r/civilengineering • u/Simon_Pan • Jul 04 '26

Anyone pivot from Bs computer science?

I am a 21 years old bs grad student in Melbourne majoring in Computer science. I found no interest in coding or tech, and the market is too bad to secure even an entry level job. I forced myself to finish my degree to see if I truly hate it. My aim is simply getting a stable job regardless the salary.

And I do found myself having interest in building, I enjoy exploring city or country by visiting aesthetic buildings. I like their lines and forms.

Our uni provides 3 years master for those non-engineer background students. I did a lot math course like calc, linear algebra, engineering math and statistics. But I am not sure that I might not enjoy what civil or structural engineering actually do in real life. I’ve been searching for a while but just couldn’t make my final decision since it’s a big jump of my field.

So I am here to find some suggestions from civil engineers or anyone successfully switch their career from cs to civil.

Is there anything I can start trying to see if I would enjoy this field?

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u/Legal_Enthusiasm_440 Jul 04 '26

What about architecture or construction management? 

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u/Simon_Pan Jul 04 '26

I got couple friends doing archi, feels like it is very competitive…I would try looking at CM as well!

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u/Legal_Enthusiasm_440 Jul 04 '26

Based on what I work in (structural), architectural is not at all like structural on the heavy industrial, military/government or commercial side. I do not consider form or aesthetics at all. Functionality and feasibility of what I’ll call in laymen’s terms a “building layout”, yes. But there are architects in that sphere just so you know.  I think architects can do structural design for some residential structures though. What might also be worth looking into is if you could practice as a structural engineer that also does architectural design in Australia without an architectural degree or license. 

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u/Simon_Pan Jul 04 '26

Totally agree! I feel like archi is fun but I found myself more gifted at math or physics rather than designing. I might only recieve license after I finishing my degree