Project Engineer Construction: 10 Things You'll Go Through As A Project Engineer in Construction

Here is a video about what a project engineer in construction (construction management) will experience in their career. I work for a general contractor in Hawaii after getting my degree in civil engineering. If you're considering this as your career, here's 10 tips and things you should expect as a project engineer.
1. Every Day Is New
You will never be doing the same thing every day in construction. A lot of jobs you'll do the same thing on Monday as you would on Tuesday, but that's not the case. Things constantly come up and you could be in the field one day solving problems, and in the office the next doing negotiations or running meetings. As a project construction engineer you will need to be able to adapt to the fluidity of the day.
2. You'll Need to Be Outside
The most important part of construction engineering is understanding how to build. Civil engineers coming out of college, unless you were exposed prior, don't have the experience in building and need to take the time to witness the field to become the best project engineers they can be. Without being in the field, you can't get a good grasp on how long things take, how work gets sequenced and scheduled, and how much things will cost. It becomes very obvious as you move up in you career in project management who skipped the steps in learning how to build and will make it harder on yourself in the future.
3. There will be Adversity and Stress
As a project engineer this will come in many forms. From the field, you may need answers immediately and you as the general contractor will need to find the answers from the other engineers, and consultants. You as the project construction engineer become the middle man. Or sometimes the owner or developer will add some level of stress to your life, but you need to understand that these people contracted you to do a job and are likely the holder of future work so there's a balancing aspect to make sure you don't lose the war just to win one battle.
4. Position is Never Permanent
Not saying that you can get fired at any time, but because you are project based to start your career, you'll get fresh starts every time as projects start and end. You'll get a new team, new building and new challenges every few years. This is awesome and specific to construction engineering and construction management and I think it keeps things fresh.
5. Fast Paced
Due to tight budgets and schedules, the industry is relatively fast paced. It is up to you as the project engineer to make sure you keep up with your schedules. Make sure you get your submittals and materials ordered on time. The attitude of "there's always tomorrow" is a bad one to have in construction.
6. You Meet a Lot of People
The construction industry is very inter connected so as a project engineer you have a lot of opportunities to meet people and should be creating relationships throughout your career. You'll have your team, the field workers, your subcontractors, the owners and developers, the consultants, material suppliers and even bankers. Construction is a wide reaching industry and its important that you familiarize yourself with all the players.
7. Teamwork is Key
Teamwork in construction is so important, nothing in life that was worth anything was built by a sole individual. You also need to work as a team with your surrounding community to make sure you are a good neighbor as a general contractor.
8. Long Hours
Due to tight budgets and schedule, you are expected to put in a decent amount of hours to make the project work. I think that's why construction also pays their construction project engineers a little better than civil engineering designers. The expectations and coordination that you need to go through is at a high level and there isn't a lot of room for error. Also since it is an experience based industry, the more time you spend up front the faster you can accelerate your growth.
9. Reading Contracts
Though you are a CONTRACTor, it really didn't hit me how important contracts would be as a project engineer until I experienced litigious issues. It was disheartening to see people go back on their word and really highlighted the importance of knowing the deal and understanding the holes in your contract.
10. Fun and Rewarding Experience of Finishing a Job
The great thing about working in construction is that the end product is very tangible and will outlast you. There is a physical memory of the work that you did on the project, and that's the coolest thing for me.
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[@QuangNguyen-vg1hr]

Thank you for sharing it!

[@salmanalamgir1849]

Thanks man this video is awesome..

[@leondrojandumandan1174]

Hello Engineer, I'm a fresh graduate in Civil Engineering and hoping to pursue construction. I'm glad I found you. More construction content please!!! More power to you.

[@gbnelson5146]

Great video! Doing my internship now and this is very insightful

[@JoseHungria-gg6gm]

Dude this was so incredibly helpful. You described every aspect of the job perfectly. I am still starting off in the industry as an estimator and I have had trouble here and there because I did not know how to build a job due to my lack of experience. Everything you said was very insightful and I will definitely be referring back to this video every now and again. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@ponzianomanning3071]

Bravo! Well done Kienen.

