re: Engineers/Construction Workers?

I'm a civil engineering graduate who works in construction. While I have next to zero interest in staying in this field, I think it is a great place for any engineer to start. It gives him real world experience in how things are actually built. It amazes me how shoddy some of the plans are that we get, and totally not doable in a practical sense. I plan to take this knowledge and make it useful when I become a designer.

Architects do the same shite

The problem is that people bitch about it, but they only want to hire kids with high GPAs. Until they put life experience above GPA, the same thing will keep happening. Sure, I've managed 10 different crews of 3-8 people at the same time, all on different sites, but my 2.75 won't even get me in the door.


If you just need number crunchers that sit behind a computer all day, that is fine. Don't whine about it when they have no idea what is going outside of their monitor

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maybe you should've been a millwright then.

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Not my thing. I am on some meds that affect my memory pretty badly. Really screws me on tests. Can't do anything about it.

I'll be adding to the population of annoying kid engineers in the workforce starting this June. Only two summer internships of experience. I apologize in advance for my incompetence

Not an engineer but hear it all the time. Young graduates are gradually replacing older cats that worked 25 years for a company and worked their way into the position. Just to be replaced by 25 year old engineers that have to have their hands held by the journey man for wayyyyy to long of a grace period.

I've seen some young engineers get their lunch ate by the 60+ year old execs up at One Shell Square when the young hot shot engineer walked into a meeting cocky thinking he knew what he was talking about and had zero social skills.

Some of these old cats were pioneers in the deep water off the shelf drilling and they have these young engineers that think they are hot shite walk into meetings with them just to leave with their tails between their legs. Its funny to watch.

Construction guy here with An average/borderline terrible GPA through LSU. Note that I had several summers field experience and worked 30 plus hour weeks in the field during school. I can tell you my experience and work ethic got me where I am today, not my GPA. With that being said a lot of guys I went to school with are way behind me career wise, and they had the glorious internships with the high GPA's. I've learned that doing your job competently will get you far in life, not how well you can take a test.

As an estimator, I have to deal with engineers all the time (electrical). I'm sorry if I hurt somebody's feelings by saying all of this, but I find that most engineers I deal with are lazy. They are some of the smartest people, but the payoff to that is that they are also some of the laziest.

When releasing specifications for all the trades to follow as a guideline, they will choose some random spec section and copy/paste from a prior job. Okay, I can go with that. But here's the kicker...instead of going through each section and personalizing it to the job at hand, they just skim through and make a few minor changes. And then, you're very lucky if the information in the specifications matches with the notes on the drawings. It's gotten to the point to where all estimators have come to just expect that, as though it should be typical and normal. And my favorite part is when there's a note that says something to the effect of "even if the information is inaccurate, the contractor is responsible to fix the mistakes".

And then there's the whole "I'm afraid to talk to you" schtick that most have. Any question directed to an engineer draws most into a position of preemptive defense mode - as though a simple question is something you're trying to get them fired with. That part is equally as frustrating. Just answer the damn question and let's fix this thing together. We don't need to set up a 20 email string of CYA and pointing the finger.

In my experience of doing this for about ten years, 10% of the engineers I have dealt with have been good people, are good at what they do, and do good work. The other 90% are horse's arse who need to be in a lab somewhere with a white coat on, working alone.

You can teach what it takes to get started as an engineer at school. However, you cannot teach work ethic. That part must come from the home.

I've worked with just as many incompetent older people as I have younger. The most worthless guy at my company is probably 50 years old

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Old engineers aren't the best teachers, some will even go out of their way to not help out the new crop

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this is also a huge problem. ecpecially at our company where they went about 20 years without hiring anyone in the younger generations. The old folks consider the lack of training they provide "job security"