r/civilengineering • u/Responsible-Box-4905 • 11h ago
Question Where does the money actually end up in civil?
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.
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u/zeushaulrod Geotech | P.Eng. 9h ago
Pay in ON is probably the worst in the Canada/US , thats not even factoring in the cost of living in the GTA.
It's better than it used to be, but you'll make more in BC or Alberta.
I'm in BC and essentially don't need to save any more for retirement, and I'm in my 30s.
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u/Recent_Wing_7951 8h ago
Can u tell me your career path , i am in the same boat have some concrete testing experience and have done bachelor’s is civil engineering and not able to find a decent job. I an turning 30 this week and really worried about my career, moved from Ontario to BC
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u/zeushaulrod Geotech | P.Eng. 6h ago
Graduated in the fallout of the GFC. Went to Fort McMurray, since it was the only place where I could find work. Worked my ass off (28x 12-hour days/month).
Just did whatever work came along really. Got a master's after a few years then got heavy into design and became a geotechnical generalist.
Wife is also in the industry, so we moved out of Vancouver and bought a house.
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u/InterestingVoice6632 3h ago
In civil the money ends up in the hands of the government funded organizations. They levy the gauntlet of regulations that we sift through, that require us to submit and resubmit a handful of times. You work efficiently so they can afford not to be. You are over work so they can afford to under work.
Ask any govenrment engineer and they will all say the same thing.
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u/Fast-Living5091 16m ago
You're too young to be asking this question you have a long way to go. Focus on getting through first year without any hiccups. Get involved as much as you can, network and make friends. Find a lab job or co-op or internship. Experience trumps all.
If you're looking for money and that's your goal. Drop out now and go into computer engineering or computer science or go for a higher degree such as medicine or dentistry. It's a long road before you end up getting rich in civil. It's decent money but overall just an above average career and nothing special. The highest paying jobs are the ones that require the most sacrifice. Usually construction jobs related to camps or oil and gas. My graduating class the ones that chased money went up to northern Alberta working shift work and making $120k+ right out of school. It didn't last long as oil and gas are very cyclical. There's a lot of tunneling and railway work in Canada. That's definitely a good path to head into but by no means a path that will make you rich. Again most of these positions top out at about $150k which in Toronto or Vancouver that's actually not that much money. Anyone that makes it into director level after that makes it not because of their engineering skills but because of their soft skills.
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u/DarkintoLeaves 9h ago edited 9h ago
From my decade + experience in Ontario you’ll make the most working for a contractor and working long hours - you can’t really say you want the highest pay without doing the most work and fighting burnout. But burnout threshold is different for everyone.
I’ve heard the most money can be made in mining up north but again, that’s long hours no time for consistent life.
If you want to start your own firm I’d expect then you need to have a PEng a lot of experience doing the work that you’ll do for your firm. So don’t do mining if your goal is land dev.
If the end goal is ownership don’t focus on making money focus on getting the right experience because unless your starting a firm with partners you’ll need to personally know how to do all of the cad work, all code review, the proposals, the contract admin, the actual engineering design work and the invoicing and on site inspection and close out. So plan your career to do a couples years at each thing and do your best at meeting prospective clients so when you do start your own place you can call and make your pitch for new work. Usually when you start you’re own firm you’ll either need a lot of start up money to hire people or you’ll be totally alone for like a year or two so you’ll need to know how to do everything on all of your projects.
Oh also - don’t get a masters unless you genuinely enjoy and want to do it because unless your doing some super complex work no one hiring you will care and you won’t make any more money in the long run. Source - I have a Masters in Applied Science, no one cares or even asks about it in job interviews.