[@makesaveinvest1401]

It makes me very happy to see you found the job you love!! If one loves the job, that person in a way never works a day in life!! Your enthusiasm and passion shows, as you explain a topic you truly enjoy!! Thanks for sharing with us Kienen!!🙌

[@KienenKoga]

I appreciate it man! Thank you for watching and checking out the video!

[@viclucy-personalfinanceinv7533]

You have an exciting job! Thanks for taking us on your day as a Project Engineer :)

[@KienenKoga]

Haha I really am lucky! Thank you for watching!

[@012coyang]

That’s awesome that you found a job you love! These points are so insightful to future engineers 👍🏼

[@KienenKoga]

Thank you! Hope I can help one person out there haha

[@swoordliight8529]

Great video. Watching from the Philippines. I am now a Field Engineer and hoping to level up my career to Project Engineer.

[@calesylvester2387]

I love this video you really laid it out nicely

[@KienenKoga]

Thanks Cale! Appreciate you checking out the channel!

[@laoenriquez1890]

You described it perfectly! I’m a project engineer as well. Aloha from Oregon.

[@KienenKoga]

Nice! Thanks Lao!

[@hasanilong6724]

Hey, I just came across your channel and I really appreciate the knowledge you give to your audience!! I’m a college student attending for construction management and your channel inspires me to keep going. Thanks 🙏🏽 keep it up!!!

[@KienenKoga]

That's super awesome to hear! Hang in there! I appreciate you checking out the channel

[@jfrealestate201]

Always wanted to learn more about construction thank you great video

[@KienenKoga]

Thanks man I appreciate it!

[@annieweezee]

Such an awesome video!

[@KienenKoga]

Thank you Annie! I appreciate it!

[@TimLeakOfficial]

Seems like a really exciting career. I love the fact that everyday is different. Seems like there are always gonna be some “bull shenanigans” no matter what career field you’re in.💯💯💯 Great video.

[@KienenKoga]

appreciate it TIm! Yeah gotta focus on the work and not the noise. Thanks for watching man!

[@yamellbalcazar2588]

THANK YOU! I think im going to love to industry, I get bored quickly & I think construction might be for me. Hopefully, I can get an internship soon!

[@eyybeyy]

Hi! I just came across your channel and I enjoyed this video. I'm from the Philippines and just graduated in civil engineering. Really appreciate this content of what I'm about to experience once I passed the licensure examination this coming May! My major is structural engineering btw. I learned a lot from this video.Thank you!

[@KienenKoga]

Awesome to hear! Congratulations on graduating!

[@marim5033]

Great tip to get that field knowledge 👍🏼 I feel like not enough managers do that, so it’s hard for them to manage effectively!

[@KienenKoga]

Yup! Couldn't agree more!

[@dominickjvlogs]

Doing this work in Hawaii looks amazing. Definitely inspiring!!

[@KienenKoga]

Thanks Dominick!

[@hayderabdulmaged5723]

Thanks dude! Really useful and you speak English clearly but in fast. I hope see other videos regarding construction work.😉

[@KienenKoga]

Glad I could help! There will be more coming for sure!

[@kule510]

Great video!

[@KienenKoga]

Thank you!

[@J261380]

This made me laugh out loud at times. I'm in the UK and this is the exact same. Fixers just wanting to cut everything out 🤣 and people making decisions like "ah we will just leave the miss matching skirting" so true and sometimes frustrating!

[@gerudense]

Hey! Just finished my internship in a big spanish construction company and signed with them to move to the Phillipines for a big project and could not be more excited! Love to see a channel where there is someone who talks about the career!

[@KienenKoga]

glad to hear!

[@quiethoundcorner]

This was an excellent video! Thanks for making this man. Just got hired by a local contractor in Colorado and I’m so nervous!

