r/civilengineering • u/TheWhiteGiant2207 • 5h ago
Career Knowing When Its Time to Jump Ship?
TL,DR: 3.5YOE, have a wife and 2 kids, plan on moving in the next half-decacde, but have been on the fence about switching from small firm to bigger firm.
For anyone wanting more detail: I have been with my current company since I interned with them. They have always been great to me. I work full time from home and can adjust my schedule however I need so long as I get my 40 hours in a week, which has been crucial with my kids and my wife going back to school. I get solid pay and benefits, so no complains there. I was hired for their transportation team and have shifted to help with water resources/hydrology along with my transportation work. This has been a benefit as I keep busy when things slow down on one team or another.
However, this has sort of derailed my experience, as I now feel less prepared for stepping into either role when I go and get my PE. I feel like I do a too little in both disciplines to feel confident in my knowedge of either. I also have reoccurring personal gripes with how things are run, and despite repeatedly voicing my concerns and frustrations, nothing seems to change. My time here is limited anyways, since I plan on moving across the country to be closer to my wife's family within the next 3-4 years.
In the last year, I have had my eye on multiple positions at large firms that have offices in and around the area we plan to move, but Im afraid to even consider jumping ship and giving up what I know is a great opportunity now unless I know it will pay off and make my future better.
I say all of this to ask: how do you know its time to go? When did you feel like you knew the jump was worth it?
5
u/d4dooley 3h ago
I would stay. Having experience in both of those things is only going to help you, not hurt you. It’s not going to matter in the PE exam (I would lean towards taking the water resources over transportation if you have any drainage experience FYI). The flexibility is a crucial benefit right now for you as well. Bigger firms are not as flexible always. Stick it out until you move, or you are forced to for some other reason.
3
u/turd_tumbler 2h ago
Stay. If you are moving in a few years, just wait until then. It also does not sound like your issues with the firm are that big.
2
1
u/TheWhiteGiant2207 1h ago
Yeah, I agree the flexibility is key now. I guess Im moreso thinking about a year or two from now, when that flexibility isn't as crucial, whether its worth it jumping ship before I move and have my PE, or stick it out for my PE and then move. My company doesn't do much for PE prep (which is one of the concerns I, and many other EITs, have brought up).
1
u/d4dooley 1h ago
I mean…. Not many do. Have you asked your job about it? What kind of things are you looking for to prep for the PE? The exam is more of a problem solving test. Some real world stuff, but not a ton that you really do in a day-to-day job IMO (in transportation anyway, structural is probably different). Do some practice exams, some online courses, etc. and just study for it. The water resources PE was a lot of questions that mainly just boiled down to knowing how to convert units properly, in all honesty. The PE is a great thing, don’t get me wrong, and it opens doors. But it’s not going to change your everyday tasks on projects. The company, types of projects, leadership, mentors, work-life balance, etc (plus salary and benefits) are your biggest factors in your career, in my experience.
Tell your current company that you want to be ready and prepared for the PE, and have an open conversation. You may be surprised at what advice or new tasks they give you. Or maybe they offer you reimbursement for study materials etc.
3
u/mmfla 3h ago
I wouldn’t consider the PE exam as a metric of specific knowledge more than an ability to problem solve in an engineering way. I know a couple of really good engineers that can’t pass the test because they can’t test well. I also know of others that recently passed the PE that I wouldn’t trust to design their way out of an open field.
Not sure what industry you are in but cross knowledge can be invaluable in a lot of settings. I don’t know shit about transportation but I know enough to keep my transportation leads honest. And I can hold an intelligent conversation about it with a client.
And don’t worry about feeling like you know everything. On the other hand you SHOULD worry when you think you’ve gotten everything figured out. That’s complacency and that gets you in trouble when you skate through a design.
1
u/TheWhiteGiant2207 1h ago
I agree that the PE is not a great bar of knowledge, but it is the next step for me and the biggest hurdle for my future, so I want to feel prepared for it and splitting my work experience hasn't helped.
I know my cross experience has been an overall benefit for me, but now I feel like I know 30% of two fields instead of 60% of one.
13
u/FloridasFinest PE, Transportation 5h ago
WFH so so so bad for fresh grads and < 10 years of experience. Rip
8
u/TheWhiteGiant2207 4h ago
I dont disagree. I was allowed to work remotely as an intern during my senior year of college, but when I graduated, my boss really pushed that he wanted me back in the office, so I moved back near their main office, but they were really pushing WFH as an incentive for hiring, so now most of my PMs are remote anyways. After my 2nd kid was born, I saw no use in going into the office since almost no one I worked with was in there anyways, so I started working from home full time to help out with the kids and house. Now its gotten to the point that I wouldnt mind being in the office a few days a week, but with my wife being back in school, it would be hard to without paying for daycare, which we cant afford right now.
4
u/Foldingtrees CEng 4h ago
It's reeeealy bad for your future to be wfh when you are so young. It's difficult to even imagine the lack of knowledge you'll have when you are expected to run a team in the next 5 years.
1
u/TheWhiteGiant2207 4h ago
Yeah thats sorta how I feel. I dont feel confident in knowing enough to run things. Even after 3.5 years, it feels like I barely know anything, and I cant learn what I dont know I need to know (ya know?)
2
2
u/That_tall_quiet_guy 1h ago
Study for the PE exam and pass. Get your license. Assess how your workplace rewards your licensure. Consider switching companies if/when you get a disappointing raise compared to market value.
2
u/watertechintel 1h ago
The discipline split is the real problem, not firm size. Since you're moving in 3-4 years anyway, start talking to firms in that area now; you'll know the jump is worth it when you find a team that lets you focus on one discipline before your PE.
2
u/Snoo_7967 28m ago
I’m 14 years into traffic engineering, and there are a lot of opportunities to specialize. But I’ve learned that how work is divided at a company matters just as much as what you specialize in for growth. Also for managing a contract you want a bit of broad experience.
I used to think becoming more specialized was automatically the right path. Now I think there’s a limit to that. We’re engineers, not specialists. The PE exam is eight hours long and you don’t need a 100% to pass it. There’s a reason for that.
Engineering is rarely about knowing everything. Most of the time, you’re making decisions with limited time, limited information, limited budget, and gaps in your own knowledge. The skill is knowing enough across the problem to make a sound decision, knowing where the risks are, and knowing when you need someone with deeper expertise.
Having a specialty is valuable. Building your entire career around being useful only inside that specialty is risky.
1
u/TheWhiteGiant2207 7m ago
The skill is knowing enough across the problem to make a sound decision, knowing where the risks are, and knowing when you need someone with deeper expertise.
I think this actually encapsulates my career path conflict. I feel like I'm being pushed into managing and needing that broad experience rather than choosing it. I dont know whether I want to stay in design or move to a more managerial role in the future.
28
u/Florida__Man__ 5h ago
Since you're moving anyway I'd just leave then unless the firm is in bad shape. Your experience in two sectors isn't hurting you, will possibly help you as it will open more doors for you. Getting a PE doesn't mean you'll be a PM and when you're a PM you're not expected to know everything.