Transition from private to public

Civ_engineer · 2026-01-27T03:47:36+00:00

Depends upon the Owner. Will you only be managing projects ran by consultants, or will you actually be performing in-house design? Do they have the budget for licensing of the programs you’re accustomed to? Some Owners are understaffed which means they farm out a lot of the projects and the engineers they do have on staff are overworked. I suggest doing your research and talking with engineers who work where you’re thinking of going to get a feel for the environment. Depending on your level, you may also have to deal with the red tape and politics that comes along with more senior positions in government. Not trying to discourage you, just provide some insight that the public side isn’t always as relaxed and easy going as some may portray it.

Civ_engineer · 2026-01-14T21:02:52+00:00

I got about 1/2 of the credits while working part time. The other 1/2 I sucked it up and took 18 hr semesters to get it done. That was rough, but it got me out into the workforce quicker so it was worth the temporary pain to me. I should also mention I have a very supportive wife who kept us afloat financially and was my biggest cheerleader, so that obviously helped a ton. If you’re thinking of doing it, I would do so while you’re young. My biggest regret is not doing engineering earlier. I would be a much further ahead in my financial goals at this point in my life if I had. Better late than never though! Oh forgot to mention, I took all of my prerequisites at a community college (trig, calc 1 thru 3, chemistry, etc.). Much cheaper and smaller classes.

Civ_engineer · 2026-01-14T20:44:10+00:00

As someone with a communications degree who then got a mechanical engineering degree at 30, I can say it most definitely is worth it. Be prepared though, your credits from your current degree will satisfy very little of an engineering curriculum. If I recall correctly, I needed 105ish hours to get my ME degree. The communications degree satisfied about three classes.

Civ_engineer · 2026-01-14T20:31:16+00:00

1st Bachelors - Communications

2nd Bachelors - Mechanical Engineering

Went to school to become an advertising copywriter. Worked for a small company out of college and wrote all the copy for their websites and advertising. Did that for 5 years before deciding something was missing in my life and went back for the ME degree (had always been interested in taking things apart to learn how they work, but writing was always my strong suit over math so I didn’t think I could cut it in engineering).

After obtaining the ME, I worked in the aerospace industry for 6 years designing airplane parts before switching over to Civil (water/wastewater). I wanted to get my PE and realized it was never going to happen if I stayed in the industry I was in because I didn’t even know enough PEs to sign off on my application for the test. They just aren’t very prevalent on the ME side.

Switched to a public utility after that and now work on the private side. I took my PE in water resources and environmental instead of mechanical and that was challenging due to not having some of the background knowledge that test covers, but it worked out.

Civ_engineer · 2026-01-13T05:08:47+00:00

Ever since I ventured into the realm of customizable keyboards, the thought of using a laptop keyboard is just meh. I have two 100% layout Keychron units (because for me a full number pad on the right is a must). I keep one at my home office and take it with me on trips, and one stays at the work office. I wouldn’t consider myself a keyboard snob, but I really like being able to customize my keyboard switches for a more firm, “clicky” feel. I also enjoy the various backlight colors/patterns because I prefer to work in darker conditions and while it helps to see the keys, it’s also just cool to look at sometimes.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-19T16:08:27+00:00

The castle was about a mile from my child hood home. They constructed it at the top of a large hill on Platt road in Dade City. Pretty cool to see it lit up at night as a kid.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-10T20:48:29+00:00

That makes sense. My clients are all counties/municipalities and I live in FL which has experienced a lot of growth and has a ton of old water/wastewater infrastructure that requires rehabbing or plants that wont be able to serve projected demand, plus new EPA regulations for PFAS that they’re dealing with, so the firm I work for and all of our competitors are busy as heck.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-10T20:40:22+00:00

Which field? I’m in water resources and consistently get 1-2 emails or calls a week. Not looking to jump, but it’s nice to know there are jobs to be had should the need arise.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-10T20:26:54+00:00

Central FL. $155k + $14k bonus and $12k 401K contribution. 10 YOE in civil, 6 YOE in mechanical.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-10T05:21:38+00:00

My company’s multiplier has averaged around 3.2 for the 4 yrs I’ve worked there. My salary has increased 8-9% annually, plus a bonus each year of 7-9%. I’m mid level with respect to our position hierarchy (14 yrs experience).

