Civil Structural Engineering Reality vs Expectations

[@BEngHielscher]

The first 500 people to use my link skl.sh/benghielscher12241 will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare premium!

[@buddyryeSE]

3:13 - the work-life balance is nonexistent if you are the engineering business owner. However, there are fairly cush jobs like being a structural engineering plans examiner for a local municipality that will grant you certain privileges here in the US. However, most structural engineers (like architects and civils) will work routinely 50+ hour weeks. Some guys I know say that a 50 hour week is a down week.

[@buddyryeSE]

By the way, I love your content and I believe it brings exposure to the profession and can help young aspiring structurals to keep pursuing their goals. Cheers, mate!

[@clem5474]

Geotech Engineer here. Based in Melbourne.

[@DeepakKrishna11]

good points

[@SH-to8sh]

Hey Ben ❤

[@rayyuff30]

Hi ! I am a civil engineering student and I want to pursue my masters in structural engineering. Can you tell me which softwares are important

[@colindavy6166]

It depends on where you want to work. The software used in Europe are different than in the US. Just chose one that is used in a firm you want to work with or one with student licenses. The software are important but most of all, you should focus on developing skills to check your models : quick handcalcs with simple asumptions, deflection, moment diagram, support reactions.

[@rayyuff30]

@@colindavy6166 thanks alot

[@marco-mz3wx]

For bridge structure projects, Midas Civil, SAP2000, and SAFE are essential software applications.

[@strictlyfaceless7285]

Just learn and be strong at the basics. That's all is required to get into a good structural firm

[@christianparente4276]

In the US for buildings RAM Structural System and Risa3D are very common.

[@nesar_05]

Hello there sir, i hope you are doing well! Can you please tell us which one is hard working in civil engineering or studying civil engineering ? Right now I'm student at its really challenging !

[@notericok7695]

Hello this video was very useful. I just wanted to ask, are their many civil engineering consulting jobs in Sydney.

[@yanndarryl]

Hello, I wish to get access on all of your classes but can't. I think it isn't totally free. Thank you.

[@mangoandguitar]

I think the big reality shock for people working in a real engineering job for the first time. Is that most companies are private and is profit driven. -Programs are mandatory and for the most part you are more doing data entry -Design wise, its encouraged to just try to copy and paste as much from previous projects. -Drafting is almost completely outsourced in most companies, engineers these days rarely know how to draft and hence markups/ hand sketches are dog shit. -Most graduate/ junior engineers are not profitable for the first 2 - 3 years, they are sent to do site inspections and shop drawings- which is one reason why quality has decreased. If you think you'll be doing something with challenging engineering on a iconic project, you'll have to work hard and get a reputation, plenty of unpaid OT and self learning. The reality is large companies, there's like only 5 to 8 technically competent engineers (not people who fake it) who actually understand engineering. Every other engineer there is just to pad up the numbers and do column run downs, endless 200thick PT flat plates - paid to do, not to think. I've seen engineers with 5+ years not understand how member capacity effective length is, not understand what fly brace is. How to check if a concrete beam is ductile. Heck, 10-15 + years experience and they don't even know how to detail movement joints or understand stiffness modifiers. As long as you make the company money, so talk the loudest, blame mistakes on other people and learn a program no one else knows how to use and use pseudo physics and you'll climb the ladder. Trick is to move from project to project without finishing it off. Rubbish other peoples designs but blame your own mistakes on the previous engineer. Common catch phrases to help include: "It'll strut it out" "Its not part of the stability system, we not including it on etabs model so we can ignore it" That's the reality, its a crap career.