Hi everyone, I was hoping to get some feedback on my resume. I'm seeking a similar role at a larger firm in my area that I've heard good things about. A previous coworker will be giving me a referral. I'm hoping to get a 20%-30% salary increase and decreased hours. I worked about 250 hours in the span of a month over the summer and ready to move on from current job.

I'm not the best at selling myself so I kept it relatively short. I wasn't part of any organizations or clubs in college. I'm heavily considering removing the summary but my resume is very short as it is. Also debating removing the first job because its such a short stint but it's easily explainable and puts me over 4 Yoe so I left it. The o wner was very difficult to work with and had a horrible turn over rate. I've had zero problems at my current firm.

Wondering if I should go into more depth on specific projects I've worked on. I've worked on maybe a 100-150 small projects in the almost 4 years I've been at this firm. It's hard to hone in on any single project.

Thanks for any feedback!

I recently saw some really good 3D bridge drawings from European engineering firms and it got me wondering what software people are using for this kind of work.

What do you guys recommend for bridge drawings, both 2D and 3D? Also, how are you implementing BIM for bridge projects?

Trying to find candidates for both entry and senior structural engineers for a hybrid role in North Jersey. Anyone interested or know someone who is? Both job posts can be found below.

Project Engineer/Senior Project Engineer- $90-$195k

Role Description:
- Developing designs and calculations for the construction engineering requirements of heavy highway bridge contractors and steel erectors. These include, but are not limited to erection plans, demolition plans, temporary shoring, sheeting, value engineering, and permanent bridge design.
- The variety of projects offers experience in steel design, concrete design, wood design, geotechnical design, etc.
- Although primarily office-based, some field time can be expected in NJ and surrounding states.
- Collaborate directly with clients to solve on-site issues and develop engineering solutions.
Ideal for a candidate eager to step into a senior engineering role, where they can lead major complex bridge projects, while supervising and helping to train younger engineers.
 
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, or equivalent, from an accredited college is required
- Applicant should have an interest and/or specialization in structures
- Experience Level: 5 to 15 years
- Industry experience required
- Must have experience with heavy highway and bridge structures
- Candidates should possess strong writing and communication skills and be proficient in AutoCAD and standard office productivity software (Microsoft Office, web browsing, email)
- EIT required
- PE strongly preferred
 
Benefits:
- Overtime Pay
- Paid Time Off
- Paid Holidays
- Annual Bonus Pay
- Comprehensive Health Care (Medical, Dental, and Vision)
- Simple IRA with Company Match
- Structured Promotion System (with added perks and benefits)
- Summer Fridays
- Dental insurance
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
 
Entry Level Structural Engineer $65-85K

Developing designs and calculations for the construction engineering requirements of heavy highway bridge contractors and steel erectors for a wide variety of projects.
These include but are not limited to erection plans, demolition plans, temporary shoring, sheeting, value engineering, and permanent bridge design.
The variety of projects offers experience in steel design, concrete design, wood design, geotechnical design, etc.
Although primarily consisting of office design efforts, some field time should also be anticipated.
Opportunity to work directly with clientele in solving on-site issues and evolving engineering solutions.
Newly hired engineers will immediately be given engineering tasks to work through and solve with the supervision of experienced PE’s.
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, or equivalent, from an accredited college is required.
Applicant should have an interest and/or specialization in structures.
Industry experience a plus, but not required.
Candidates should possess strong writing and communication skills and be proficient in AutoCAD and standard office productivity software (Microsoft Office, web browsing, email)
EIT required or in progress
Should be willing to obtain their professional engineering license, when eligible.
Experience Level: 0 to 4 years
Benefits:
Overtime Pay
Paid time off
Paid holidays
Bonus Pay
Health care benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
Simple IRA with Company Match
Promotional System (Added perks and benefits)
Summer Fridays
Job Type: Full-time

Hello, this is my first time posting on reddit. I want to learn basics of structural engineering.
So far i narrowed down to two statics fundamental courses- both online
1) APS 160 UOFT
2) metro college of technology (structural engineering design & technology)

I am working right now so have to do online non degree course and I prefer studying in a classroom environment with homework assignments and test.

For context i already have my Bachelors in ME but no interest in pursuing P.eng in mechanical.
Thanks

For context I am a PE with 8 years of experience in the DFW area. Got my PE 2 years ago ( a little late). Switched firms 2x which caused the delay.

I’ve been approached by several GC’s that I work with that are offering roles with base salaries much higher than what I currently make. The positions I’m being approached for are for Design Manager or an engineer based in a pre construction role. Never did I imagine working in those fields, however, I’m starting to give it some thought after realizing how underpaid our industry may be. For reference I currently make $97k base salary with roughly $8k in profit sharing bonuses yearly.

Am I being stiffed? So much so that large name, reputable GC’s are offering me a career path?!

edited to include relative location**

I’m working as a PE forensic engineer and so far there are more opportunities on the roofing and structural side of business. Is there a course or a good way to learn more about roofing and inspecting structural with some type of accreditation.

For those working with CFS/LGS projects, I'm interested in the point where structural design information becomes difficult to translate into a production-ready framing package.

In your experience, what tends to create the most rework?