[@KienenKoga]

You got this! Hopefully you got something out of the video haha it will be tough, there will be stress, but nothing beats seeing your end result stand the test of time. Best of luck to you!

[@trevorwipf7688]

Thank you for this video! I am a Project Engineer with a large GC out of Minneapolis. Love hearing other's experiences.

[@KienenKoga]

We can empathize together lol appreciate you watching Trevor!

[@albertoviscencio7425]

Whats the difference between construction engineering and construction/project management?

[@olouaime5222]

Good morning sir, i like to do a Visa to come to Canada ,i have experiences in engineering construction in Nigeria, i also speak French language well. How can i get a Visa to Canada?

[@chike_speaks]

Lmaoo! I absolutely love your channel man😂😂 you should just tell all your wild construction stores, I can completely relate

[@KienenKoga]

Hahaha one day!

[@012coyang]

Sick drone footage!!

[@KienenKoga]

Hahaha thank you! Trying to improve the videography skills lol

[@thioaime2890]

hello thank you very much for this video,now i am sure to do my spécialisation i mean my master in construction engineering and projet management. Nice vidéo

[@KienenKoga]

So awesome to hear!

[@sk8ter27597]

I start as a project engineer for a major GC in January! This was very informative!

[@KienenKoga]

Awesome Jared! Best of luck to you, starting off the year right!

[@tnt254254]

Just got my first field engineering internship, I can not wait to get started into this field! Your description was useful, and lined up with what I’ve heard about the job, it seems like a dream job, I’m so excited!!

[@KienenKoga]

Congrats! Glad to hear! Best of luck to you 🤙

[@-SAKILAN]

Hi..just wanna get to know how you are doing in your job. It's my first internship too. What are the challenges u faced, in your first day?

[@anaklusmos9203]

Thanks for this! I'm a fresh graduate and newly licensed civil engineer and I'm trying to apply for a project engineer position. This video helped me broaden my perspective of this profession and made me want to pursue it even more.

[@KienenKoga]

awesome!

[@naveenkrishnan140]

It’s really true i’m also working as a site engineer and I’m doing Facade work. I’m facing these all 10.😅

[@M40753]

I'm new to the Channel & subscribed right away, as always great advise!! and keep up the great work!!- someday hopefully i get to meet you- Bubba !

[@KienenKoga]

Appreciate it!

[@M40753]

@@KienenKoga You bet !!

[@fyzafiona4451]

I'm using this channel to understand more about my fiance's work. Thank you.

[@douglasrobles1871]

Hey Kienen, this is my first time watching your channel. This video was very useful video for me. Thank you for producing that. Besides, I am in college for CE and I just received my first internship offer as project engineer. I am very excited about it. As a project engineer, what subjects and topics you learned in college are the most important for your daily work? Keep it up!

[@KienenKoga]

Thanks so much Douglas! Appreciate you taking the time to comment. Personally, its more of the approach to problem solving that I take from school. Knowing that there's more than one way to solve a problem. You can somewhat use your basic engineering knowledge to understand that the design engineer is trying to achieve.

[@kaizenview8897]

That was very articulate and natural....wonder if you use a script or you just can speak without any breaks?

[@urgrandmascar]

4:10 LOL yeah that can be a pretty standard answer to an RFI

[@DauminiqueTheDumpTruckDriver]

I was promoted to project engineer from dump truck driver. It’s been hard the first 3 months. The only foundation I’ve had to build on is my experience in the field. It’s really rewarding but I’m confused literally everyday.

[@KienenKoga]

hahaha don't worry we're all still confused even many years into the business. the industry never fails to surprise...

[@daniolumuyiwa]

I started as a design engineer at a consultancy firm, got assigned as the project engineer for a project and I can relate to almost everything. I'm still trying to get used to No. 7, many hard lessons learnt 😂😂

[@KienenKoga]

Hahaha glad to hear Daniel!

[@marioarcari7649]

You are going to be a very successful developer soon .

[@justindavidson1146]

What made you decide to go into commercial and not heavy civil? Is it possible if you can make a video on the pros and cons of working in commerical vs heavy civil?

