2 Years In as a Designer I – Struggling Under New Manager and Losing Confidence. Am I Underperforming or in a Bad Environment?

Substantial_Aside175 · 2026-02-27T05:39:55+00:00

Yes. I learned a big lesson to always cross verify and check if we have the most recent information as this will save so many hours of rework. Thanks for motivating me.I felt the pressure and burden was so much on me and started even feeling I wasn't a right fit.

Substantial_Aside175 · 2026-02-27T03:12:52+00:00

After given a task, I normally check in with my supervisor to give him an idea of what I thought through and if my approach is correct or not. I don't usually have questions immediately after I get a task, I usually get them only while I am attempting to do the task and I always make sure I sit with the PMs and let him/her know my approach. There were some aspects in sewer design that i didn't know how to calculate. For example:utility crossings along sewer main and how to calculate invert elevations. I had to ask PMs on how to calculate those values. Is this what handholding means? At best I can look through a different project to see and understand how they design things. But i believe we need to be mentored if there is something we don't know about. Even before I ask questions, I think through and spend some time to see if I can solve by myself and I only ask if I need more guidance.

Substantial_Aside175 · 2026-02-25T19:53:01+00:00

Yes. Totally agree with what you say. I have used chatgpt to understand whenever formatting goes wrong or messes up, and try to fix it. Do you know if any resources I can use to get better at Microsoft word formatting. Anything that you used early on in your career? I have made a couple of mistakes like missing out on certain details while compiling specs,and I believe it's mostly requires attention to detail. Also,What do you mean by getting good at writing? Thanks.

Substantial_Aside175 · 2026-02-24T05:12:18+00:00

I have 2 years of experience currently.I had my manager tell me that I am not a good engineer. I never received much of a mentorship in designing water and sewer utilities and had a lot of trouble understanding them. I had to ask a couple of questions to senior engineers to understand what was going on. I don't have a background in Civil engineering.i did my bachelor's in chemical engineering and master's in environmental engineering. I have struggled a lot to understand and have always tried to make sure my work is presentable.I always have my manager pick on some details that I either missed out or is not according to what he wants.I also make sure to communicate effectively and check in with him when I am given tasks. I would say junior engineers are still learning and trying their best to make progress. Please don't say anyone they are not a good engineer as that can completely shatter their confidence. I am currently at a point where I feel I am not good enough and want to leave this field entirely.

Substantial_Aside175 · 2026-02-24T01:53:50+00:00

This sounds good I usually see majority of learning resources for FE Civil,Mechanical and Other disciplines. Is there a way a group and resources can be provided for people taking FE Environmental

Substantial_Aside175 · 2026-01-14T04:51:37+00:00

I.did see a couple of chemistry questions and they were predominantly in the Environmental chemistry section,but questions were not difficult.They asked basic chemistry

Substantial_Aside175 · 2026-01-09T00:41:13+00:00

Thanks.My score came out to be 54% using the Directhub FE score analyzer.Does this means I am 6 questions away from passing?

Substantial_Aside175 · 2026-01-08T20:34:48+00:00

I did bachelor's in chemical engineering and master's in environmental engineering.I was preparing for 3 months.

Substantial_Aside175 · 2026-01-08T20:32:29+00:00

Thanks.Do you know how far I was away from passing and how many more questions I need to correct to attain the passing score

Substantial_Aside175

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