Hi Jon,
I'm a structural engineer and you do get "some" guidance when you first start out as a new engineer. Yes, you'll be lucky if you get a manager that makes time (hours) to personally train you, but for the most part, they will refer you to the resources you should read/research to find the solution to your problem. You must learn to backcheck/double check you own work, but they should also be guiding you and provide at least some type of training/guidance, you should never feel that you're being set up to fail.
Here's a video I made where I talk about my expectations of getting training/people checking my work, and how they actually did it when I entered the industry:
Civil Structural Engineering - Reality vs Expectations
YouTube |
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Civil Structural Engineering - Reality vs Expectations |
Reality vs expectations for a career in the civil structural engineering industry. Mostly relevant to those looking to get into the building structural engineering design industry in the U.S. |
View this on YouTube > |
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqP07ot0OgU&t=190s
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Mathew Picardal, PE
Structural Engineer & Content Creator
DCI Engineers
Structural Engineering Life Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MatPicardal------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2019 12:22
From: Jon James
Subject: How much on-the-job-training should I expect from an engineering internship / entry level position?
I'm working part-time for a smaller engineering firm as an intern while I finish school and I'm beginning to question my life choices. I'm either doing just busy work or staring into space. I'm beginning to realize they might not have the resources to train me (time, experience, structure, etc).
My question, is it worth staying at a company like this, or am I reading into this too much? Should I finish school first before I begin to worry about this, where afterword I'll have more freedom to explore?
I'm in my early thirties, as I started my education a little late in life, and having an internship, particularly one that doesn't feel like its going anywhere, feels like its going to hurt my career in the long run.
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Jon
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