Discussion Thread

So, I graduated with my bachelors in 2014 and I have had a hard time landing that first job in civil engineering. I have just been working a warehouse job for the past 3 years, while trying to job hunt and find a good job. What sort of things can I be doing with my free time to improve my skills, improve my job hunting, and finally land a job in engineering?

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson
Winston, OR
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Howdy Andrew,

Have you taken your Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE)?  That's probably a good way to show you're interested in moving forward with civil engineering.

------------------------------
Michelle Alvarez EIT,A.M.ASCE
Engineer-in-Training
Corpus Christi TX
(361)215-5843
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2019 01:52
From: Andrew Wilson
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

So, I graduated with my bachelors in 2014 and I have had a hard time landing that first job in civil engineering. I have just been working a warehouse job for the past 3 years, while trying to job hunt and find a good job. What sort of things can I be doing with my free time to improve my skills, improve my job hunting, and finally land a job in engineering?

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson
Winston, OR
------------------------------

Winston appears to be a beautiful town!  It depends on which discipline you would like to practice in.  There are opportunities for public works and environmental positions in just about any municipality.  If you are looking for a structural or more specialized practice, you may need to move closer to a city.  I had to move an hour from my hometown to the Providence area.  Being able to meet with other professionals in the area after work through ASCE is invaluable to building a network.  A position that allows for working remotely is also an option. 

I would also work with career services through your university, if you have not already.  Get involved with your local ASCE Section as well.  If you need help with resume review or references, there are many professionals here on collaborate (including myself) who would be able to help!

------------------------------
Chad Morrison, P.E., M.ASCE
Greenville RI
(401)231-4870 EXT 2207
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2019 01:52
From: Andrew Wilson
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

So, I graduated with my bachelors in 2014 and I have had a hard time landing that first job in civil engineering. I have just been working a warehouse job for the past 3 years, while trying to job hunt and find a good job. What sort of things can I be doing with my free time to improve my skills, improve my job hunting, and finally land a job in engineering?

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson
Winston, OR
------------------------------

Yes I have taken the FE and earned my EI certificate.

Winston and the rest of Southern Oregon is a great place to visit, but opportunities can be hard to come by here. I am not against relocating to a larger city, I would like to in fact, but I would find that hard to do before landing a better job. I have tried the local city and county offices for jobs, but so far no luck.

I think one of the things standing in my way is a lack of experience. I did not do the internship program back in college, I guess I didn't think I could fit it into my schedule. Looking back I wish I had done it and made it work. I did have a short term internship right after college, doing software quality testing for a surveying equipment company, but that did not add much to my engineering experience. 

As for a local ASCE presence, there really isn't one. The only active branches in Oregon are in Portland and Salem.

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson, EIT
Winston, OR
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-11-2019 10:09
From: Chad Morrison
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

Winston appears to be a beautiful town!  It depends on which discipline you would like to practice in.  There are opportunities for public works and environmental positions in just about any municipality.  If you are looking for a structural or more specialized practice, you may need to move closer to a city.  I had to move an hour from my hometown to the Providence area.  Being able to meet with other professionals in the area after work through ASCE is invaluable to building a network.  A position that allows for working remotely is also an option.

I would also work with career services through your university, if you have not already.  Get involved with your local ASCE Section as well.  If you need help with resume review or references, there are many professionals here on collaborate (including myself) who would be able to help!

------------------------------
Chad Morrison, P.E., M.ASCE
Greenville RI
(401)231-4870 EXT 2207

Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2019 01:52
From: Andrew Wilson
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

So, I graduated with my bachelors in 2014 and I have had a hard time landing that first job in civil engineering. I have just been working a warehouse job for the past 3 years, while trying to job hunt and find a good job. What sort of things can I be doing with my free time to improve my skills, improve my job hunting, and finally land a job in engineering?

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson
Winston, OR
------------------------------

In general I agree with Chad above, but I would say it more forcefully. It really sounds like you need to leave Winston and leave it in a hurry, at least for a little while. An engineering career in small towns has some unique challenges, and I suspect one of the key problems you are running into is that the Winston area has a relatively low population and therefore few civil engineering jobs. You are most likely waiting for someone in one of those few positions to move away or retire, and that's a waiting game that can take years. You don't want to have a ten year old degree and no related experience in the meantime when that position does open; you want to be prepared. There may be one or two small development firms, the local logging industry may have a couple staff engineers (environmental and possibly drainage/roadway construction), and the local public works department(s) may have some staff engineers as well though I have seen that many small towns in the state outsource their technical positions (City Engineer and supporting engineering staff) to medium-large engineering firms, so even that may be limited.

