Matthew,
Structural engineering is a field full of variety, and there are a multitude of directions you can take your career to start with (and pivot down the road!). Possibly one of the easiest ways of organizing the field is the way the SE Exam divides us - buildings or bridges. Of course, there's another component which is the vast world of structures that are neither inhabitable nor traversable. For example, I'm in the traditional AE world where I design buildings most days and occasionally a pre-fab pedestrian bridge abutment while my wife designs utility structures (transmission poles, towers, etc.). Communications towers and equipment is another big industry, and then of course there's the energy (drilling, pipelines, etc.) sector. Crane and rigging companies such as Barnhart that do large specialty lifts also hire many structural engineers. I had many classmates with structural emphasis who went to work in the construction industry and enjoy it as well. What about marine structures such as locks, dams, breakwaters, docks, etc? Bechtel is currently looking for people to work aerospace infrastructure for work on NASA contracts.
Of course, once you decide building/bridges/other there are certainly even more subsets to consider. If it's buildings, do you want a role in the traditional AE setting, or design for a pre-engineered metal building manufacturer, or even a precast concrete manufacturer? You could also end up as a design engineer for a traditional structural steel manufacturer, become a connections specialist or do design-build (or both!). You could find a role focusing in heavy industrial, or residential, or very large projects.
Then there's the type of firm - big, small, AEC, purely engineering firm, government, etc.
So, I think the easiest answer, even if it doesn't clear things up for you, is that you can work on anything you can dream up in the structural engineering field. If it's standing, and it's not a tree, a structural engineer or two somewhere had a hand in it. One question to ask yourself may be where do you want to live, and what opportunities are available there (LinkedIn is a great source for job postings, but also look up individual firms' websites and most will have a careers page - some don't advertise elsewhere). Another question is what attracted you to engineering and structures to begin with, and what do you enjoy the most? Is it habitable spaces in communties, or do you really enjoy diving into complex truss geometries? What were your favorite classes in your degree - was it geotech and foundations you enjoyed most, the freedom of creativity in member design offered by reinforced concrete, or the structure (no pun intended) and clarity of steel design? Did you also really enjoy fluid mechanics and/or environmental/wastewater/water treatment courses? Do you want to spend more time in the field (always good, especially early, and even more so if you don't come from a construction background), or do you want to be in the office doing modeling and analysis?
It's an exciting time deciding which direction to start off in your career, but I know it's full of anxiety too! Good luck, and remember not to sweat it too much - if you find yourself in a role that's not ideal you can always explore your options again. Many people go through a couple of positions before they find their fit.
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William Key EI,S.M.ASCE
Structural EI
TLM Associates
Jackson, TN
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-11-2019 15:30
From: Matthew Fowler
Subject: Options for a structural engineer
I am about to graduate from my undergrad in civil engineering with an emphasis in structural engineering. I have been looking to see what kind of options there are out there for structural engineer career paths. I know there are the options of design engineer and consulting engineer, but I haven't been able to find much in terms of different career paths. How many options does a structural engineer have for work?
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Matthew Fowler
Orofino ID
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