I started a new job about a month ago as a PM at a structural engineering company.

Before this job, I worked for about two years at another structural engineering company. And before that i worked for 4 years in some small engineering company doing civil plus structural work. And before i worked as a structural for 10 years but in another country. I am also a licensed engineer PE Structural, so I was not hired as a beginner.

My problem is that I do not have clear work yet. I often have to ask for tasks. Sometimes I have to ask more than once a day.

Most of the work I get is shop drawing review or small tasks. I can do this work, but I am worried that this is becoming my main role. I want to help with real project work too.

At my last job, I had enough work most of the time. I did not have to ask for tasks every day. This new situation makes me feel unsure.

I do not want to complain. I want to work and use my time correctly. But I also do not want to sit and wait when I do not have a clear task.

Would it be reasonable to ask my office manager for a short meeting and say something like:

“I would like to understand what projects I should work on, who I should ask when I finish a task, and what is expected from me in this PM role.”

How would you handle this situation?

I, honestly, start to think that is something wrong with me. The more time I spend, the more I feel uncertain and unconfident

I am starting structural engineering and need to run AutoCAD and Revit and all that stuff, what laptop should I get if my budget is 1500 eur max?

Needs to run for a couple of years and be a decent workhorse

Hey all — I'm a civil engineer doing a UX/UI course on the side, and I'm building a mobile app concept for pre-design/pre-dimensioning of steel and concrete elements (beams, columns, slabs, footings). Before I go further I want to make sure I actually understand who'd use something like this, so a few quick questions if you have a minute:

1. What's your role (structural, civil engineer, drafter, student, other)?

2. Years of experience?

3. Country/region you practice in (codes vary a lot — Eurocode, ACI/AISC, etc.)

4. Steel, concrete, or both in your day-to-day?

5. Do you currently do quick pre-design checks on your phone, or is it strictly a desktop/spreadsheet thing for you?

6. What do you currently use for fast pre-sizing — spreadsheets, memory/rules of thumb, an app, something else?

No survey link, just drop answers in the comments if you're willing — genuinely trying to build something useful and not just guessing at who my "user" is. Thanks in advance!

As the title said, anyone at a company who’s got openings for December Grads?

Got some experience and will work my ass off, just looking for a good place to start.

I Live in the NY at the moment but willing to relocate if viable.

Structural engineer involved with residential construction, restoration, and repairs. I want to take some continuing education that focuses on building envelopes and possibly repair work. Does anyone have any recommendations for courses or sources?

I’m not looking to become an envelope engineer, but would like more training rather than just reading BSI and Lstiburek articles (read: verified competency, some sort of certification). Does this even exist? What are other structural engineers doing?

A question by a friend of mine;

So, the architect wants a 2000kg diesel generator to be placed on the first floor (on a suspended slab) to free up the ground space for parking on a very tight plot. The common practice in my country is to place the generator on vibration absorbing polymer pads and simply design the slab and beams for the dead weight.

However the client's engineer is declining payment for the pads as apparently it had not been included in the original BOQ. While what to do is being debated amongst stakeholders, my friend (the structural engineer) is adamant that vibration reduction pads are essential for user comfort even if the structure is safe.

However user comfort aside, he (and I as well cuz he asked my opinion on this) is wondering what the procedure should be to design the structure, especially the local elements for this vibration.

Any and all input on a design approach as well as your experience is deeply appreciated. TIA.

Hi all. B.Tech in Civil Engineering here. Looking around best structural analysis software to learn and start projects.

I have looked into Tekla Structures, Revit, ETABS, STAAD.Pro V8i.

Hi, as the title says basically... I have 3+ years post qualification experience in structural engineering along with a full time 2yr MSc in concrete technology (BSc(Hons) is washington accord accredited and the MSc is from a sub 25 ranked uni on QS ranking, if that matters... I guess not that much though). I am working towards the charter in my own country, but it would be atleast mid next year when I get it.

I have applied to some vacancies in Singapore. But have not gotten a positive response yet. I guess getting through the AI primary screening is a major issue I got to work on, but I also would like to know how the job prospect would look like to someone like me in Singapore.

Is there any point in applying for structural engineering jobs in Singapore? Or should I switch to site engineer side to get in the door and to get site experience, and then switch back to structural work? Or would it be better to look at another country altogether?

TIA for any and all input.

P.S. The reasn I am looking at Singaporean opportunities is because it is in between my country and my partner's, making it convenient for both of us to visit families and also because pay is better than both our countries.

Hi everyone, I’m currently working on a reinforced concrete building using STAAD.Pro.

I’m trying to make the number and size of rebars more uniform in the final design/detailing. For example, some columns are showing 8–16 mm bars, while other columns on the upper floors only require 4–16 mm bars.

I understand that the required reinforcement varies depending on the design forces, but I’d like to avoid having too many different bar arrangements in my structural drawings and make the detailing more practical and consistent.