I would recommend you move to the Salem or Portland area to get industry experience, and if you're set on living in Winston long term (which I get, it's a nice area) keep an eye on job postings at the few departments or small firms in the area that are likely to hire a civil engineer. While gaining experience in the big city, reach out to your target employers in Winston, leave a resume on file, and tell them you want to move back to Winston and would love to work for them when a position opens up. Small outfits are more likely to be receptive this type of advance than large firms; remember that in small towns when a position does open it can be just as challenging for employers to find skilled staff to hire as it is for prospective employees to find a new opportunity. Look for jobs in the big city that are at least tangentially related to the ultimate position you want back home.

One thing you can do in your free time now is find and take an AutoCAD Civil3D class (or, depending on the exact field you want to get into, SolidWorks, MicroStation, et cetera). Civil engineers need to know the tools used to develop the design and plans they are ultimately responsible for, and you could then look for entry level drafting positions as well. Often, the best later-career engineers have played several roles throughout their careers and have a working knowledge of all that it takes to assemble the design and documents they are tasked with developing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with spending time now working in a drafting position to get industry experience, and it would serve you well for the rest of your career.

------------------------------
Blake Davis EI,A.M.ASCE
Beaverton OR
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2019 01:52
From: Andrew Wilson
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

So, I graduated with my bachelors in 2014 and I have had a hard time landing that first job in civil engineering. I have just been working a warehouse job for the past 3 years, while trying to job hunt and find a good job. What sort of things can I be doing with my free time to improve my skills, improve my job hunting, and finally land a job in engineering?

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson
Winston, OR
------------------------------

I agree that drafting, surveying, and other engineering related positions are a great way to start.  Take a morning to hand deliver resumes if you can.

------------------------------
Chad Morrison P.E.,P.E.,M.ASCE
Greenville RI
(401)231-4870 EXT 2207
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-12-2019 13:21
From: Blake Davis
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

In general I agree with Chad above, but I would say it more forcefully. It really sounds like you need to leave Winston and leave it in a hurry, at least for a little while. An engineering career in small towns has some unique challenges, and I suspect one of the key problems you are running into is that the Winston area has a relatively low population and therefore few civil engineering jobs. You are most likely waiting for someone in one of those few positions to move away or retire, and that's a waiting game that can take years. You don't want to have a ten year old degree and no related experience in the meantime when that position does open; you want to be prepared. There may be one or two small development firms, the local logging industry may have a couple staff engineers (environmental and possibly drainage/roadway construction), and the local public works department(s) may have some staff engineers as well though I have seen that many small towns in the state outsource their technical positions (City Engineer and supporting engineering staff) to medium-large engineering firms, so even that may be limited.

I would recommend you move to the Salem or Portland area to get industry experience, and if you're set on living in Winston long term (which I get, it's a nice area) keep an eye on job postings at the few departments or small firms in the area that are likely to hire a civil engineer. While gaining experience in the big city, reach out to your target employers in Winston, leave a resume on file, and tell them you want to move back to Winston and would love to work for them when a position opens up. Small outfits are more likely to be receptive this type of advance than large firms; remember that in small towns when a position does open it can be just as challenging for employers to find skilled staff to hire as it is for prospective employees to find a new opportunity. Look for jobs in the big city that are at least tangentially related to the ultimate position you want back home.

One thing you can do in your free time now is find and take an AutoCAD Civil3D class (or, depending on the exact field you want to get into, SolidWorks, MicroStation, et cetera). Civil engineers need to know the tools used to develop the design and plans they are ultimately responsible for, and you could then look for entry level drafting positions as well. Often, the best later-career engineers have played several roles throughout their careers and have a working knowledge of all that it takes to assemble the design and documents they are tasked with developing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with spending time now working in a drafting position to get industry experience, and it would serve you well for the rest of your career.

------------------------------
Blake Davis EI,A.M.ASCE
Beaverton OR

Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2019 01:52
From: Andrew Wilson
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

So, I graduated with my bachelors in 2014 and I have had a hard time landing that first job in civil engineering. I have just been working a warehouse job for the past 3 years, while trying to job hunt and find a good job. What sort of things can I be doing with my free time to improve my skills, improve my job hunting, and finally land a job in engineering?

