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I have 14 years of experience in construction and accepted a civil design position with the Corps of Engineers after obtaining my master's degree in Civil Engineering. Any advice for succeeding in this new career?

Mario - I am guessing your interest in design is forged by the seemingly disconnection between design approaches and your practical knowledge.

The transition from design to construction is a much more rewarding career path, however your perspective will be beneficial to creating practical and cost effective solutions. I would caution you on two key elements of the world you are entering: 1 the pace of construction and design are very much different. You may need to temper your expectations on time. 2. design is tempered by regulatory standards, regulations and traditions. You may have to balance your thinking between the required and the practical.

However, I assume you will be in a business development or project management role which will rest on your inner-personal skills more than your practical experience or design vision. Give yourself time to succeed in your new career path. 
David E. Johnson, PE, FASCE

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David Johnson P.E., F.ASCE
City Engineer
Huntersville NC

Original Message:
Sent: 08-10-2023 10:48 PM
From: Mario Herrera
Subject: Career change advice

I have 14 years of experience in construction and accepted a civil design position with the Corps of Engineers after obtaining my master's degree in Civil Engineering. Any advice for succeeding in this new career?

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Mario Herrera A.M.ASCE
Burleson TX
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I have 14 years of experience in construction and accepted a civil design position with the Corps of Engineers after obtaining my master's degree in Civil Engineering. Any advice for succeeding in this new career?

Hey Mario,

Congratulations on the MS!  The Army Corp has a long time presence as a large problem construction organization.  Not sure what it's like to work for them.  You will soon have that opportunity.  As a big time construction employer, the Corp will provide you a potentially rewarding career if you can acclimate to their work processes and work flow.  If you are assigned to a design position, it will prove challenging and varied, my only concern or item to watch for is 1. Are you enjoying the work and 2. Are you comfortable with the pace of the work.  Lastly, how to fit in well: study how the work place environment operates as it will help with professional decision making, be patient, kind, generous in every endeavor, start each new day with renewed interest and offer (often) suggestions on ideas in a positive manner.   Good luck my friend.  Ps: The 14 years of experience will be of great value to the Corp, that's why they hired you.  The Masters was icing on the cake!

I have 14 years of experience in construction and accepted a civil design position with the Corps of Engineers after obtaining my master's degree in Civil Engineering. Any advice for succeeding in this new career?

I have 14 years of experience in construction and accepted a civil design position with the Corps of Engineers after obtaining my master's degree in Civil Engineering. Any advice for succeeding in this new career?

Congrats on both the MS and Corps' job. I worked in Corps' research for over 30 years, so my knowledge of design office details is second-hand. 

Large organizations like the Corps have LOTS of rules and regulations, all written down. Be aware that sometimes people misunderstand/misquote those rules, so if you're blocked from doing the right thing, read the regulation yourself. Correcting others' interpretation won't make you popular but sometimes it's necessary.

Understand who your "clients" are. You need to satisfy your supervisor(s) (figure out the command chain), and the project managers (they control schedule and money). The ultimate client is the public, but politicians put up the public's money, so often they are the "customer." It's confusing but a basic rule is: don't deliberately offend anyone.

Be aware that someone, somewhere in the organization has exactly the expertise you need for virtually any problem. Learn who the are the experts in your own office at design Centers of Expertise, and the Engineer Research and Development Center Labs and don't hesitate to call on them for advice. Bosses who want operate a closed shop and not use those vast resources have been responsible for some serious mistakes.

Take advantage of the Army's emphasis on training. Even with the MS, you need specialized training in Corp's procedures, software, etc. 

Find mentors and use them.

Bill

I have 14 years of experience in construction and accepted a civil design position with the Corps of Engineers after obtaining my master's degree in Civil Engineering. Any advice for succeeding in this new career?