. After a few years there the professor had some financial difficulties and had to let me go, but under friendly circumstances. Time went on and I continued to stay in touch with the prof. He managed to regain his private business and made it a full time job, leaving the university. Needless to say he hired two engineers to "replace me", so to speak. Later told me he made a mistake "letting me go". However in his re-recovery business he wrote an engineering paper on some specific project he worked on that was very useful to the profession., Most of the leg work in laboratory on that subject was performed by one of the veterans whot also graduated from the university as noted above. That engineer did not get his name mentioned in the credits of that paper. As a result he quit the job without notice. That left the prof with not enough help at a critical time. Result: The engineer that quit was unable to get an engineering job for the REST OF HIS CAREER some 30 or more years. So, early in your life think carefully abut leaving any job on short notice, or other reason. Always stay n friendly terms with the boss NO MATER WHAT HAPPENS.

 

[Ravenclau]

Hello everyone,,

This is my experience as a geotechnical engineer. Will change some once you get your PE. I'm still an EIT.

Typically you will spend allot if time in the field logging bore holes and rock cores. Other field responsibilities are laying out the borings, making sure utilities are cleared, and spending allot of time dealing with all the problems that pop up (broken drill rigs, stuck equipment, pissed off drillers, etc...)

In the office, duties include making boring logs/soil profiles, clearing utilities, scheduling drillers, assigning lab work, interpreting lab results, some light drafting, assisting in writing sections of geo reports, trying your hand at some simpler design calcs.

https://mobdro.bio/

https://kodi.bio/

I also help out in the lab on occasion when things get really busy.

If you enjoy being outside year round, don't mind writing your lab reports, and enjoy your soils lab/Geo classes you should enjoy it..


I get the feeling that after structurals, geotechs are the most skittish about professional liability. And for good reason. Am I imagining that?

 

[oldestguy]

More from OG. On written reports, don't fill it with wordage just to make it longer, etc. Don't get a question from a client such as: "I like your report, but what is the bearing capacity I should use". Darned embarrassing. Keep it short and useful.

 

[BigH]

OG - As settlement mostly likely governs, bearing PRESSURE rather than bearing capacity? GO BIG RED - although no football this fall!

 

[oldestguy]

BigH. You are right. However, terms of use vary a lot between engineers, architects, structurals, etc. I much doubt that any viewers know who the heck is "Big Red". This year would be my 70th reunion. I think they did hold one.

 

[dauwerda]

Go Big Red has to be a reference to the Huskers doesn't it?

 

[oldestguy]

Who the heck are they? Refers to the great university on the hills looking over Lake Cayuga. "high above lake Cayuga stands our noble almamater. Hale to the thee Cornell"

 

[dauwerda]

I had a feeling it was not a reference to the Nebraska Huskers, so thank you for clarifying.
But, for a reference to my confusion,

http://www.gobigred.com

clearly does not belong to Cornell.

 

[BigH]

And to continue - Cornell has an 2 - 0 football record versus THE Ohio State!

 

[geotechguy1]

Geotechs are extremely skittish about liability, we get sued the most! But, we're also quite conservative. Sure the factor of safety is officially three but I have been on jobs where it turned out after pile testing that the actual factor of safety was on the order of 20 or more. Easy money cutting some layers of conservatism out.

 

[Mad Mike]

I don't like how conservative the industry has become in South Africa. I understand it is due to our litigious society and our convenient position as a scapegoat entity, but I still refuse to apply a very conservative approach to my own recommendations...it makes me unhappy thinking that I've "lost my balls".

I've read the geotech reports produced by my local competition, and most of them provide no value to the projects whatsoever. Everything that they write is very conservative, disclaimed and stated with low confidence. Because I usually go in the opposite direction, I'm getting a lot of repeat work from engineers who previously used my competition, but became fed up with the generic recommendations.

I have been the subject of a liability claim, once, which resulted from me not being conservative and involved a landslide...that was about 5 years ago and it was a hairy situation that left me nervous. I think as experience grows, one should recognize more and more where the conservative approach actually is necessary, but should not fall into the rut of being routinely conservative. Compounding factors of safety at each stage in a design or assessment is particularly spineless and it makes my skin prickle when I see people doing it; unless of course, there is a very good reason for doing it.

Have a great Friday!

Mike