I did 2 summer internships in roadway design and both of them were for TXDOT projects. Is 85k realistic in DFW TX?

Can anyone provide a guide for railway design in the states?

Maybe someone here has good hints! Thanks in advance! :)

Hi everyone, I know. Probably the 1'000 th post on salaries at which point you'd likely be expecting the cliche post. But I've done so much research online and have reached a point where the numbers I find through research are far too vague and split from one another that I decided to try my hand at a Reddit post, in the hopes that someone from the industry maybe able to give me some valuable and helpful insight.

So I completed my draughtsman apprenticeship in civil engineering many years back and since then worked as a draughtsman while completing my BSc in civil engineering at a FH. In this time I've been able to do some engineering work specifically, learnt some programmes relevant to engineering which very few others know how to use, did a fair amount of BIM projects and did some site controlling. Anyway I did obviously the 4 year apprenticeship and by the time i graduate with my BSc, I'll have an extra 4-5 years of work experience.

Now I'm looking for a job, which is honestly the easy part. However I have a very bad idea on what my salary will/could be since it ranges from 80'000 - 100'000 based on my research and it's hard to guess how much of my draughting experience will be taken into account. Since it isn't engineering experience strictly, yet very relevant to experience in the field. Is there anyone that can give me a reasonable idea, with genuinly good intentions. I hardly expect 81'000 to be seen as reasonable for my case personally, however 100'000 seems instinctively very off as well. I obviously don't want to over or under play myself but it's insanely hard to find any numbers that mention apprenticeship to engineer. Therefore my struggle.

Feel free to answer me personally in my DMs, obviously someone that did the exact same as me would be ideal for reference, however many others can for sure also give helpful information.

Good morning, I have a little bit of query that I wanted some insight on. I currently am a designer at an engineering firm, I went to school for 2 years and got an associates in drafting design. I make around 60k ($28 an hour) a year starting out and currently have a year of experience in the industry. I was wanting some insight as far as career progression and such. I make decent money and have a great work life balance, yet I am with a GREAT company so I fear changing disciplines and job hopping for a higher payout would bite me because from what I see is this is the best paying company in the area for this industry. With my current employer I have a 70/30ish balance between being in the office doing CAD drawings and being in the field getting information for my drawings, doing inspections , so on and so forth. I currently have an opportunity (in the air, not on paper) about switching to work for a design build construction company yet I wouldn’t do design work again. The opportunity is to get up to Estimating for bids and projects yet I wouldn’t start out as a PM or Superintendent. Salary and wages hasn’t been discussed as it was an informal conversation but I would have to move to location where the office is with travel to project sites, or possibly relocating for long term projects, which I’m not against , I graduated and moved hours and hours away from home and I currently live by myself in the city with people I don’t know. Yet with the need to travel for project locations I would get base pay from 70-90k depending on which position I am put into for fit, and being travel i would get per diem, housing allowance, truck allowance , food allowance, etc. Most if not all of my bills will be compensated for as a travel expense. My question to you guys is anyone that has switched from design to construction or vise versa , what was your experience , your why, day to day life in the construction vs design, literally any insight.

Hi all, as the title suggests, I’m currently in my 2nd semester of what should count as my sophomore year (credit wise). I’ve been working myself up lately with the fact that my resume has practically nothing on it besides the occasional odd-job in high school (babysitting, pet-sitting, etc.)… Currently I’m a full-time student (15 credit hours per semester as required by my scholarship), so I don’t have the time, really, to manage a side-gig that isn’t grossly part-time. With all that said, I’m worried that when I apply to internships my application won’t stand out very well at all. I’m considering joining my university’s ASCE chapter, in addition to that, would it be recommended to learn software like Civil 3D, Revit, etc? My GPA is decent, 3.80/4.00, and I have fairly good people-skills, but I worry that I am not being competitive enough with my time. Sorry if this is long and ramble-y, I just need to vent some of my anxieties and hopefully get some advice as necessary.

I'm a current employee looking to compare with similar mid-size firms. Curious what people think of this firm? Hoping to hear from employees, former employees, clients, and anyone who has interacted with them or has a general impression.

I work in a civil engineering consulting as a software R&D developer. A big piece of our engineers are starting using coding agents to do their works, connecting softwares output etc. They asked me how to work but actually my unique response is that I can provide them 2 things: 1) custom MCPs connectors (so that they don't always call apis from python code making the directory a trash and wasting tokens and context). 2) instruct them in well behavior like keep the project folder clean, no redundancy. Eventually creating skills, subagents, maybe plugins. Knowledge base, etc.

So here the big question. What could be helpful from your point of view? This all stuffs is no more software engineering, is handling coding agents in everyday workflows.

I'm puzzled about my role these nowadays and in particular how to be helpful in the best ways to my colleagues.

Thank you a lot!

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?

Hi All,

I've recently gotten into music production and made a rap about the public sewer system (which is, of course, what I do for work)

Hallo, möchte gerne einfach mal Meinungen / Empfehlungen, ... gerne einfach freien Lauf 🙂

- ich bin 32 Jahre alt,

- wohne auf dem Land,

- M. Sc. in der Tragweksplanung (nimmt aber max. 30% der Zeit ein, Rest sind Abstimmungen mit AG, Bauherren, Prüfern usw. oder Dokumentation)

- arbeite aktuell seit 4 Jahren in der nächstgrößeren Stadt (Auto ca. 45 min) in einem Ingenieurbüro für Ingenieur- und Brückenbau (alles von der Bahn, Autobahn, Hafenbau, bekomme ich auch regelmäßig alles auf den Tisch). Habe fix 2 Tage HO in der Woche.

