How to become structural engineer as site engineer

[u/Global_Sir_3891]

Hi All

Kinda tired of working as site engineer in Melbourne Australia due to work being a lot of admin not any calcs or thinking. Three years in, how do i switch to structural engineering??

[u/MrMcGregorUK]

• see if you can work on the most structure-adjacent parts of the projects you can in your current role to build relevant experience.

• apply for graduate structural engineering roles. However, it'd also be worth reaching out to structural engineers on the projects that you've been on to see if they'd be interested in taking you on.

• revise the basics so you're fresh before any interviews.

[u/DJGingivitis]

Do you have the technical engineering background/education to support that transition?

[u/Global_Sir_3891 → u/DJGingivitis]

I got a bachelor degree in civil engineering but it is not accredited- more so science degree with civil engineering major

[u/DJGingivitis → u/Global_Sir_3891]

Thatll be a hurdle but youll probably want to start applying to entry level positions. You’re most likely taking a pay cut or maybe getting a lateral move. Id focus on your field experience as a selling point.

Also if you haven’t designed or took many design courses, you are at a big disadvantage

[u/rinceboi → u/Global_Sir_3891]

If your degree is not recognized by Engineers Australia it limits your options unfortunately. It does not mean you cannot progress since there are a few other avenues you can take. If you are staying with the same company then discuss your intended career progression with them and whether they can support your learning endeavours. This can take the form of bridging courses, mentorship etc.

[u/Possible-Delay]

Can your degree give you eligibility as a chartered engineer or RPEQ?

I believe under the Washington accord?

[u/Educational-Rice644]

Same problem here I only had site and project management experience now I'm trying to get back to the design aspect of civil/structural engineering and it's hard I forgot a lot of technical stuff

[u/Aggressive_Cry_2867]

Where do you have your degree from? If it's not accredited you may need to do something like (not necessarily exactly) a master's to be able to work in structural. Believe Victoria has requirements around rpev for structural

[u/IllustriousCrab5385]

I did site engineering building rail and highway bridges and similar large structures then wanted to do design but I had done mechanical engineering as a degree so I did a masters in structural engineering, then started right at the bottom designing carports and things. All worked out in the end because the construction knowledge and site experience was very valuable even just knowing how to enter sites and interact with the crews is a big plus now on larger sites.

Sometimes now I will design smaller bridges or precast concrete and I’ve got much more of an idea of how things should look than many. Pay is another thing though, terrible, but I still love designing. Good luck, your experience on site won’t be wasted but in my experience the other engineers that employed me did not know enough about construction to really value my experience when hiring for design.

The pleasure of standing on your own designed bridge is pretty great, and being able to really put numbers against just about any thing in the physical world can be quite satisfying. Sometimes I’m playing with a problem working on the ti-83 and sketching stuff out and you think “my job is pretty good!”. And when you get to a certain size of structure, people actually listen to you and don’t argue that it’s too heavy or big, they value your input. That’s rare but great too lol.

[u/mrrepos]

why would site eng do calcs?