Mike had a job interview last week and we were super excited but he didn't get it. We knew the competition was tough but there are civil engineers with 4-5 years of experience that are taking entry level jobs at entry level pay. That is like me erasing 5 years of experience off my resume. That would be devastating. That was an eye opener of the job market for civil engineers.
The economy stinks right now for most people so I did some research and it isn't looking so hot for civil engineers. Even if the economy recovers there is a huge pool of civil engineers. There are atleast 150 civil engineer programs in the US and they have around 30 people graduate each year and between 2008 to 2011 that is a lot of engineers. That doesn't include the civil engineers that graduated before then that have been laid off and the students that will be graduating in the upcoming years.
I can't make any decisions for MIke. I guess he has to decide if he wants to change his career and will that include going back to school. I can't speak for Mike but I can imagine he is disappointed/frustrated because civil engineering was THE major. I am disappointed because I am tired of living in limbo waiting for Mike to find a job. And now it seems like it could be more waiting.
The big question for me is "Now What?" You go to college thinking you will find a job and boom the economy tanks. You wouldn't think it would be so hard to find a job with an engineering degree. Lot of questions loom ahead and there are no guarantees that anything will work out. That is where my thoughts are today. Then there is the economy which is a blog posting of its own...
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
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My brothers are both civil engineers. One graduated in December of 2008. He knew he was going to go to ASU to get his masters, but he had THE HARDEST time finding an internship. The most coveted spots are with the state, but their EIT (Engineer in training) program has all these guys who are taking entry level positions due to the economy. He felt so defeated because how can you compare for an entry level job next to someone who's not a new grad? He eventually found an internship after a few months and has graduated with his masters in transportation engineering (a subset of civil engineering). The company he interned for offered him a full time job after graduation. He had experience with autoCAD and drafting for a mobile modular manufacturer that my dad works at (as a Civil Engineer), so he had a little bit of experience. My little brother just graduated in May with his degree in Civil Engineering. He too, tried to find an internship all summer in Phoenix or Tucson. No luck. He's starting his masters program at University of Arizona (where he's already done some of the master's coursework during his undergrad) and will be graduating in May 2012 with his Masters in transportation engineering as well. He's still on the hunt for an internship. The two huge engineering companies in Arizona are Honeywell and Raytheon. Both don't hire civil engineers - mechanical, electrical... any other type, but not civil. I told my brothers they should have gone into earthquake design or bridges or something really specialized, but they didn't like that.
Does Mike have his masters? or just his bachelors? If he doesn't have his masters, it may be something to look into. There are a lot of programs you can complete in 1 year based on undergrad coursework. With a Masters at least it separates him from the field a little bit more. And I'd have to think an employer is more likely to hire someone with a Masters degree than someone with only a bachelors. At least this is the thinking my brothers used when they realized they'd be graduating with a flooded job market. *Hugs* Everything will work out eventually! I know it's not easy not knowing what the future holds - been there!- but it does all work out the way it's supposed to in the end.
Hang in there! It is always frustrating when don't work out the waynwe plan, but I am always amazed after the trial of our faith now things tend to work out.
Hey Sandy, I know what its like to wait and wait and wait, until you feel like you can't possibly wait any longer and then run into disappointment after disappointment. All I can say is hang in there. Things WILL work out for your family! When we were at our rock bottom, the only thing I knew to do was to put one foot in front of the other and just have faith that things would turn around. And they did, but it was really hard at first. Also, sometimes when I'm feeling down, I remind myself of all of my blessings, like my healthy children, things like that. That really seems to help me put things into perspective. I'll be praying for you both! :)
Sorry, one more thing...I don't know anything about civil engineering, but our cousin, Brian in an engineer and works at INL in Idaho Falls. I wonder if it would help to have Mike call and talk to Brian about any job possibilities here at the site...maybe he would have some insight into other things as well. I don't know, just a thought.
I think about you guys often and always have my ears open at Jeff's company. You're totally right about the future being a bit bleak. Jeff's company is barely getting enough work to get by--in Utah it is really rough right now because the vast majority of road money is tied up in the I15 and Mountain View Corridor projects.
Another thing is the debt cuts that are going to happen. Jeff said most likely, transportation will be cut some, if not by 50%. Just know I am always keeping my ears open for you guys and will let you know any time I hear something.
I think Sara had a good idea--just talking to Brian and have him watch for jobs. I know they list jobs on the website and I bet Brian would keep an eye out too.
One more idea--are you guys willing to move? I heard some offices out east have a ton of work. Good luck and we'll keep thinking about you guys!
It sucks. Everyone tells you if you go to college, you will find a good job, raise a happy family and things will be better than if you hadn't gone to school. But then when it doesn't work out that way, no one knows what to do or why. My Dad works for the Engineering department at USU and he knows Mike's family so Mike could always call and ask him what his thoughts are about jobs. I agree about getting a Master's degree, if nothing else to keep fresh in the field. Try to find another internship or any volunteer work in the field too so Mike can see other opportunities outside of civil engineering he might not know about or know he'd enjoy. At least this way he feels like he is still pursuing things and working towards something.
I totally understand. Chris was layer off twice last year, and then had to to take an entry level job in marketing even though he had 6 years experience already. It is hard, but we are just glad he has a job now! Good luck with the job hunt!!
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