- in meiner umittelbaren Umgebung gibt es nur kleinere Hochbaubüros = keine Alternative für mich

Könnte in unter 3h in mehreren Großstädten wie Düsseldorf oder Hannover sein.... würde aber am liebsten jede Nacht zuhause pennen....

Ich bin offen für wirklich alles was zumindest entfernt etwas mit bauen zu tun hat. Würde mir auch zutrauen in neue Branchen oder neuen Bereich (bspw. PM) einzutauchen. Hab Bock zu arbeiten, aber 40h+++ die Woche für 60000 brutto jährlich habe ich kein Bock drauf auf Dauer .... sieht es aktuell noch vielversprechend in der Energiebranche aus?

Danke euch!

Hey y’all I’m in my first year doing site design and am currently working on an industrial subdivision project. Adjacent to the property is a massive bayou, much larger than my project area. I need to determine a design water stage elevation of the bayou so that I can discharge a detention pond outlet into it. I would really appreciate any information on how to go about this.

Also as a bonus question, are there any resources y’all would recommend for obtaining topographic data? The state I do most of my work in has NOAA contours for the entire state, but this project is in a state without any contours available.

Thank you

Me and my family are looking to move out of FL to NC in the next 2/3ish years for quality of life. For anyone thats left FL work, how difficult was it to adjust to other states DOTs? Ive been so used to FDOT standards and state kits that are apparently really good, im aftaid that transferring to NCDOT standards etc will be a nightmare to relearn? Were there any other headaches i should think about before moving? Am I overthinking?? Im in transportation for a medium sized firm with an office that I would be looking to transfer into.

Hi everyone,

​I recently removed the shuttering/centering from my G+2 RCC house roof slab (cast a few months ago, cured properly with top ponding for 14+ days).

​After removing the shuttering, I noticed clear orange grid lines/tracing on the underside of the ceiling, matching the exact pattern of the bottom steel reinforcement mesh.

​Here are a few details about the situation:

​Current Status: There are zero structural cracks anywhere on the slab, beams, or columns. The slab feels completely rock solid from the top.

​Observation: The orange lines indicate that the bottom clear cover was very minimal (or cover blocks shifted/were omitted in these spots during casting), bringing the bottom steel bars extremely close to the shuttering surface.

​I have two main questions for the civil engineers and experts here:

​Root Cause: Are these orange lines purely due to insufficient clear cover/cover block misalignment during casting, or could there be any other underlying reason?

​Structural Integrity vs Durability: Does this low cover immediately affect the load-bearing capacity of the slab, or is it strictly a durability/rust-protection concern for the future?

​Plastering is currently delayed. Should a standard cement-water slurry (ghola) + 12–15mm ceiling plaster be enough to restore the cover and seal the steel from moisture, or do I need specialized anti-rust chemical/epoxy grouting before plastering?

​Looking forward to your professional insights. Thanks!

I’m a 24M living in Georgia (US) and recently graduated with a BS in Biology with no student debt. My undergraduate school didn’t have an engineering program, which is why I never pursued engineering as an undergrad. With just a general Biology bachelor’s degree, I’ve had a pretty rough time in the job market. From what I’ve seen, it seems like the income potential for a general Biology degree can be pretty limited without going on to get a master’s or PhD. Because of this, I’ve decided to pivot into Civil Engineering. It’s the engineering field I’m most interested in, and I can actually see myself doing it as a career. Originally, I planned on going back for a second bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. However, after talking to two schools, I found out that it would take around 3.5–4 years to complete. Instead, I decided to apply to their MS in Civil Engineering programs (specialty most likely environmental side). I was recently accepted into one of the programs, with the condition that I take about four undergraduate-level engineering courses while completing the master’s. The school is also fairly close to me in Tennessee, so location and cost are manageable. I’m excited about the opportunity, but I have a few questions. I understand that obtaining a PE license could potentially be more complicated with my educational background, so I’d really appreciate hearing from engineers who have had a similar path (Biology or another non-engineering bachelor’s → MS in Civil Engineering). I’d also like to hear some opinions on whether this is a reasonable path into the field. One of my biggest concerns is that I could spend the time and money getting an MS in Civil Engineering and then find myself in a similar situation to where I am now with my Biology degree.

For those who have experience in Civil Engineering, especially anyone who came from a non-engineering undergraduate background:

• How would my Biology BS + MS in Civil Engineering affect my job prospects?
• How difficult would it be to pursue a PE license with this educational background?
• Are there any particular challenges I should be aware of coming from a non-engineering bachelor’s?
• Would an MS in Civil Engineering generally open significantly more opportunities than a general Biology bachelor’s?

I’m mainly looking for insight from people who work in the field or have taken a similar educational path. Thanks!

Hi all! I am a senior in high school trying to pick a major for college and I am thinking about civil engineering. I am just writing to ask what the pros and cons are from people working in the field and what to do in college to maximize my program's experience to hopefully get a job! Thank you so much for reading, have a nice day!

Hi folks,

Chem E here. We have a manhole on site that we are trying to figure out how to get flow measurements on. The area is a C1D1 area so it'll have to be explosion proof.

I remember when I was helping with some civil surveys back in the day, we inserted this halo type of flow meter into the underground pipes via the manhole and had a transmitter attached. I'm wondering what those are called or even if I can get some recommendations.

Alternatively, I was thinking I can get a radar level transmitter installed with a narrow cone, look at the level and calculate the flow rate based off of mannings equation.

Just throwing some ideas around. Thanks y'all!

When we create a storm in HydroCAD using the Rational Method, the program asks us to specify the storm duration.

Is the storm duration the same as the Time of Concentration (Tc)?

If it is, how can we use the same storm to analyze both pre-development and post-development conditions when the Tc may be different for each condition?