What would be some of the big issues if design firms send CAD drawings instead of PDFs to the contractor?

, For those of you who work for city/town government agencies, do you think just showing up at my local agency and dropping off my resume would help me get an entry-level job? Or would it be no different than just applying online?
I actually tried this before when I was looking for an internship, and they ended up offering me an unpaid one. The only issue was that they required me to get college credit for it since they couldn’t pay me, and my college didn’t offer that, so it didn’t work out.
I’m just wondering if the same approach could work for a full-time entry-level position or if the hiring process is completely different.

I am debating leaving the engineering industry. Right now I’m about 3 years out of college and in road design and just not loving it. Like at all. There’s some other reasons but at the end of the day I think it boils down to I just don’t like it that much. I do enjoy 3D modeling (ORD) side of projects, but could honestly leave the rest. I am a fairly creative person and enjoy sewing, upholstery, or anything to do with my hands. I’ve always enjoyed figuring out how things go together which is why I thought I would enjoy engineering, but now I’m not so sure.

Has anyone left the engineering industry, what did you go into? Is there anyone out there who gets to WFH/have a flex schedule (maybe that would help)? Any advice appreciated!

Dear Respondents,

We are fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Computer Science students from the National College of Science and Technology (NCST), conducting a research study entitled “Civil Craft: Bridge Edition – The Implementation of a 3D Mobile-Based Bridge Construction Simulation Game for Basic Structural Mechanics for Civil Engineering Students at Technological University of the Philippines – Cavite.” This study is conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

We invite you to participate in this survey to evaluate your experience with "Civil Craft: Bridge Edition", an educational mobile game that introduces basic structural mechanics through interactive 3D bridge construction and simulation. The game allows players to design and test different bridge types, explore the effects of structural loads, and apply fundamental engineering concepts through progressively challenging construction projects.

Your feedback will help us assess the game's educational value, usability, and overall gameplay experience as a supplementary learning tool for Civil Engineering students.

All information gathered will be treated confidentially and used solely for academic research purposes in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173, or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Providing your name is optional.

You may access the survey through the link below:

Survey Form: https://forms.gle/QZhmRqEGa63LtS8R7

We invite licensed Civil Engineers professionals to evaluate Civil Craft: Bridge Edition and provide feedback on its technical accuracy, usability, and potential as a supplementary learning tool for basic structural mechanics. Your expertise will be a valuable contribution to this study.

Thank you for your time and participation.

Respectfully,

The Researchers

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

National College of Science and Technology (NCST)

Hi everyone, I’m graduating soon in civil engineering in Sweden, and I’m curious about maybe pursuing a career in hydropower after seeing some interesting jobs in the field.

My background is mainly in civil/structural engineering, building construction and BIM, so I’d especially like to hear from civil or structural engineers who took this route.

I’m trying to understand what the work actually involves beyond the job descriptions, so I have a few questions that i would love to get some answers for:

1. How did you enter the hydropower industry, and what has your career path looked like?
2. What is your current role, and what do you actually work on? For example, dams, power stations, inspections, structural assessments, Hyrdaulic engineer or rehabilitation projects?
3. What does a typical working day look like? How much involves design/calculations, site work, meetings, documentation or other?
4. Do you enjoy the work? What are the best and worst parts?
5. How do pay and career progression compare with civil/structural roles outside hydropower?
6. Does specialising in hydropower open up opportunities, or make it harder to move into other industries later?
7. Looking back, would you choose this path again? Any regrets or advice for someone starting out?
8. Do people tend to stay in technical roles and become specialists, or move into project management over time? What made you choose your direction.
9. I’m interested in building expertise in hydropower, becoming a technical specialist and potentially moving into a head of department or another management role later. Earning a high salary is a big part of my ambition. How realistic is that path, and is management necessary for the best pay, or can specialists reach similar levels?

I’m especially interested in experiences from Sweden or the other Nordic countries, but I’d appreciate hearing from people anywhere. Feel free to answer whichever questions you like and add anything you like, any insight would help!

Thanks in advance!!!

Hello! I graduated from college last year with a degree in Engineering Science and Mathematics. I know that pursuing a traditional engineering role with an Engineering Science degree can be a little more challenging, but I believe my background in data analytics, statistics, and systems engineering could be valuable in the industry.

Some of the relevant courses I took include Transportation Systems Engineering, Statics, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Civil and Environmental Engineering Information Systems, Sustainable Design in Civil Engineering, Probability and Statistics for Engineers, and Systems Engineering.