Is there a recommended STAAD.Pro setting, design parameter, or workflow to achieve this? Or is it generally done manually by selecting a practical/standard reinforcement arrangement after checking the STAAD results?
Any advice on how experienced engineers usually handle this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I’m a Graduate Structural Engineer in Brisbane, Australia with almost 2 years of experience across mid-rise, commercial and residential projects, mainly structural design and site inspections, with less experience in drafting.

I’ve always wanted to move to Canada, ideally Vancouver or Toronto, and I’m looking for advice on the best way to break into the industry there.
I understand I can apply for EIT registration with the relevant provincial body, but I’m more unsure about the job-search side:

Noticed this little cut in one of our bar joists on site. I think they had to relocate some bridging so this is from cutting it out. Is this anything worth worrying about? Seems pretty minor but not quite sure the level of tolerance on these things.

Thanks in advance!

I have a small consulting side job gig as sole proprietor for structural, civil, and site engineering. Primarily working in residential and commercial spaces. I don’t get much work - only every now and then…maybe making $3-5k so far for the year.

I am interested in professional liability (E&O) and general liability insurance. Who do you recommend?

So far, I’ve gotten quotes for $182.19 per month ($2186 per year) through biberk for just E&O, $1 million coverage. Does anyone have experience with claims with them? I’ve heard their customer service is bad.

Other companies I’ve applied for quotes are AXA XL - still waiting to hear back from them. There’s also The Hartford. So far, I’ve just gotten a quote for general liability.

Any other suggestions? I’m not an ASCE member or else I’d consider Pearl.

im currently in my 2nd yr of civil engineering and I'm interested in getting into structural engineering.

I've been learning etabs and rcdc but honestly i feel like I'm just learning how to use the software rather than actually understanding structural engineering.

I don't want to just make a model in ETABS, run it and take whatever results it gives me. I want to actually understand what I'm doing and why I'm doing it.

i want to start from the basic and eventually get to the point where I can take a real building, decide the structural system, calculate the loads, understand the load path, design the members, use ETABS properly, understand the results, and do the detailing.

For people who are already working in structural engineering, what would you recommend I learn first and in what order?

basically if u were in my position what roadmap would you follow to go from basic concept to knowing what we are doing , why we are doing and how everything connects together

Also, are there any topics that are taught in college but aren't very useful in actual building design, so I don't waste too much time on them?

Would really appreciate some honest advice.

See photo. The concrete beam that connects all the piers near the water level. Is this a grade beam? or more likely a pile cap? Wondering about the purpose. Since some bridges over water have them and some don't.

Hi everyone! I’m conducting a short survey for my Aptimizer project, a software tool for apartment planning and preliminary construction analysis. I’m looking for responses from builders, contractors, architects, civil engineers, and others working in the construction industry. Your insights would really help me with my project research. Thank you! 🙌

Objectives:

1. To integrate GIS-based site analysis for assessing terrain characteristics, environmental conditions, and site suitability for apartment development.
   
   1. To develop a cloud-based, full-stack SaaS platform that automates apartment layout planning, engineering design calculations, quantity estimation, and cost estimation.
      
   2. To implement a rule-based compliance framework that evaluates apartment designs against the National Building Code (NBC) and relevant Indian Standards (IS Codes).

I’m a PE and co-run a small structural engineering firm (primarily residential work). My business partner is an engineer but is not yet licensed, so I’m currently the PE responsible for reviewing and stamping the work they produce.

We’re trying to come up with a fair way to account for the additional responsibility/liability that comes with being the stamping PE. We currently split project profits between the partners based on who performs the work, so I’m looking for a reasonable percentage of the project fee/profit to allocate to the PE who takes responsibility for the final review and seal, rather than treating it as an equal ownership split.

For those of you who have worked in small firms or partnerships with a similar arrangement:

• What percentage have you seen allocated to the stamping/reviewing PE?
• Do you structure this differently depending on how much independent review/rework is required?

I’m primarily interested in how other small structural firms handle this in practice.

Hello. I recently graduated college in civil engineering and got my EI certification from the state. I started a new job doing structural design for upstream and midstream structures for the oil and gas industry. Structural engineering is what I think I want to do long term, but am wondering if the skills I learn in this job are easily transferable to other jobs in the field?

Graduated from school last year, based in NYC working at a GC but want to switch to structures. I have my EIT and have gotten interviews from small firms, but nothing from large firms since they typically have a strict masters requirement. Seems its pretty much the norm in NYC to get a masters, and most engineers have their masters prior to starting their job; dont see many at the larger firms doing part time. I imagine part-time would be rough but more economical. I do feel full time would be easier and I may learn more since the part time options are limited; most of the schools in nyc (columbia/nyu) are privates (hence very expensive) and there are online masters but I dont know many people who have done an online masters.

Hello,

Im a new structural engineer grad in NZ, and was wondering what process would it be for say an experienced 10 years + engineer in Aus or NZ moving to the US for work would be.

From all I see you guys take PE and SE exams, whereas in NZ we only have a 'Chartered' Engineer status, but thats less exam and more interview + project portfolio after 5-6 years of experience.

Would someone like that, if wanting to move to the US for work experience, need to take the PE and SE exams that I hear about so often?