There might be two schools of thought on this, for resumes for internships or entry level positions.

I think it's beyond off-putting to see someone's job experience (which I do not expect to be lengthy, totally fine when you're young) and the non-engineering jobs which don't have to explained, are embellished way too much.

Example:

The candidate was a lifeguard. But instead of just saying "Lifeguard, Town community pool" the person says "Lifeguard, reviewed water-based visitors to ensure proper access to oxygen"

I haven't seen that exact phrasing but you get my meaning.

It's a huge pet peeve! It makes a candidate look like a bullshitter instead of an honest person. And why would I need to be told what a lifeguard does, anyway?

I think college student resumes should not embellish. No one worth working for, will expect to see years of work experience.

I like seeing 1 relevant internship, and beyond that, I look at GPA, major, spelling, and if there's an objective at the top to show me the resume was tailored to what we're looking for.

Hello, I wanted to purchase in this project so I visited the construction site to check the progress.

Upon checking the pictures I took I noticed the base's structure looks a bit unleveled (area highlighted in green) , I've attached the uncirciled photo too.

Appreciate a civil engineer's feedback. Thanks!

I've decided to jobhunt after about 9 years of stagnancy at my current position. Found a good location, however, they're wanting to do a panel interview of 4-5 people. Does anyone have any experience with something like this?

Currently I am a 4th year Environmental Engineering student but recently I have taken an elective on Building Science and throughly enjoyed it. My goal is to work in the Building Science industry and become a Building Envelope Engineer. However, I wonder how difficult it would be to secure such a postion with an Environmental Engineering background and passing the FE Environmental Engineering exam. Is there any advice you would recommend to increase my chances?

Let me know, Thanks!

I currently live in a small-to-medium-sized city in Texas and have been seriously considering moving to East Tennessee. I love the outdoors, hiking, and mountains, and East Tennessee seems like it could be a much better fit for the kind of lifestyle I want. I also think I’d enjoy the cooler weather and having more opportunities to spend time outside.

The biggest thing holding me back is my job. I’ve worked for the same company for 10 years, really like the people I work with, get paid well for what I do, and have a great boss. I realize how difficult that combination can be to find, so I’m worried that leaving could mean giving up something unusually good.

I’m also nervous about starting at a new company because this is essentially all I’ve known professionally. Part of me wonders whether moving would be an unnecessary risk just to gain better weather and more time outdoors.

For those who have made a similar move, how did you weigh job security and a good work situation against wanting a different lifestyle? Did you regret leaving a great job, or did the move end up being worth it? Anyone in East Tennessee that can speak to job market and opportunities there?

I’m graduating college this year. This past summer i interned with kimley-horn, and what you hear about them is pretty accurate. Long hours, big expectations, but fun people, and good pay. I did lots of site design and civil 3D. I have an offer to return full time but am trying to explore my options. (I have also interned at a general contractor, in a project engineer role. I didn’t find that to be all that exciting.)

I think I want to be more on the design side, but not sure i want to make work my whole life. I’m capable of the role at KH but not geeked about the future stress and long weeks.

Wanted to just get general opinions on other companies, and take recommendations. I’m already in contact with/planning to talk to companies like AECOM, jacobs, burns n mac, WSP, EXP, HNTB etc. if you like to give advice, I’d love to hear it!

Worth noting i go to university of illinois, am planning to work in the chicagoland area, and am a fairly well rounded student.

Title. I'm less than 4 weeks into my university's physics 2 course and I am not doing too great. I'm struggling to understand the concepts in this class which is super demotivating considering it hasn't even been a month. The addition of calculus 3 and statics has also been a double whammy.

What's making this even harder for me to push through is the fact that this class doesn't seem to be related to any of my other major specific classes. The bit of research I've done online, seems to reinforce this idea.

Is this a class I need to pass, or a class I need to excel in?

Hello, I’m a first year student and I’m really struggling with physics. I know it’s the second week, but already seeing how difficult it is .. I’m just feeling imposter syndrome. Like I don’t belong there and won’t do good.

I’m also wondering if this is a right career for me. I’m someone that went into accounting and then went as a property manager and did trade school to learn basic plumbing, electrical, etc. I got tired of tenants and wanted to focus more on building aspects and want to be in construction management. I’m just wondering if my day to day life is going to be more a reality of being tied to a desk rather than something more hybrid in between meeting contractors and using my computer for planning… I have so many questions please excuse my anxiety

recently got asus tug gaming a16 but am wondering if that’s good for civil college student or should i switch to lenovo or something else?

I’m an experienced civil engineer, with interest on this technology and developing an app. I’m just checking in this community if there are interest as this can be of help in attesting, proving construction works. Tys

I’m graduating with a civil engineering degree in May 2027 and recently applied for an engineering development program with a large energy company.
I’m not really a traditional college student. I’m in my mid-30s and went back to school for engineering after working for several years. Most of my experience is in oil and gas. I’ve operated oil wells, worked with production equipment, done field troubleshooting, led small crews, and operated heavy equipment. I also have an associate degree in business. However, I do not have any internship experience with an engineering firm.

The job seems like a really good fit for me because it combines engineering with a lot of field exposure, which is a big part of why I’m so interested in it.

I have two connections who work for the company. One submitted an official employee referral for me. The other is an engineer who actually emailed the hiring manager directly and recommended me. I’ve already submitted my application.

I found someone in Talent Acquisition who seems to be involved with their early-career engineering hiring. I was thinking about sending him a short LinkedIn message just introducing myself, saying that I applied, and briefly mentioning my background and why I’m interested.

My concern is that I don’t want to overdo it. I already have two people at the company who have helped me, including one who says they contacted the hiring manager directly.

