What are my likely career prospects as a mature graduate civil engineer?
Nick L asked:
Hi, I’m about to start a 4 year BEng degree course, I will be 32 when I finish. This is a change of career and my first degree and so I’m anxious to know whether large construction companies generally take on older graduates? I’d be very grateful if someone with experience could let me know what I might be in for. Thanks a lot.
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Hi, I’m about to start a 4 year BEng degree course, I will be 32 when I finish. This is a change of career and my first degree and so I’m anxious to know whether large construction companies generally take on older graduates? I’d be very grateful if someone with experience could let me know what I might be in for. Thanks a lot.
March 6th, 2009 at 11:46 am
I am an older civil engineer with only a couple years experience. As a structural engineer I can make 50-60$/hour anywhere. if i go to the places where the oil industry are I can make 75$/hour. if I go to Alaska I can make $100/hour and in the mideast I can make 120-200$/hour. You must learn to use the program called STAAD. It is the industry standard and easy to use finite element package. The closer to oil you work, the more $$ you will make.
March 8th, 2009 at 8:45 am
You will have no problem with finding a job with construction companies if the economy turns around by the time you graduate. The job market for all Civil Engineers is sucking hard right now.
As for design and consulting Civil Engineering firms, you will have a disadvantage because I have found that they shy away from older students and non-traditional students and former military students. I have gone to pretty much every campus career fair at my university for the past 3 years and have gone around talking to almost every company at the events and it seems they don’t like older and former military people unlike the construction companies that favor older and former military people.
I have talked to several people that are either older students and/or former military and they have ran into the same with design and consulting civil engineering firms. This is why I don’t put my military service on my resume.