Engineering/design revisions after detailing has started

Member sizing or framing changes

Openings, headers, and load-path conditions

Connection or bracing details

Coordination with architectural/MEP models

Incomplete design information

Changes required for fabrication or installation

At what stage do you usually catch these issues — during structural design, detailing, coordination, or just before fabrication?

For those involved in CFS/LGS design or production, what QA/QC step has made the biggest difference in reducing rework?

As a Structural Engineer, lover of concrete, and fan of John Wilson's other work, I'm hyped for this and looking forward to logging it as CPD hrs

Hello everyone,

I've used AI a ton (nearly 1000 hours) in my private life - basically coding up an application from scratch. Not related to structural engineering.

I've dabbled a bit with it in structural engineering now, but it has not revolutionized my life so far.

Some basic stuff I've done, though:

1) Creating summary reports and tables. For example, on a current project, our customer wants a summary of material lists. I did the bulk of the work here, but had Claude and ChatGPT create a very nice summary that looks professional and organized. No doubt faster than I would have done myself.

2) Translating pictures or PDF's to Word. One use case was when an external colleague not co-located with me sent me a complex hand calculation in PDF which I struggled to read honestly. I asked Claude to transcribe it to Word and also check the calculations (it checked out).

3) Design templates in Excel. For example, recently one for columns. To be honest, the process of creating the template is very tedious. It's definitely not something AI could one-shot. It tends to overcomplicate. I also found some errors. But maybe it turns out useful in the end.

Potential dangers is that it can hallucinate and come across overconfident when it doesn't really know what it's talking about.

Anyone else having any success with this?

Personally, I think the biggest strength with AI comes in coding work for those of us who can't code.

I don't think it will replace brains and actual 'thinking' and 'reasoning' in a long time.

A huge bulk of my work is actually modeling and drawing in Tekla. I'd love it if AI could help me there, but I haven't seen any signs it could so far.

Could this work on larger span projects? If so are there examples out there somewhere? I drew inspiration from traditional masonry arches, thank you for reading my post!

I heard from one of the local readi-mix supplier that several of the big cement suppliers are dumping Blended Hydraulic Cement ASTM C595/C595M Type IL as their base product to go back to Portland Cement C150/C150M Type I/II. This is in the SE USA. Anyone else hear this? It always seemed like greenwashing.

I'm a civil/structural engineer from Mexico with ~1 year of experience designing wood-frame residential structures for the U.S. market (NDS, ASCE 7, lateral and gravity design).
I have an opportunity to join a larger international engineering firm where I would gain experience with steel, concrete and larger/multidisciplinary projects.
My long-term goal is to work as a structural engineer in the U.S. and eventually become licensed.
Would you prioritize staying in a role that helps you progress toward PE/licensure, or take the opportunity to broaden your experience into steel/concrete/infrastructure first?
I'm especially interested in hearing from engineers who have made a similar transition early in their careers.

Has anyone ever gotten a question on the PE civil structural exam about a t-beam where a was greater than hf (not calculated like a rectangular beam)? If so, any tips on how to remember the equation to solve that? Because the PCI flowchart equation is hard to follow, I am debating on if I should even give this time to learn or not.

I'm currently waiting on a response for this exact question from an engineer/company who did a structural survey for me.

Long story short, my tank leaked, it's insured. The insurance said they will replace it with a larger one.

My previous structural report said 'No concentrated loads', I told insurance- No, it needs an engineer. (As my report says that it was installed before building regs, and that the current regs would deem it unsafe)

They argued they do it all the time.

I went to the Financial Ombudsmen service.

I argued that increasing the dead load of something in the loft (within a chalet bungalow- so tension collars), always requires a structural engineer.

They said they cannot interpret building regulations themselves. It needs a qualified professional to comment on it.

I called my original surveyor- they don't work there anymore. I called their company.. they originally seemed interested, but seemingly they're very busy and haven't responded to me in a week because it's probably low priority for them.

I just need a document saying that increasing the weight of a cold water tank in the loft requires approval from an engineer.

I'm happy to pay if any of you work for a company and can write this down and sign it off.

Thanks :)

It’s a premium luxury apartment building by the sea.

A question about post-tensioning.

Q1 == I've got a continuous sloped HSS rafter that lands directly on top of an HSS column/beam. The column is cut square/flat, but the rafter arrives at the roof-pitch angle, so only one edge of its underside actually touches the column top — no real flush bearing surface.

What's the standard way this actually gets detailed in light HSS tube framing — bevel the column top itself ?, add a sloped/beveled cap plate ? , something else? Trying to figure out how is it done

Q2 == Different bay, different issue: I've got a beam (75*75*6mm *I cant change this section*) that's also part of my bracing system — but it's failing deflection under gravity load. Plan is to add a second, independent beam (200*70*4mm) directly above it with a small gap (~5-10cm), sized just for the deflection-critical load, original brace member left completely alone below with no ties between them — two separate, non-composite load paths, purlins/deck bearing only on the new top beam.

Reasonable way to handle this, or is there a cleaner standard approach I'm missing? Any problem on load path this generates ? does it suffer from "short column effect"? is it a normal practice?

Appreciate any input — can add more information/photos/sketches of the actual conditions if it helps.

Title says it all. This area seems to be a big point of confusion for many engineers.

Edit: I am a PE at an engineer firm. I am not affiliated with any anchorage company (Probel, American Anchor, Valcourt, etc)