Wisam,
With your background in Construction Management, you could quickly be in high demand with construction contractors and, in particular, with construction contractors that work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) or the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC). USACE and NAVFAC require construction contractors to have a Construction Quality Control program in place for all contracts, including a full time Construction Quality Control System Manager on each contract who is often required to be a graduate engineer, architect or a graduate of a construction manager program. Generally a CQC System Manager must take the Construction Quality Management (CQM) for Contractors course--find locations/dates online or reach out to a nearby USACE or NAVFAC office (they are on most military installations). These offices may also be able to give you the names of some Contractors that commonly work on their projects. (Taking OSHA 30 would be a helpful class as well.) In the CQM role, your job is to ensure the contractor performs the contract work correctly (regardless of production or other pressures), review and submit various and often times numerous submittals, ensure testing is performed and meets requirements, perform daily reporting, and the like. An effective, trustworthy CQM can make or break a Contractor's rating on a project and directly influence its ability to win future contracts. Experienced personnel in this position can be very well paid, but the role also provides the opportunity to meet many people/professionals and will likely open doors to opportunities in more traditional engineering roles if that is your goal. You may find out, however, that the role is a perfect fit for you and it could become a permanent career.
------------------------------
Shari Brandt, P.E., M.ASCE
Ft. Worth, TX
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 04-16-2019 18:27
From: Wisam Moussa
Subject: Transplant Engineer Trying to Reenter the Profession
Greetings,
I need advice. I'm a civil engineer that graduated in Syria in 2000. I practiced engineering for 13 years in different disciplines overseas, the last 7 years of my career were in construction management. I came to the United States in 2014 and I didn't work as an engineer at that time due to immigration status I had before. The process to get residency, degree evaluation, passing the FE exam and PE exam after that was long. I got my PE license in January 2019. And during those years I had to work a full time job at a gas station and now I'm stuck there. I applied for many open positions both mid-level and entry-level and the only response I got was, "We regret to tell you...." How can I make my skills more marketable? I tried to contact some professional engineers who are active members at ASCE asking for advice but I never received a response. I don't know what to do, sometimes I think maybe I need to change my career. I appreciate your help.
God Bless.
------------------------------
Wisam Moussa EIT,P.E.,M.ASCE
civil engineer
Orlando FL
(407)624-6183
------------------------------