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson
Winston, OR
------------------------------

I'm going to echo Blake's comments. I initially graduated from college in a small town and wanted to stay, but there weren't a lot of engineering firms in town then, and the ones that were weren't hiring. I literally went door to door with all of them there were that few!

So, I moved halfway across the country to a city, and the amount of experience I gained in the next 3 years in a fast-paced environment was invaluable. It basically allowed me to pick where I worked after that. In hindsight, not being able to find a job locally after college was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. So for example, I had much better rounded engineering mentors in the city <g class="gr_ gr_1275 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="1275" data-gr-id="1275">than</g> I've been able to find in the small town when I currently work. There were lots of active young professional groups to be involved in in the city (so from a networking perspective it's a ton easier to make connections to new people, which may open up doors for you later in your career). So, I encourage you to consider moving and apply to a firm elsewhere. 

Also, one thing that hasn't been mentioned here is a specific unique aspect of small-town firms. Often the companies tend to be <g class="gr_ gr_4483 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="4483" data-gr-id="4483">small,</g> and were founded by one person who is still running the company. Employees tend to stay forever if they have a good thing going (unless they don't get along with the owner/founder in which case they won't last long). So, unless someone leaves, retires or your local economy has a building boom there can be very little opportunities for advancement.  That's also one of the reasons you may not be seeing job openings locally.

------------------------------
Stephanie Slocum P.E.
Founder
Engineers Rising LLC
www.engineersrising.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-12-2019 14:09
From: Chad Morrison
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

I agree that drafting, surveying, and other engineering related positions are a great way to start.  Take a morning to hand deliver resumes if you can.

------------------------------
Chad Morrison P.E.,P.E.,M.ASCE
Greenville RI
(401)231-4870 EXT 2207

Original Message:
Sent: 04-12-2019 13:21
From: Blake Davis
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

In general I agree with Chad above, but I would say it more forcefully. It really sounds like you need to leave Winston and leave it in a hurry, at least for a little while. An engineering career in small towns has some unique challenges, and I suspect one of the key problems you are running into is that the Winston area has a relatively low population and therefore few civil engineering jobs. You are most likely waiting for someone in one of those few positions to move away or retire, and that's a waiting game that can take years. You don't want to have a ten year old degree and no related experience in the meantime when that position does open; you want to be prepared. There may be one or two small development firms, the local logging industry may have a couple staff engineers (environmental and possibly drainage/roadway construction), and the local public works department(s) may have some staff engineers as well though I have seen that many small towns in the state outsource their technical positions (City Engineer and supporting engineering staff) to medium-large engineering firms, so even that may be limited.

I would recommend you move to the Salem or Portland area to get industry experience, and if you're set on living in Winston long term (which I get, it's a nice area) keep an eye on job postings at the few departments or small firms in the area that are likely to hire a civil engineer. While gaining experience in the big city, reach out to your target employers in Winston, leave a resume on file, and tell them you want to move back to Winston and would love to work for them when a position opens up. Small outfits are more likely to be receptive this type of advance than large firms; remember that in small towns when a position does open it can be just as challenging for employers to find skilled staff to hire as it is for prospective employees to find a new opportunity. Look for jobs in the big city that are at least tangentially related to the ultimate position you want back home.

One thing you can do in your free time now is find and take an AutoCAD Civil3D class (or, depending on the exact field you want to get into, SolidWorks, MicroStation, et cetera). Civil engineers need to know the tools used to develop the design and plans they are ultimately responsible for, and you could then look for entry level drafting positions as well. Often, the best later-career engineers have played several roles throughout their careers and have a working knowledge of all that it takes to assemble the design and documents they are tasked with developing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with spending time now working in a drafting position to get industry experience, and it would serve you well for the rest of your career.

------------------------------
Blake Davis EI,A.M.ASCE
Beaverton OR

Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2019 01:52
From: Andrew Wilson
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

So, I graduated with my bachelors in 2014 and I have had a hard time landing that first job in civil engineering. I have just been working a warehouse job for the past 3 years, while trying to job hunt and find a good job. What sort of things can I be doing with my free time to improve my skills, improve my job hunting, and finally land a job in engineering?

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson
Winston, OR
------------------------------

OK, all good advice, thanks everyone. I don't know about taking all classes right now, the local community college only offers it in the Spring, right now. I do have books on AutoCad and other subjects I can study though.

I don't really have any attachment to the Winston area, it's just where I've been stuck the past few years. I would love to move to a larger city with more opportunities. I just don't know if I have the budget right now to move before landing a job. I have student loan debt I'm trying to work down, but it's going to take time.