Now that I’ve graduated, I’m curious about how best to position myself for an entry-level role in construction or engineering. Are there particular job titles, skills, certifications, or strategies you would recommend for someone with my background? I’d appreciate any advice!

Muni dev review engineer here. I was packing up my bag tonight and getting ready for work tomorrow when I picked up my work cell and had MUMTIPLE consultant emails that arrived today.

What are we doing, folks?! Sunday? Really?

You do you…but at least just schedule send it.

(This really is meant just for the humor of the situation).

Interesting crack on an arch bridge at Waterloo Place, Edinburgh. Only one picture to go on but personally I am stumped as to what the cause could be.

It's a fairly tall masonry arch in Edinburgh city centre. 4 lanes of traffic on deck level.

I am almost certain that the crack is not a result of a vehicle strike as the steel railing is in front of the column. The bridge is frequently used by coaches and busses and is a major road, although I think it is unlikely to be used by overloaded vehicles.

Beneath the bridge is a trafficked road, Carlton Road. It is possible that a stream could be underneath that though. The area underneath is close to a loch /lake drained several hundred years ago. So it's s plausible that foundation issues could be at play, but seems unlikely.

Unfortunately I no longer live locally so I can't provide any other photographs. My guess is that the crack doesn't go under the arch barrel as the photographer would probably have included that in their photos.

The crack is not visible at all in Google maps photos from 2025 so reasonable to assume it is recent. That crack must be big enough to stick a hand in (if scale isn't clear) but no idea how deep it is.

Dear colleagues, what do we think?

EDIT: The photo is fake.

I’m a California PE with 5 years of experience, looking for bridge engineering work in CA.

From what I’ve seen, a lot of the opportunities seem to be on the construction side rather than design. I don’t mind occasional fieldwork, but I’m not looking to be out in the field every day.

Also, any insight on the market rate?

Basically I’m a roadway engineer with almost 4 years of experience and got laid off a week ago.

I haven’t told anyone and have enough in savings to take care of myself for a few months plus I got a good severance package and am eligible for unemployment. Honestly I’m really exhausted and have been in the workforce for almost 4 years of straight grind, I passed all of my exam and am literally waiting till next year to get my PE license in Texas.

Essentially I want to take the rest of the year off but don’t know how it would look to employers, I have an interview next Thursday but don’t know how I can start a new job being so exhausted this late in the year.

Essentially that’s my concern also if I can apply for my PE license in Feb given my 2-3 month gap in work in Texas even though I meet all the other requirements. Any advice for me?

I didn’t get to rest after college like most of my peers and am open to any advice. Thanks!

Hey guys, I just wanted to share a tool I've created recently, originally for my personal use, but it may be useful to others. It's a calculation parser, similar to MathCAD, which probably many of you know, but a free and simplified version. It's free to use the core app, available natively for both Windows and macOS.

While I was making this I started experimenting with AI assistance for writing and reviewing engineering calculations. It was surprisingly good at it. The apps also include optional access to an AI assistant.

Feel free to try it and provide feedback! Its still in early stages...

For windows

For macOS

I’m currently a student at Wayne State University in Michigan, and I’m debating transferring to Central Michigan University for environmental engineering instead of staying at Wayne State for civil engineering.
For some background, I already have an Associate of Arts in General Studies from a community college, and I’m planning to switch into engineering. I haven’t completed the main engineering prerequisites like calculus, physics, or chemistry yet, so I’d be starting those relatively soon.
I’ve been looking into different engineering fields, and I’m especially interested in water resources, dams, hydroelectric power, and how engineering interacts with nature. I like the idea of designing systems that control water, generate electricity, and protect the surrounding environment. From what I’ve researched, civil engineering with a focus on water resources might be the more direct route for this, but environmental engineering also interests me quite a bit.
Here’s where I’m conflicted.
I actually like Wayne State and don’t have anything against the university itself. However, I’ve realized that being surrounded by nature is pretty important to my everyday well-being. I grew up in northern Michigan, and I really miss the forests, lakes, quietness, and slower pace of life. I enjoy socializing occasionally, but I’m also someone who really appreciates solitude, stillness, and spending time outdoors, whether that’s hiking, exercising, or simply sitting outside.
If Wayne State were surrounded by nature, I probably wouldn’t even consider leaving.
Financially, I’d have free housing with family at either university. My commute would be about 30 minutes to Wayne State versus 45 minutes to CMU. Wayne State currently costs me around $4,000 per semester after scholarships and financial aid, while I’m still figuring out what CMU would cost.
I’m also considering eventually earning a master’s degree, potentially through an accelerated program, because I’d like to keep the possibility of teaching college engineering courses open.
My biggest concern is whether I’d be sacrificing career flexibility by choosing environmental engineering over civil engineering, especially since I’m interested in water resources and hydropower.
I’m curious what other engineering students or engineers think:
Would environmental engineering still be a good route into water resources, dams, and hydropower, or would civil engineering be significantly better?
Has anyone chosen a university partly because of its location and surrounding environment? Did it make a noticeable difference in your quality of life?
Would a bachelor’s in environmental engineering followed by a master’s specializing in water resources or civil engineering be a reasonable pathway?
For those familiar with CMU or Wayne State, how do their engineering programs compare in terms of opportunities, internships, and preparation for graduate school?
I’m not necessarily trying to find the easiest degree or the university with the best social life. I’m trying to find a balance between getting a good engineering education, having career opportunities, and living somewhere that makes me happy on a daily basis.
I’d appreciate any advice, especially from people who have worked in civil, environmental, or water resources engineering.

