Im 19 now and a second year millwright apprentise and am thinking about goin back to school after i get my journeymen card. I am thinking about construction engineering i was just wondering if any one was a construction engineer or a civil engineer? If so i have a few question on how much time you guys spend out in the feild compaired to being in the office, what your resposiblites are compaired to a superintedent and whats the diffrence between a PE engineer and a non PE engineer. Any info would be realy appreciated

 

Education is without a doubt one of the most important things a man can pursue. In the end you will make much more money with your head than your back. I can not answer your question about civil engineering. But I can give you some insight on the mechanical engineering side. I went to LSU and studied HVAC in the ME department. Not because I wanted to be a building engineer but because I figured that I could use the engineering side to take care of myself. After school I took a job as a drilling engineer and have worked as such for the last 30 years. I am a field engineer right now because I enjoy the field work. The superintendant I work for makes 250k/year and has a lot of headaches looking after several projects at the same time. I do a little better than him and have 1 headache at the time. Whatever you choose to do you will not be sorry you took the time to get the education. Ed B

 

so if you dont mind me asking what dose a feild engineer do?

 

Ok...I have traveled around the world (on their dollar). I have been everywhere I have wanted to go (Russia, Middle East, Far East, Scandinavia, Europe) except for China. A typical work day for me starts at 3AM. Send in the drilling report for the last 24 hours (lots of computer work). Talk to the superintendant around 6 AM and be sure we have the correct tools to execute the jobs ahead of us. Logistics for tools is one of the bigger headaches. I guess really my job is mechanical execution. Right now I am on a drilling rig that cost $550K/day to operate. Very little room for error! And yes, I do carry a HP (RPN) calculator and a mechanical pencil in my pocket. The mechanical background has helped me with such issues (that I deal with daily) as physical metallurgy (metals), chemistry (drilling fluids), statics (directional drilling), hydraulics, fluid transfer, and thermodynamics. And then my day usually ends around 6PM. I think it is a great and I enjoy what I do. Ed B

 

thanks for all the info ed can you tell me what the diffrence is in a PE and a non PE

 

PE - Professional Engineer Licensed by the state you work/reside in. IT allows you the PRIVILEGE of signing off on drawings, certifying that you have verified calculations pertinent to the drawings. PE's are recognized by the state as experts in the field in which they are licensed. PE's are across all fields of engineering: Electrical, mechanical, structural, Aero, etc.

The steps to becoming a PE:
1) 4 year degree at an accredited college
2) Passing the Engineer In Training (EIT) Exam in your senior year of college
3) At least 4 years experience working under a Licensed PE
4) Passing the PE exam
5) Maintaining your PE by taking some continuous education classes

These steps vary from state to state, and some licenses are transferable state to state or are reciprocal.

A non-PE is just that...Not a Professional Engineer.

No I don't have a PE license, but for electronics it wasn't needed. But passing the EIT was a feather for the resume while I was looking for work just after college.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Tony

 

Im just about done with my BS in Civil actually. Its a really great field for what you're probably interested in. The best thing Ive come to like about Civil is the large amount of jobs available. You can literally get anything from 100% field work to 100% office work and anywhere in between. There are generally a basic group of disciplines: structural, water resources, environmental, transportation and geotechnical. It pretty much covers anything and everything that deals with infrastructure.

If you want to do construction management specifically its becoming more available as a separate degree. My school is planning on a program within the next 2 years.

A PE is just like stated above. The key of having a PE in a state is that you can sign off on work, but will be held accountable for that work of course.

I see you're in Minn. have you looked at SD School of Mines? Pretty awesome school, but nice and small. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Have a good one and good luck with whatever you choose.

 

well my brother actully just got accepted into MSOE and it seems to be a really good small school so im intrested in that but they only have architetural enginnering. One question i have is whats the point of being a engineer if your not a PE i thought that was the whole point of being a engineer is sighning of on blue prints. So if your not a PE what would you be resposible for on a job site?

 

If you're not a PE then that is correct, you basically work under a PE. You don't have to get your PE, but it would be wise to get it in my opinion. There are good jobs that may never require you to be a PE, you just work for a company that has other PE's that look over your work and then sign off on it. Im sure I could answer this a little better in another year of course.

Hope this helps. Have a good one.

 

I’m a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Kansas with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Kansas State University. I’m employed as a Structural (Bridge) Engineer for a private consulting firm. With my career path I spend little time in the field… I’m a desk jockey. That’s not to say that all CE’s are, it all depends on where you seek employment. If you want to spend the majority of your time in the field, you’ll want to look towards the construction industry or to the inspection side of the engineering practice. I know civils who work for contractors as superintendents and I know civils who are construction inspectors for consultants and/or government agencies. The Construction Science degree is probably more suited towards someone who wants to be in the field. I don’t believe it is as intense with design theory as a Civil degree.

http://consider.k-state.edu/majorsli...stSciMangt.pdf

http://consider.k-state.edu/majorsli...ngineering.pdf

As for a PE versus a non PE… here’s some good reading from the National Society of Professional Engineers… http://www.nspe.org/Licensure/WhatisaPE/index.html


My personal opinion is that a PE may not be necessary in all disciplines and in some cases, the effort involved is not warranted on the professional level (career advancement, salary, responsibility) but may be warranted on the personal level.

In the consulting engineering world, a PE is almost a necessity. It’s very hard to advance as a practicing Civil Engineer without a license if you work for a consultant or government agency. Your value is limited if you cannot sign and seal a set of plans/drawings. Someone else must take responsibility for your final product in these cases.

On the contrary, having a license in the construction field may be unneeded but viewed as a bonus for you. You could sign and seal falsework drawings possibly saving your company from having to externally contract that work out….

 

thaxs everyone for all the information im pretty sure i will go back to school for engineering now i just need to crack the math books

 

Ya go back to school!
I'm a Journeyman Millwright and after 24 years of slinging wrench's my everything hurts. Sure the money is good but you'll probably make more as an Engineer. So go to school and get your engineering degree. It's a lot easier on the body.

 

Hey
I am a Civil Engineer in colorado with my EIT
if you are in MN look at the University of wisconsin Platteville
i was from MN and with there they get reciprocity with WI and they have a great program with small class sizes but the down side of any engineering school is there are no chicks
go back to school you wont regret it