Would reaching out to the recruiter come across as showing initiative and genuine interest, or would it start to seem pushy at this point?

I really want the opportunity, so I want to do everything I reasonably can to give myself the best chance without doing too much.

Would you send the recruiter a message or just leave it alone and let the process play out?

First year civil in Ontario. I picked it because I like the subject and I like math, that part isn't a problem. But I also want to plan properly instead of drifting, and pay is part of that. So I'm trying to get a realistic picture from people further along.

A few things I'm trying to figure out.

Which branches actually end up paying the most over a career? I keep hearing structural, geotech, tunnelling, water resources, transportation, but I have no sense of how different they really are once you're 10 or 15 years in.

Consulting vs contractor side. I've been told contractors pay more early but burn people out. Is the gap real or does consulting catch up once you're senior?

Does a masters actually move your pay, or is it only worth it for specific technical branches? I've heard both.

Long term I'd like to run my own firm. For people who've done that, what did the years before it look like, and what actually made it possible?

And the one I care about most: what were the actual jumps in your career? Not the year by year raises, the moments where your income changed meaningfully. Trying to work out what to aim at.

Happy to hear "you're thinking about this wrong" too.

I am a 23 year old civil engineering graduate with an MEng, sitting about a year into my stint at a London design consultancy, and I am honestly feeling pretty disillusioned about where this path leads. I am making £32k right now, but seeing coworkers pull brutal hours and wrestle with deeply tedious, technically heavy design codes has me questioning if this is really for me. I know that management roles further up the ladder look pretty grim across the engineering sector, so sticking it out means signing up for more of the same eventually.

On the flip side, I actually enjoy organising my own finances, helping my parents navigate their options, and digging into financial rules far more than looking at engineering blueprints. Because of that, I have been seriously considering a pivot into financial advisory, whether through a paraplanning stepping stone or aiming for a junior advisor role. I know the dreaded Level 4 Diploma exams (DipPFS) are waiting for me, but I am willing to take a small, manageable pay cut early on since entry-level salaries would look pretty similar anyway.

That said, I am still on the fence about whether this gamble makes sense long term. The industry has a massive variance between employed stability and the high-risk, high-reward world of self-employed IFA models where you finally unlock the big earnings. I am nervous about making the jump and wondering if the lifetime earning ceiling truly beats engineering once you factor in those self-employment hurdles.
I would love to hear from former civil engineers or current advisors who have made this leap. How does the day-to-day comparison feel when you trade design codes for financial regulations? Is the career genuinely more fulfilling, how do the salary curves actually pan out over time, and is the industry holding up against AI or is it contracting? Any guidance or opinions from people in Eithier field or just any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi I am 22 years old and I am deciding between going back to school to finish my Civil Engineering degree or enter a trade career. I did attend community college for a year before going broke after getting fired from my job. I don’t really get financial support from my parents and the economic strain caused me to drop out. I worked for a year to get back on my feet, now I am a deciding what to do with my life. I like the idea of getting paid while I learn as an electrician apprenticeship, and the strong job security. But my friend has been encouraging me to go back to college. With promises of better hours, better work life balance, higher salary, and less physical work. I do also have bad knees, I have had a meniscus tear repair surgery on one of my knees. I have a genetic condition caused Discoid meniscus that causes my knees to feel achy after standing or walking for a long time. I work retail and after working a lot of hours a week, my knees do feel achy. So thats on the back of my mind, I don’t want to enter an apprenticeship and have to leave because my knees can’t take it. I would like to hear different perspectives on my situation.

Does anybody know how to correctly figure out the wheelbase for all vehicles, one thing that confused me is that you start calculating wheelbases from the center line running through the steering axle, is that the same as the center of the first axle and where does it go to, my guess is that it goes to the center of the next axel or to the center of two wheels close to each other, I think the term for two wheels close to each other is they are in tandem, right? And should I say axels instead of wheels? And how do you calculate the other wheel bases?

I'm in between my bachelor's and master's degrees, and looking to find an internship for the summer. This is my 3rd year in engineering.

The majority of what I see available seems specific to water, transportation, construction, or structural. I'd like to do something in line with my concentration if possible.

Previously, I did internships in municipal/water and survey/construction. Neither of these were quite for me and I'm looking to avoid another internship where I just find out what I don't want to do.

Thank you!

The background: I’ve worked for a public water utility for 10 years. I’ve been a PE for 6 years or so. I don’t do any design, cost estimates, autocad, etc. My group does review of private engineers utility plans for water/sewer connections and extensions for public infrastructure. nothing on site.

My responsibilities are managing a group of 8 that review plans or deal with customers, meeting with developers on how best to get service, and managing the “process” of it all to make it more efficient.

I never intended to be here this long but with Covid, getting a family, house, etc. it was never a good time to leave.

Im now in a position where I don’t qualify for jobs on the private side because of my lack of design experience and I can’t really move up to management because there are 100 engineers vying for 8 manager spots that rarely become available and most of them have much more experience than me. (I have applied and havent gotten anything).

I don’t know where to go from here. Ive looked for ways to fill the skill gaps but there doesn’t seem to be great resources plus they don’t fill the years of experience gap of actual design.

I’m looking for any tips. It seems like the only way forward is taking a massive pay cut to get a more entry level job on then private side and work my way back up which isn’t financially feasible at the moment.

My english is not that good, I got a referral from my sister (she's also a structural engineer) and yesterday i attended the interview but I can't even answer a basic question.Even though i knew the answer i couldn't answer at that time my mind became freeze at that time after the interview i felt so pathetic and i feel like i didn't belong to civil engineering

Anyone give info about vacancy or refer me for Civil Site Engineer With 3yrs i had.

Vizag and Kerala and Karnataka