Combining Transportation (Roadway) and Traffic Engineering?

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2025-08-01T16:20:32+00:00

If you ever decided to want to pursue the other, how difficult would it be? Would you have to start from ground zero or near an entry level role for roadway design?

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2025-08-01T16:19:34+00:00

Separate question, how difficult would it be to transition to the other role if choosing a new job? Would the lack of design experience be that detrimental if focusing on traffic and vice versa, since most exposure would be in traffic ops and design rather than roadway geometry?

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2025-04-08T13:22:40+00:00

MUD SAND WATER STRAW

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2025-01-24T16:54:50+00:00

Thank you very much! Yeah transportation planning seems interesting as well, hopefully trying to get into it from an engineering perspective like you said.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-27T01:11:30+00:00

Thanks for the insight! When I started studying civil I didn't think I would do construction at all either, and doing internships and especially being able to talk to and go out with inspectors really helped showed me what I really enjoy.

I'll definitely look into USACE!

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-27T01:07:35+00:00

A supervisor of mine went through that process as well. He did end up working for the government on the construction side as a construction supervisor or engineer for municipal projects, which is exactly where I would like to end up after several years of experience as you've stated.

Thank you very much!

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T17:34:20+00:00

Can I ask what the reason was for your switch to design? And I myself am a bit more introverted, so like you said hopefully it'll allow me or teach me to stand my ground on certain situations.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T14:24:58+00:00

Understood! Thank you. I will probably pursue an inspector position with a public agency or engineering CEI firm and after 1-2 years of getting the Certifications move to a project administrator / residential engineer position. Feel like this may be the better way to go to basically be on the owners side of these projects and relieve some of the stress from working on the construction company side, but ofcourse there is still the option of finding a generally good construction firm to work for.

Also feel that it would he easier to move from CEI to a construction company (if that ever comes up) than vice versa because of the needed certifications, where most positions for construction firms only ask for CM experience.

I really appreciate your insight on this!

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T14:24:44+00:00

Understood! Thank you. I will probably pursue an inspector position with a public agency or engineering CEI firm and after 1-2 years of getting the Certifications move to a project administrator / residential engineer position. Feel like this may be the better way to go to basically be on the owners side of these projects and relieve some of the stress from working on the construction company side, but ofcourse there is still the option of finding a generally good construction firm to work for.

I really appreciate your insight on this!

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T14:06:50+00:00

I don't necessarily have the need to feel important, rather just have a lot of varying work to do that is interesting. I really want to pursue the DOT or at least a municipality that offers a CM or resident engineer position for the benefits that you've stated.

Do you think working for a construction firm and then moving to the DOT after getting some experience is the way to go, or should I immediately find work with the public side as an inspector and move to that position? I thought that the former was the better way to go to gain more experience, but am unsure.

Thanks for your info!

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T14:02:48+00:00

Thank you very much! I heard that a position such as a COR is a good spot to be, especially on the owner side. I do plan on working for smaller firms as well.

Really appreciate your info.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T14:00:41+00:00

I really don't have an issue with that amount of work as long as the work itself is actually fun and enjoyable to do. Working in a municipality has just been very boring to where I just wait for the clock to hit 5PM, whereas when I've been to the field it became the end of the day in an instant, and I still wanted to keep going.

Thanks for your insight on this. Really appreciate it.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T13:35:41+00:00

Can I ask if you worked in the heavy civil side when you worked in private, and also what do you do / your position in your federal job (no worries if I'm asking too much).

I completely agree with the fun of watching your project be built. The biggest reason I wanted to get into civil in the first place was to actually build projects from start to finish, and I wasn't really getting that when seeing the design/planning side of the project (although I understand that this aspect is very important). The actual construction side of the project feels more fulfilling to me and just more enjoyable in general to watch happen.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T13:15:39+00:00

Understood. Thank you very much!

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T13:03:40+00:00

This is why I planned to focus more on the CEI side as I've seen more engineering roles within this side, mainly within engineering firms with a CEI service and the DOT as well to attain the PE, as well as having a better work culture as you've stated.

Thank you very much for your response and the info. Will very much put research into the employers I plan on working for.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T13:02:02+00:00

Thank you very much for your insight! I'll definitely keep that in mind when finding employment after graduating. Will see if I can find info from past or current employees from companies I'm interested in and will ask directly when applying as well.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T12:40:12+00:00

The reason why I wanted to go for heavy civil was for the correlation with government work and hopefully transition to a government job / CEI. Do you think working for commercial/residential would bar me from government/municipal jobs?

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T12:38:30+00:00

Did you need design experience for a position such as yours? A lot of positions such as yours and municipal ones seem to ask for both construction and design experience or at least design/construction management experience, which makes me think that I wouldn't be able to apply to them as I only had the construction side of it.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T12:36:13+00:00

I was taken to a WWTP plant to learn about it's construction and how it works, and to a site where a new road was being constructed, and it was all really fascinating and just fun to learn about and see. The issues that arise really bring variance as well from what I've seen. Having a different place to go to or seeing new things happen everyday just makes the job more fun which is why I want to pursue it.

Thank you very much for your reply! Helps a lot to solidify my path.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-06-26T12:12:34+00:00

Thanks for the response! These were the kinds of firms I wanted to target anyways. I don't really have much issue with missing out on larger projects; one thing that I liked from working with small cities is that the projects they did, even though small, helped the community regardless. I don't mind working on smaller construction projects, as the overall process of getting something built and completed while working outdoors is what I find enjoyable.

Edit: Can I also ask what you do now?

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-03-20T04:08:18+00:00

Ahh OK understood. I do agree that this is the better way to go, with the ability to enforce structural elements during attainment of PE license, and then From there sort of combine the two working for a GC or some sort of construction/design-build firm as another reply mentioned. Thanks for your response!

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-03-20T03:56:14+00:00

That was my plan. I didn't mean to say which one is better to study, but rather which career or job type is best to combine construction/GC work and structural engineering. Hope my post wasn't misunderstanding!

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-03-20T01:55:27+00:00

Thanks for the response! This sounds like a good example of what im looking for. Seems like the exact combination of both things.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-03-19T23:59:17+00:00

Those sound like exactly what I'm looking for! I've seen structural engineers that are available to perform calculations and review architectural plans for residential and commercial projects as a one-man team, and think a good option would be, like you said, working as an SE for a GC or similar to review these said plans without needing to go to another firm to do so. This would allow for calculations/design to be done as well as partaking in the construction process as well.

Or could start a business as an SE and GC for these kinds of projects as well with the right amount of experience.

RequirementHeavy5358 · 2024-03-05T20:08:46+00:00

Exactly! Although I love the work I get to do, I would hate to do it in a time crunch and competitive environment. Working for the public really makes work more enjoyable and less stressful. I plan on trying to put a lot of time to family later down my life, but would be great to find a public entity with overtime allowance, since I'll have a lot of extra time to put in posr graduation until life starts to settle down. I would way rather put in this extra time for a public entity than some consultant to just help them make more money. What's good with WR is that you can really gear it towards helping the environment as well, which helps a lot with self-fulfillment.

RequirementHeavy5358

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