[@FatBroccolii]

Hey man, I’m really enjoying your videos. Any tips for how to better prepare myself for a job as a field coordinator?

[@KienenKoga]

Appreciate it Tim! Possibly my video on reading drawings may help, but honestly there's nothing that prepares you for doing the work than just jumping in and getting involved. Going in with the mindset that you are there to learn and just focusing on that will help.

[@jessechen2013]

Hi, Kienen. I really like the content that you are sharing, and I think you have the potential to be one of the top KZbinrs to speak for our industry. Yet, which laptop would you recommend for PEs who work with lots of plans and spec(also 3-d modeling)? *no budget cap. I'm currently preparing for the ASC competition, so it would be very helpful to get some advice from you about the device I'm going to use.

[@KienenKoga]

That means a lot Zhixiang! Thank you so much for checking out the video! Unfortunately I'm not very tech savvy; plus the laptop I use for work is provided to me by the company so I get what I get haha. I will say typically you won't be using a Mac; I've never seen it in the industry. The one I work off of now is a Dell Latitude E7450 which runs basic CAD, Revit, Navisworks, Bluebeam (for plans) etc.; But if you're doing intense architectural modeling with renderings and stuff you will need a more powerful computer so I think our company provides the Dell Precision 7730 (or similar/better) for more intense modeling. Hope that helps!

[@justinagbannaoag2773]

Hi, I'm starting as an entry-level project engineer by late of June 2022, and I wanted some advice in preparation for the role. Is there a skill or program you know will be a major part of the job that I can brush up on or review; and if there’s a website or other resources you’d recommend I review? I do appreciate your advice in preparation for my new role as a Project Engineer. Thank you!

[@TheHarrisal21]

Add #11 Need to have tough skin. I worked in construction for 13 yrs as a subcontractor and boy it gets tough when Someone messes up or you have to explain that a deadline can't realistically be met based on unrealistic expectations. Lol

[@albertoviscencio7425]

Whats the difference between construction engineering and construction/project management?

[@saijoo2512]

I graduated as industrial engineer and currently working in a contracting company kinda far from my engineering major. But have u ever knew someone who is industrial engineer as well in the same position as u?

[@NM-ps4op]

Did you do any internships after you graduated? Or just during school

[@ryanmiller2639]

Im a PE right now and my probation is about to end. What should I ask for salary wise? Thanks!

[@oluochfidel7460]

The video is great I love it,so i have a question and it goes is what is the difference between studying Civil engineering and Building and construction technology

[@KienenKoga]

Thanks! I think civil engineering is more geared towards design, but building and construction technology will be more geared to the construction aspect

[@jennyxie9922]

I started to feel like the lacking experience of staying outside for the past years started to affect my career now. 😂

[@KienenKoga]

Haha aw its okay, theres always time!

[@belaynehmathewos2105]

what is the difference b/n site eng. & project engineer?

[@yusufansari790]

Im a project engineer from india. Everything you said is absolutely true. Some made me giggle especially the lying part so accurate. Haha.

[@KienenKoga]

haha awesome! thanks!

[@lesliesz9662]

Hello! I’m looking for an engineer who can make a the impossible possible. I have a parcel lots that is wet land and I would like to build a house. Please let me know if you can make this possible

[@phoebeekateedjan8184]

I major in civil engineering but most of my electives were towards water engineering and transportation. Now that I'm graduating spring 2021 I am still unsure of which principle to get into and was thinking that maybe the reason why is because I wanted to pursue a career in project management/engineering. Can I still do so even if I had more focus on water and transportation rather than structural?

[@KienenKoga]

Great question Phoebee! You can absolutely still do it. The fact that you even have a civil engineering degree, despite what you focused your coursework on, will already give you an advantage. Keep in mind we have people in project management/engineering now that have teaching degrees, film degrees, and they're doing just fine. You can learn everything on the job and can be great if you put in the time and effort

[@navneetmali8186]

even I do have the same question.