Edit; both abet accredited

I was asked my a permit reviewer to provide sanitary flow and velocity calculations for a site development I’m working to get permitted. It’s about 10 acres of apartments and townhomes, so not even close to needing more than an 8 inch pipe but I get they have to check the box.

As I sit down to pull together this busy work, I figured I would let chatGPT take a stab at pulling together an excel sheet for my site. I fed it the sanitary plan and profiles and told it to check for a template to use from other agencies (the jurisdiction doesn’t have their own spreadsheet) and what I needed to calculate. I told it to populate it with the manhole and pipe names, inverts, slopes, etc and to calculate all the velocity and flow depth parameters based on the design flow that I would enter.

I forgot to tell it that the sewer had two branches that combined at a certain point, but it figured that out on its own. The equations were set to combine those numbers independently at the right spot, and it gave notes about this happening for the reviewer.

The damn sheet was perfect. All the numbers were right. First try.

I felt a little bad contributing to the thing that will make me unemployed someday but damnit this solo engineer on a lump sum contract will take the 2 hours I saved as extra profit.

I work in water/wastewater consulting in France, 3.5 years in. Mostly municipal studies (drinking water and sewer master plans), hydraulic models in PCSWMM, some QGIS and AutoCAD. Lately I also run projects and write tenders.

I take home around 2000€/month. For French consulting that’s about normal at my level, but raises are slow and I don’t see it changing much soon.

The bigger issue is that the market here is bad right now. The big groups (Veolia, Suez and the like) basically aren’t hiring externally, so moving up or sideways is really hard.

I’ve looked into the licensing side already. My degree is recognized, but I’d need to apply to the OIQ, which costs a few hundred dollars and takes a few months. After that you get a restricted title until you have some local experience and pass the professional exam, and you can still work as an engineer in the meantime.

So my question is just about the market itself. For water/wastewater/hydraulic work, is there real demand in Canada, and are salaries actually better once you account for cost of living? Or is it mostly hype from immigration websites? Which provinces or cities are hiring?

Hi, I’m going to college in 2028 and I was looking into engineer majors and I stumbled into civil engineering and I’m kinda curious about one thing about it that if I have to go up into buildings.

Now you may ask why I’m asking that question in the first place, well I have a big fear of height and it’s so serious that sometimes I can’t use rollercoasters and I have to go to the elevator.

So if going up into buildings required to be a civil engineer 👷 I must treat this fear as soon as possible

1. employment?

2. Job prospects? (due to AI)

Hey guys I'm an international student planning to do MS in CM for fall 2027 in usa, can you suggest colleges which has good funding for scholarship.Is it important to choose a location that is a construction hub like texas etc to get internship opportunity, would really appreciate the suggestions!

Hi, so I'm in first year civil at TMU (Toronto Canada) and I've been thinking way too much about long term stuff lol. my main goal is to own my own engineering firm someday, or at least become a part owner/partner at a firm (like an employee owned one where you can buy shares). everything else in my plan is built around that.

right now my rough plan is to get a co-op at a structural or restoration consultant, then work in structural design after I graduate and get my P.Eng. around year 8-10 I'd like to shift more into building science and restoration. once I actually know what I'm doing I might also try forensic or home inspection work on the side.

the thing is I keep hearing structural isn't the best paying branch, so idk if it's the best route to ownership. I'm also wondering how much pay depends on where you live. I'm in Ontario but I'm not sure if moving would actually change much.

