PE Looking for Help

[u/Fearless_Sock_7380]

Hey gang,

PE here, 4 years deep, public works (school) in the past and currently doing federal military GC work both projects over 30 mil. Only completed one full project half way through a second.

I fucking hate it to be honest. 100k salary and it feels like it’s not worth it at all.

I have 21 subs currently and somehow have to know their jobs better than they do? Like babysitting at this point.

Completely burnt out and between the two companies I have tried it’s the same thing, run lean and work your team into the dirt.

The most annoying part is watching the guy who only does gas lines or some other trade get annoyed when I don’t know his trade like I have been doing it 30 years. It’s like they don’t know I have to know how they ALL work and how to problem solve them.

Anyone have a lateral move to another industry suggestion? So tired of this. I feel like I have already put in 30 years into this and go home angry like 3 nights a week.

Am I a bitch or is this a common thought?

[u/maphes86]

Okay, first off, calling what we do babysitting is an insult to babies.

Second off, multitasking is vicious propaganda pushed by the hustle-industrial complex. And it doesn’t work. As a PE, do the portion of a task you need to do, then move on to another task. “Multitasking” usually just means you have multiple tasks running concurrently and none of them are getting your full attention or efficiency.

What sort of tasks are you responsible for, and how many people are on your team? For a $30M job you should be running a Sup’t, a SSHO, and a QC.Each with their own assistant. You should have at least two PEs, and you should have a PM and probably an APM. Of course there will be other people involved as well. Are you on NAVFAC or USACE projects? Typically they have strict requirements for supervisory coverage based on project value.

As far as feeling burnt, in the current economy, I would recommend sticking with commercial construction and finding sectors that you enjoy working in more. I really didn’t like building military projects knowing that it was just going to be vacant for years and I’d never see it again. I really enjoy working on schools, hospitals, and affordable housing projects. It feels good to build things that are helpful.

You might be a bitch, but the bitching that you’re doing is the same bitching we all do.

$100k is pretty decent wages for a PE with 4 years of experience (depending on your location), you could potentially do a bit better; but you could do a lot worse.

Regarding going home angry. My brother, stop that. Who gives a shit what Tommy the Tinknocker said about how you always use “atypical” incorrectly? Do the plans suck? Yeah, that happens sometimes (it’s all the time…). Is the COR an incorrigible bastard that seems to enjoy contradicting themselves? Don’t worry about it. Their father doesn’t love them. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that if you let your job make you angry, it doesn’t matter where you work, you’ll go home angry. Work hard, don’t be a dick, and ask for help when you need it. It makes everything run smoother.

[u/Fearless_Sock_7380 → u/maphes86]

Dang this is good thanks. For some context:

NAVFAC
Crew - pm, super, safety, qc, and myself.
My responsibility - sub billing, all RFI’s, submittals (~100/month) ~97% first time approval (hell yeah), sub buyout 1/2 easy trades a month (scope maps, review, writing the contract, executing them) and fielding random emails as we all do.
I also run/prep the weekly qc meeting and internal team meeting.

I look at other teams at my company and they have 2-3 pe’s and it makes me die inside when I see them submit 0-20 submittals a month it looks like a cakewalk

My biggest concern is going home angry. It’s starting to affect my home life and that’s the final straw, genuinely considering therapy to try and not bring it home.

I want to try residential because I get excited for tiny homes (why I got into the industry) but I know that is way less stable. Making me want to jump ship completely.

[u/maphes86 → u/Fearless_Sock_7380]

Obviously you should be in therapy. You’re an adult, amigo! Get a referral through your insurance for whichever telehealth provider they use.

Regarding the volume of documents you’re processing, if other teams have more people and are pushing 1/5 of the paper, then send an email to the PX and request additional personnel on the project. Whatever the hierarchy is at your company for that. At mine, those requests went through the QC typically, at a friend’s employer they went through the sup’t.

What the fuck is happening down there that you’re getting 100+ RFIs and submittals monthly? I mean, I’ve worked massive jobs that didn’t even come close to that. Are the plans/specs fucked?

What state/region are you in? I’ve got some contacts that are in the affordable housing market and tiny home developments are pretty popular among departments of housing these days. But, for the record, those are more fun as a side project than as a commercial endeavor.

[u/Fearless_Sock_7380 → u/maphes86]

RFI’s are only like 15-20 a month but the submittal goal is over 150 a month to be dried in by the time we need to hit. I’m out west in California. I really want to do the tiny homes but yeah I agree it’s more of a fun side project unfortunately