[@saks2012]

Similar to mechanical engineers who don’t turn wrenches from time to time!

[@KienenKoga]

Righty tighty

[@nestorreyes5253]

wisdom

[@KienenKoga]

Thanks!

[@philipthompson7444]

is a project engineer the same as a construction manager?

[@ryanjustinmarantan8146]

I'm a fresh graduate and currently looking for a job in the industry. Is it normal for me to really have no clue on what to do in the construction industry. I have been an intern at a big company here, but as far as being a regular employee, I feel like i'm so clueless. Is this normal for every fresh graduate? Thank you!

[@KienenKoga]

Yup! Completely normal. But you can learn everything on the job; just put in the time and effort

[@TheJasonBoi]

I just got a job as a project engineer at a contracting company. Although I am a graduating electrical engineer, I see that it is mainly focused more towards civil engineers. Do you think I would have a harder time than a civil engineer since I am focused on electrical engineering? I do work side jobs with my dad who is an electrician, I do know the ins and outs of what goes on in the field, so I'm hoping this will give me a step up than the green graduates.

[@TheJasonBoi]

One more thing, Is getting the FE and PE crucial in doing the jobs? Or are they just to show how true of an engineer you are?

[@KienenKoga]

That's awesome that you have that experience; what may happen is that if you end up working for a general contractor, they will put you in charge of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors. Sometimes this ends up being a pigeon hole for people, but there's not a lot of people with good experience in this part as a general contractor. But, don't worry, you can learn everything else on the job. As for the FE and PE, it really doesn't matter in contracting. It's more of a tool in your toolbelt kind of thing; but doesn't make you seem any better than anyone else; your performance on the job is way more important.

[@muahammadhanif1803]

Do you have a master degree in construction management?

[@lellabeatricemacauley3459]

Am a female been in d construction industry for 10 yrs on on d field. Everything u said is correct. Young engineer listen up.

[@KienenKoga]

thank you!!

[@jaydenwilson8371]

Hey so I want to become is this part of civil engineering.

[@KienenKoga]

It can be yes!

[@tahjesue-johnson9795]

What did you go to school for?

[@KienenKoga]

Civil engineering!

[@tahjesue-johnson9795]

@@KienenKoga what was the hardest part about majoring in civil engineering?

[@MrsInvest]

job sounds really cool! are there many women in this field?

[@KienenKoga]

It is! I think it's very unique haha we have been pushing to try and get more women into the field as prior it was definitely majority men. It's still a little bit that way, but not as bad as before; my last team actually had more women than men on the team! which is awesome.

[@jhargraves100]

Ward Center parking garage?

[@KienenKoga]

hahaha yup!

[@wadereynolds9315]

Did you ever obtain EIT?

[@KienenKoga]

yes. and I actually just passed my test for the PE haha

[@wadereynolds9315]

@@KienenKoga thanks for the reply! I just recently graduate with a civil engineering degree and am working as a project engineer. I have the EIT scheduled but I may cancel it because I know it’s not required if I continue with the non design route. I’m pretty sure there are no PE working at my company for me to work under as well for the the 4 year requirement. Do you think I should go ahead and cancel?

[@KienenKoga]

@@wadereynolds9315 I would just do it. the information is never going to be more fresh in your mind and there isn't really a downside to having one. Your career may take you in another direction, so having many tools in your toolbelt allows you to make pivots others may not be able to.

[@ipnucajep9933]

I was love project inginering but now🤢 My e.n.g is not good😂

[@KienenKoga]

Lol practice makes perfect!

[@tahjesue-johnson9795]

Are you guys hiring?

[@KienenKoga]

My specific project no, but sometimes just showing up and asking can go a long way haha

[@BlackPawK9]

Why would you take an engineering degree and become a PE makes no sense

[@pouponboy6330]

Work life balance is horrible I'd assume.

[@basith6348]

Horrible in india😂so i resigned as a site engineer..and now into bim😂but here also we civil engineers sacrifice this part.