I want to know if civil engineers(structural) have to work outside most of the time????

Question

I want to know because I want to be a STRUCTURAL ENGINEER but I hate the sun and the heat.I want to work in an office with air conditionated and well dressed.Please tell me.......THANKS

Answer 1

Structural engineers occasionally have to visit construction sites to evaluate site conditions or to resolve some problem which has been encountered during construction. Most of their time is spent in the office designing and calculating.
. Personally, I enjoy the site visits, but this week I have had to squeeze in site visits that I really did not have time for. But the weather for it is great right now on the gulf coast.
. Many civil/structural engineers work at the construction site dealing with the day to day issues which come up during construction. These people sometimes spend most of the work week outside. My previous job was one of these. But, I had a clean and highly air conditioned office trailer where I sometimes spent the whole day responding to contractors submittals and questions.
. In civil/structural engineering, your job could be mostly in an office tower or mostly outside. So, you could have the work environment you like.

Answer 2

Remember the important word - Engineer. There are laws against using that word.

I miss doing stuctural. I spent more time in the field doing stuctural than I do managing typical civil subdivisions and such.

Become a good structural engineer and mentor a good inspector for you. Also, I have to say that any professional engineer will go to any site where he will do any design. Although you don't technically have to. I recommend doing your site visits in the early morning, when you won't break a sweat on your brand new shirt and tie.

Structural is a traditional part of civil engineering. Any good civil engineer has worn out a few pair of boots. Often a stuctural consult will require inspection of fire damage. If you are a good engineer, you will have coveralls, a chisel and gloves, and be scraping at the chars or at least directing your tech to do so.

Also remember that EVERYONE is watching you. You are the engineer, and they all know their job better than you. They know nothing of your job. It don't matter if you have to know ALL of everyone's job. It is their job to construct the sidewalk to the building. The slope says 2% here and 1% there, which is it? You are now an idiot in their eyes.

Should you become a registered professional engineer, the sun and heat will become the least of your worries. Public safety and economics will become your new worries.

I hope you contemplate this.






Perhaps you should puss out and become an architect, they never get dirty.

NOTE: Often times a site visit requires no 'boot work', or time out of a vehicle. A simple drive by will suffice.

Answer 3

Civil engineers generally spend a period in the early portion of their career working outside a great deal. But eventually, it becomes an office job with an occasional site visit. I would expect the first year, maybe 2 years where at least 50% of working hours are spent outside, but eventually working to about 10% or less. The better you are at writing reports and designing, the more time you will spend inside.

Answer 4

ive found that because nearly everything is done on CAD these days, most of the time you are inside. they have contracted surveyors to do the surveying side of the work for you (although at uni you do have to learn how to do it yourself which involves going outside) and the only reason u sometimes venture to the outdoors is to visit a job site... or on your lunch break!
cheers

Answer 5

I would recommend a job in payroll or human resources.