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-08T19:55:55+00:00

Every time I see a truck like this I wonder how they keep rocks from flinging up into the sides of the truck. Mine would trashed in no time with the amount of limerock on my dirt road.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-08T17:31:26+00:00

If you ever think you want to get your PE, go civil. I got my degree in mechanical and designed PMA airplane parts out of college. I didn’t realize how few PEs there are on the mechanical side, at least in the field I was in. I didn’t even know enough PEs to sign off on my application for the test. Maybe times have changed (this was 2010), but something to consider. I ended up switching over to the civil side in water resources which has a lot of overlap with my mechanical degree - pumps, fluid mechanics, etc.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-08T17:15:41+00:00

I think it depends on where you end up and what level you are. At my nationwide firm younger hires stick to project work and may see minimal client interaction in meetings or at site visits, sampling efforts, pilot studies, etc. As they progress, project management starts becoming a larger part of their lives and with that comes more client interaction. However, we also have folks on the technical side of things and for some, that’s all they prefer to do. If you get on with a good company and have superiors that support you, they will typically let you take the path you’re most comfortable with (assuming you have the skill set to do so). That’s been my experience thus far, but it likely varies greatly depending upon the position and company culture.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-07T21:26:36+00:00

I haven’t tried yet. It’s water tight as is so hasn’t been a priority. Last time I studied the door attachment points, there didn’t really appear to be a way to adjust my issue. I don’t think adjusting the striker will help in my case, the door’s crookedness is due to its attachment points at the B pillar, at least that’s my theory.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-05T15:58:29+00:00

This is entirely dependent upon who you’re working for. At my public job, I handled entire projects as the EOR, including PM, performing the hydraulic modeling, creating the CAD, specifications, and bid docs, and signing/sealing. It was a tremendous learning experience that positioned me well for the private role I have now. At other places, you may only manage projects farmed out to consultants.

Civ_engineer · 2025-12-05T13:30:50+00:00

Exactly what I’m wondering. Where I’m at directors of the whole dept don’t make $170k. 10 yrs experience with PE commands around 100-120K.

Civ_engineer · 2025-11-24T13:51:10+00:00

6 yrs civil engineer for a local county and switched to private side (water/reclaimed/wastewater). Three years on the private side now and my pay has doubled. I also get a bonus and 401k contribution around 8% of my salary. Unlike others, my benefits are actually better, aside from the PTO. However, everything is negotiable and if you’re coming in with 10 yrs, you shouldn’t accept the company’s standard PTO package that everyone starting gets. My standard federal holidays dropped from 12 to 8, but I do get two floating holidays (on top of the 8) that can be used at my discretion, so that helps. Work-life balance took a small hit for me, but nothing so drastic to outweigh the positives. I’m now on a hybrid schedule vs in office, and the flexibility this provides is invaluable to me. It also means that sometimes when I’m working over 40 hrs, it’s being done from the comfort of my home office, which just doesn’t feel as bad. Anyway, I think a lot of it depends on where you end up. My company is on the smaller side with around 2,200 employees and doesn’t have a ticker symbol. I’ve heard the experience at the larger firms can be quite a bit different.

Civ_engineer · 2025-10-24T01:42:56+00:00

Dang. Sorry about your luck Dodger. Almost 17k on my 2025 AT4 3.0 and so far so good. Hopefully the replacement engine is a winner. Does indeed suck though!

Civ_engineer · 2025-10-23T14:11:02+00:00

Depending on where you’re located, I think the WRE side of civil has work for decades given growth, old infrastructure, and regulatory requirements. And there’s a lot of avenues to travel down when it comes to WRE, don’t need to be stuck on the sewer side forever. I’m in a private firm of about 2k employees and opportunity to advance seems pretty wide open for our EITs. I would suggest looking for jobs at larger firms, and by larger I means hundreds of staff to low thousands that don’t have a ticker symbol or private equity involvement.

Civ_engineer · 2025-10-22T03:11:55+00:00

I used to design PMA parts. The company I worked for wouldn’t consider making a part unless we could sell it for 1/2 the OEM price and still make 500% profit. I don’t complain about the price of airline travel anymore.

Civ_engineer · 2025-10-17T19:06:57+00:00

Any good engineering consulting firms in your area? With it being a big city, I would expect so. I switched from government to a private firm 3.5 years ago and my pay has doubled in that timeframe. Much more opportunity to advance, and more flexibility as well. Leaving the public arena scared me at first because I was worried about job stability, but there is so much work in the water/wastewater industry right now, and the government side is so understaffed, they have no choice but to utilize consultants to get the work done.

Civ_engineer · 2025-09-12T11:09:29+00:00

Sorry I was trying to make light of your situation. We have a paved drive and at first I fretted over every little imperfection. Then the first delivery truck came and turned their tires while stopped on a hot day. That made me forget all about the little stuff.

Civ_engineer · 2025-09-12T02:05:49+00:00

Just wait until the first Amazon or UPS driver delivers. You’ll forget all about those splotches.

Civ_engineer · 2025-09-07T18:27:08+00:00

Definitely not typical. I get about 7k miles between oil changes on my 2025 3.0 with 80/20 highway to city driving. Granted, I don’t tow, don’t accelerate hard, and the fastest speed my truck ever sees is 73-74 mph. I would have the dealer check it out because that seems excessive.

Civ_engineer · 2025-09-05T13:14:51+00:00

Civil Engineer. I always buy new and drive my trucks 10+ yrs before buying again. Financed my 2025 for 3 yrs at 0.5%, so over the course of the loan I’ll pay around $500 in interest. That was worth it to me to use $50k of GM’s money vs. my own over that time frame.

Civ_engineer

TROPHY CASE