So I'll just keep on trying to keep my skills sharp and looking out for the right opportunities to begin my career.

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson, EIT
Winston, OR
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-13-2019 18:00
From: Stephanie Slocum
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

I'm going to echo Blake's comments. I initially graduated from college in a small town and wanted to stay, but there weren't a lot of engineering firms in town then, and the ones that were weren't hiring. I literally went door to door with all of them there were that few!

So, I moved halfway across the country to a city, and the amount of experience I gained in the next 3 years in a fast-paced environment was invaluable. It basically allowed me to pick where I worked after that. In hindsight, not being able to find a job locally after college was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. So for example, I had much better rounded engineering mentors in the city <g class="gr_ gr_1275 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="1275" data-gr-id="1275">than</g> I've been able to find in the small town when I currently work. There were lots of active young professional groups to be involved in in the city (so from a networking perspective it's a ton easier to make connections to new people, which may open up doors for you later in your career). So, I encourage you to consider moving and apply to a firm elsewhere.

Also, one thing that hasn't been mentioned here is a specific unique aspect of small-town firms. Often the companies tend to be <g class="gr_ gr_4483 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="4483" data-gr-id="4483">small,</g> and were founded by one person who is still running the company. Employees tend to stay forever if they have a good thing going (unless they don't get along with the owner/founder in which case they won't last long). So, unless someone leaves, retires or your local economy has a building boom there can be very little opportunities for advancement.  That's also one of the reasons you may not be seeing job openings locally.

------------------------------
Stephanie Slocum P.E.
Founder
Engineers Rising LLC
www.engineersrising.com

Original Message:
Sent: 04-12-2019 14:09
From: Chad Morrison
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

I agree that drafting, surveying, and other engineering related positions are a great way to start.  Take a morning to hand deliver resumes if you can.

------------------------------
Chad Morrison P.E.,P.E.,M.ASCE
Greenville RI
(401)231-4870 EXT 2207

Original Message:
Sent: 04-12-2019 13:21
From: Blake Davis
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

In general I agree with Chad above, but I would say it more forcefully. It really sounds like you need to leave Winston and leave it in a hurry, at least for a little while. An engineering career in small towns has some unique challenges, and I suspect one of the key problems you are running into is that the Winston area has a relatively low population and therefore few civil engineering jobs. You are most likely waiting for someone in one of those few positions to move away or retire, and that's a waiting game that can take years. You don't want to have a ten year old degree and no related experience in the meantime when that position does open; you want to be prepared. There may be one or two small development firms, the local logging industry may have a couple staff engineers (environmental and possibly drainage/roadway construction), and the local public works department(s) may have some staff engineers as well though I have seen that many small towns in the state outsource their technical positions (City Engineer and supporting engineering staff) to medium-large engineering firms, so even that may be limited.

I would recommend you move to the Salem or Portland area to get industry experience, and if you're set on living in Winston long term (which I get, it's a nice area) keep an eye on job postings at the few departments or small firms in the area that are likely to hire a civil engineer. While gaining experience in the big city, reach out to your target employers in Winston, leave a resume on file, and tell them you want to move back to Winston and would love to work for them when a position opens up. Small outfits are more likely to be receptive this type of advance than large firms; remember that in small towns when a position does open it can be just as challenging for employers to find skilled staff to hire as it is for prospective employees to find a new opportunity. Look for jobs in the big city that are at least tangentially related to the ultimate position you want back home.

One thing you can do in your free time now is find and take an AutoCAD Civil3D class (or, depending on the exact field you want to get into, SolidWorks, MicroStation, et cetera). Civil engineers need to know the tools used to develop the design and plans they are ultimately responsible for, and you could then look for entry level drafting positions as well. Often, the best later-career engineers have played several roles throughout their careers and have a working knowledge of all that it takes to assemble the design and documents they are tasked with developing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with spending time now working in a drafting position to get industry experience, and it would serve you well for the rest of your career.

------------------------------
Blake Davis EI,A.M.ASCE
Beaverton OR

Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2019 01:52
From: Andrew Wilson
Subject: Looking for advice on beginning career

So, I graduated with my bachelors in 2014 and I have had a hard time landing that first job in civil engineering. I have just been working a warehouse job for the past 3 years, while trying to job hunt and find a good job. What sort of things can I be doing with my free time to improve my skills, improve my job hunting, and finally land a job in engineering?

------------------------------
Andrew Wilson
Winston, OR
------------------------------