Career By Design

Engineering has an array of disciplines to choose from. On top of that, civil engineering has several areas to specialize in. (I have met many students who seem pressured to make the right choice from the beginning.) In some cases, a civil engineer may earn a degree and start a career in a specialty that does not turn out to be the best fit.

Before pursuing a non-engineering career path altogether, what advice would you offer for a working engineer to switch disciplines or specialties instead?

------------------------------
Jameelah Ingram P.E., M.ASCE
Washington, DC
------------------------------

Based on my experience, switching specialities happens quite often. I used to advise young engineers that one could focus on the technical aspect of a particular speciality and become more and more knowledgeable in a particular speciality area. Or, one could go in a direction of a broader focus, and learn about a wide range of topics leading to more of a management career. I personally went the latter direction. Some engineers I knew went into sales for product vendors. A few changed careers into non-engineering areas (medicine, law, etc.). I would not have been happy not being in the built environment field.

------------------------------
Stacey Morris P.E., M.ASCE
ETI Corporation
West Memphis AR
------------------------------

Advice would include searching out to find what is of interest to this person or what about other work may be appealing, pay, types of projects, indoors/outdoors, responsibility, etc.  Network to figure out who this person could speak with and job shadow to see if another technical area/discipline seems appealing.  ASCE is a great way to find folks to network with. 

Part of an EAC-ABET accredited BS civil engineering degree is study in four technical areas of civil engineering.  This "breadth" should serve most persons who have such a degree to find work and be successful in at least these four areas.  Furthermore, a lot of learning occurs on the job, so having basic engineering science competence should allow many folks to learn beyond classes they studied in school.  There are a good number of practicing engineers who routinely work in multiple specialties due to working at smaller companies, their own interest, project requirements, etc.  Continuing education also permits learning well beyond what was in a degree program, formal and informal continuing ed.  With the low unemployment these days, it may be easier then usual to have a company take on someone and bring them up to speed.

Where I attended undergrad, there were two specialties in the curriculum for students to select from, either structures or environmental & water resources.  The difference was three classes.  My job in college was at a modest size civil engineering & surveying company that did a lot of land development projects.  Surveying was not offered at all where I studied.  After I graduated, I went through the effort, casual effort as work and life permitted over 17 years, to get a land surveying license.  Working in academics certainly allowed a lot of flexibility ... but I never expected to be a faculty member at all until getting laid off in a company down-sizing.

------------------------------
David Devine P.E. P.S., M.ASCE
Fort Wayne IN
------------------------------

Switching specialties could be difficult sometimes because you change your comfort zone for something new. But at the final the important thing is my opinion is to find the motivation to continue and achieve new challenges.
In my experience, before I started my master's program I was working around 6 years in the geotechnical field (including research in the seismology field), but from I started my master's (by scholarship in another country, it means the interests are different), I was assigned to enter to the geoenvironmental lab. So I start to look at the other side of our design (adverse effect), and also I started to see the problems with a different view before was a macro view and now is more to the chemical reaction level view.  It could be helpful for me, but I trying to find my motivation in this new field. 

------------------------------
Cecilia Torres Quiroz S.M.ASCE
researcher
Seoul
------------------------------

Switching disciplines is common,  Undergraduates often gravitate to one discipline or the other based on their "favorite" professor.  As an undergrad I took both the sanitary engineering option (shows how old I am) and the structural option.  I really wanted to be a structural engineer.  I went on to work for a public agency that designed flood control channels.  I never had an open channel hydraulics class.  Well you take it on yourself to learn it.  I went on to grad school to study hydraulic structures and hydrology.  Then I moved on to a very large A/E firm in their civil engineering department.  I did a lot of civil site work, storm drains and sewers for redevelopment projects, even storm drainage for a major airport runway.  I was then handed a water supply and wastewater treatment for a major new college campus.  I had to learn this. I never did water well design, or a treatment plant.  I only had the elementary undergrad courses which only scratched the surface.  I took it on myself to learn it.  Get out the latest books, discuss with peers in the industry, vendors, etc.  Eventually this is the type of work I specialized in.  

My message is this is: if you are "missing  something" and feel you would like something else -- do it.  But you are going to have to spend the time and effort to do a lot of  "learning on your own" so you can "walk the talk."  There are resources out there.  Attend some technical conferences and seminars in the area you are interested in, read the journals,  some colleges have certificate programs where you can "brush up" through  a course or two,  get out to meetings of  professional groups in your area.  Find a job in a company that has your interest as one of their focal markets.

If you are a new graduate and you are uncertain, work for a small city or community that handles streets, curbs and gutters, drainage, sewers, traffic  building and safety and see what interests you.  An alternative is a large A/E company civil engineering department which will expose you to a wide variety of projects,  particularly if the firm does commercial and public works projects.   If you work for a specialized firm, e.g., structural, transportation, water resources, etc.  you will not get exposed to other disciplines.  If you are decided on what you want to do, these small specialty firms are ideal.  But that doesn't mean you can stop learning.

------------------------------
Joseph Reichenberger P.E., F.ASCE
Professor of Civil Engineering
Monterey Park CA
------------------------------

Everyone has right to pursue happiness.  I always tell folks that an engineering background will only help you deal with life challenges in a more logical manner.  So go for it, so long as you call engineering/ ASCE home!

------------------------------
K. N. (Guna) Gunalan, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE., F.ASCE
ASCE President 2020
Vice President
AECOM
Salt Lake City, Utah
(801) 718-9470
------------------------------