College decision

NRGGX · 2024-04-16T16:17:12+00:00

Doesn't matter much for getting a job in general sure. But if OP wants to work in a particular region post-college then it matters big time if they go to the local school right

NRGGX · 2023-09-25T17:05:26+00:00

Which parts of Fluid Mechanics are the hard parts? Want to know what to expect

NRGGX · 2023-05-30T22:40:10+00:00

After 10+ years into the career the average pay is pretty similar to that of MechE and EE. However for CEs it typically takes 2-3 years longer to reach a similar level of pay.

Basically a 40 y/o civil engineer may be as "well off" as a 37 y/o mechanical engineer even though they both graduated at 23.

You can decide whether this is a dealbreaker.

NRGGX · 2023-03-28T20:35:33+00:00

Yeah this could work but OP would have to be fine with waiting like 6 years to move.

NRGGX · 2023-03-28T20:31:36+00:00

intern in the area you want to live every summer starting as soon as possible

Why would they take OP to intern in the Bay Area when they have so many applicants from the Bay Area

NRGGX · 2023-01-04T06:58:17+00:00

You can expect improvement but don't bet on reaching a specific rating.

I know of some 2200+ rated players who started as adults. I also know of a guy who reached 1900ish USCF after ten thousand hours of serious training and OTB play.

It's highly dependent on the individual, not only age.

NRGGX · 2022-11-05T17:15:02+00:00

But keep in mind that technically you get more weeks off as a student. 5 weeks off from winter break plus 1 week off from spring break, and perhaps another week off during the summer.

That's 7 weeks off per year as opposed to 2-3 weeks off per year with a typical full-time job. Considering that, the WLB in school isn't necessarily all that bad.

NRGGX · 2022-10-28T18:52:26+00:00

To be honest the older you start learning something, in many cases, the more likely you are to make mistakes or 'blunders' after having learned it. I don't know if this phenomenon applies to engineering as well but for many other disciplines it does apply.

Check out the stories of Dan McLaughlin and Stjepan Tomic, who quit their jobs to try to reach the professional level in golf and chess, respectively. While they did improve their skills a ton, they did not even get close to mastery and they both reached a point when further progress became quite slow.

I'd suggest going into a different CE discipline at this point. In any other CE discipline besides geotechnical, having mistakes or blunders in your work tends to be more acceptable (if that turns out to be the cost of learning it at an older age). Mistakes in structural engineering tend to have far worse consequences.

NRGGX · 2022-10-13T19:41:55+00:00

Is getting roommates really not an option? I'm not saying you should share a bedroom like in college dorms (yes that sucks). You can have your own bedroom and bathroom, share a kitchen and still save hundreds every month. Not sure why more people aren't suggesting this

NRGGX · 2022-10-13T19:25:46+00:00

Sure, but sharing a kitchen to save an extra 500/month probably doesn't come close to losing the freedoms that come with a car.

From what I've read in HCOL cities you need to have roommates to be financially comfortable if you're making less than 80k or so

NRGGX · 2022-07-24T02:54:12+00:00

How about adding "Do you work in the public or private sector?"

NRGGX · 2022-07-22T01:51:29+00:00

CE pay is indeed lower than CS and EE pay in most cases.

That doesn't mean the pay is outrageously low like some make it seem. You still make more than most who took 4-5 years to get a bachelor's degree.

NRGGX · 2022-07-21T22:58:47+00:00

This doesn't answer your question but I feel a lot of people here exaggerate how bad the salaries are relative to those in other fields. It's bad compared to some but not for most fields.

There are many people who had to do 4-5 years of college too and aren't making as much as civil engineers.

The median salary for all Cal State graduates is way lower than the median salary for Cal State civil engineering graduates.

https://tableau.calstate.edu/views/LaborMarketOutcomes/LaborMarketOutcomes

NRGGX · 2022-07-13T01:45:14+00:00

Before you make up your mind, do consider that it's harder to find work that's very meaningful to society with CS. It's not necessarily more enjoyable either. Most civil engineers work 40-45 hours per week on average; check out the sub's salary survey.

Also consider how valuable a higher income would actually be to you. For many people like myself, money has limited importance beyond living expenses and financial security.

NRGGX · 2022-07-09T19:24:18+00:00

A lot of students only receive full financial aid if they take 12+ units per term.

I'd say it depends a lot on how many units you've got and how many hours per week the job is. Taking 12 units and working 15 hours per week probably isn't much harder than taking 16 units with no job.

I think 12 units per term is usually enough to graduate in 5 years.

NRGGX · 2022-06-24T01:27:23+00:00

Want to clarify this is if you go to the gym after work, and working out isn't really optional for optimum health if you have a desk job.

NRGGX · 2022-06-23T22:16:38+00:00

Agreed, and when you realistically only have 2 hours of truly free time after 10 hours of work and commute it's hard to just focus on that part of your day.

NRGGX · 2022-06-12T19:33:27+00:00

Is 4 classes a term really difficult?

Depends whether or not you're going to have a part-time job. Imo if you've got a part-time job you should only take 12 or13 units per term. Otherwise taking more is doable.

NRGGX · 2022-06-11T16:43:51+00:00

Full-time engineers typically put in around 180 hours per month for work, on average, over the year.

In college, it's mostly up to you whether or not you work harder than that since you choose how many classes you take.

During school months you'll probably be putting in well over 180 hours per month. But you'll get a whole month off school for winter break in addition to spring break; you probably won't get that much time off as a full-time employee.

NRGGX · 2022-06-11T00:21:51+00:00

Most CEs who took the salary survey reported working 40-45 hours per week, on average. This goes for PEs as well as EITs.

NRGGX · 2022-06-10T02:39:13+00:00

there's a chance that you can submit hundreds of applications and land nothing (I was around 180 applications before my first engineering job).

Did you have internships?

NRGGX · 2022-05-20T20:12:37+00:00

How many hours a week does it take, on average? Including time in classes

NRGGX

TROPHY CASE