I've also been thinking about a masters. I'm not tied to TMU for it, so I could go anywhere. would a masters in structural or building science actually help me get to owning or partnering in a firm, or does experience matter way more?

if anyone owns a firm or is a partner somewhere, I'd really like to know what you'd do differently if you were starting out now. any advice helps, thanks

I'm a civil engineer based in Siliguri, West Bengal, with over 12 years of experience in the construction industry. I'm at a point where I need to make a serious decision about my career and finances, and I'd appreciate advice from engineers who've faced a similar situation.

My background:

B.Tech in Civil Engineering, graduated in 2014.

Experience across high-rise residential buildings, commercial developments, industrial facilities and institutional projects.

Worked on projects such as residential towers up to G+18, including construction management, site supervision and structural design assignments.

Technical skills include AutoCAD, STAAD.Pro, ETABS and STAAD RCDC.

Currently working as a Senior Engineer – Civil/Structural, while also running my independent structural consultancy.

Licensed Building Surveyor (SJDA Grade A and SMC Grade I) and SMC-empanelled Structural Engineer Grade II.

My current situation:

My annual income is around ₹9 lakh. I have a home loan, a young family and long-term financial goals. I want to increase my income meaningfully, build financial security and avoid spending the next 10 years working hard without making enough progress financially.

I'm considering two paths:

Option 1: Move to a larger engineering/EPC company

I'm exploring opportunities with companies such as Tata Projects, Bechtel and similar organisations in structural engineering, project engineering or project coordination.

The attraction is better compensation, exposure to larger projects, stronger systems and potentially better long-term career growth. However, I'm unsure how competitive my profile is for these companies after spending much of my career in the regional construction market.

Option 2: Grow my independent consultancy

I already have professional credentials, technical experience and an understanding of the local market. I could focus on larger consultancy assignments, structural design, project coordination and relationships with developers or companies executing projects in North Bengal.

The upside is greater independence and potentially higher earnings, but finding consistent projects and scaling beyond my own time are real challenges.

My questions for engineers who've been through this:

At 12 years of experience, what compensation could I realistically target in an EPC or large infrastructure company? Would companies consider my background, or would I face a career reset?

Is moving to a metro or relocating for a corporate role worth it after accounting for living expenses and family responsibilities?

If you were in my position, would you prioritise a corporate career or build a consultancy? What would make you choose one over the other?

For those who moved from local construction firms to companies like L&T, Tata Projects, Bechtel or similar organisations, what skills or experience made the biggest difference?

Is there a practical third option—working for a larger company while gradually building a consultancy, without creating conflicts of interest?

I'm not looking for motivational advice or generic suggestions to learn BIM. I'd especially appreciate responses from Indian civil/structural engineers, EPC professionals and consultants who have actually made these transitions.

What would you do in my position?

Welcome to the weekly r/civilengineering discussion thread.

Use this thread for civil engineering topics that don't necessarily need their own standalone post, including:

• Career questions and career advice
• Questions from students, interns, and new engineers
• PE / FE exam discussion
• Workplace complaints, frustrations, and rants
• Jobsite stories and field experiences
• Questions about different civil engineering disciplines
• Office vs. field work
• Consulting, public sector, construction, and industry discussion
• General civil engineering conversation

A few guidelines

Keep discussion civil and follow all r/civilengineering rules.

If you're asking for career advice, providing some context such as your location, education, experience, discipline, and career goals will help people give you better answers.

For PE/FE questions, include the exam or discipline you're referring to when relevant.

Workplace complaints and rants are welcome, but do not post personally identifying information about coworkers, clients, or private individuals.

Looking for a job or hiring? Please use the current Monthly Civil Engineering Jobs & Hiring Thread instead.

Otherwise, ask away, tell us what's happening at work, share something from the field, or just talk civil engineering.

We are constructing columns on top of an existing slab. Some 16 mm reinforcement bars are projecting out of the slab in different lengths, such as 1.0 m, 0.80 m, 0.60 m, and 0.50 m.
Each column has 12 longitudinal reinforcement bars. While providing lap splices for the column reinforcement, all the lap joints are ending up at the same level.
What measures should we take to strengthen the reinforcement and ensure adequate structural strength, given that all the lap joints are at the same level?