Mechanical and Civil Engineering

[idig4au]

spent my undergrad many moons ago in Laramie. Mechanical
Engineers are in higher demand in large population centers ( manufacturing and larger building ). The the poster above civil
Is in higher demand in rural areas (roads ,mines, wind power )
If your boy wants the best leg up a masters in geology (about the same commitment as an undergrad in CE ) could likely do him just as good.
And if he want a the ace In the hole a mining engineering diploma from Montana tech , or colorado School of mines will get him able
To write his own to ticket.

best of luck to your guy.

I have a mining engineering degree and agree. Can write your own ticket in this field and see the world. Remuneration is among the highest of any engineering field.

 

[Kimber7man]

Consulting (private practice) civil engineer specializing in water and wastewater treatment. Water is a precious commodity, we have plenty of it here in IN and OH but in the west it’s becoming like gold. People always want to turn the tap and have clean water come out, and flush the toilet and watch it go away.
There’s not nearly enough engineers to meet the demand. And won’t be for the next 50 years.

 

[lintond]

I'd strongly advise you to help him identify his natural strengths and weaknesses, and then try to determine what career fields would align with his strengths.

This x1000!!!

I took aptitude tests that helped me match up careers with my abilities. Helped apply science to an emotional decision.


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[hikenhunt]

Also agree with the aptitude test, i took one as well which helped confirm my pursuit of engineering

 

[SloppyJ]

I've been in civil engineering for almost 20yrs at this point. Damn, I feel old now.

I got an internship at a local firm the summer I graduated highschool. I worked all throughout college there and a few years after once I graduated.

It is a very diverse field, my world revolves around development, design, and permitting. There are two distinct types of engineers and one is much more successful than others.

There are civils who want to be locked in an office and fed work under the door that are very analytical. The others, much rarer, are more of a people person and can talk to people and present things often with common sense.

I now manage an entire team handling new development in one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. The problems are diverse as well as the day to day challenges. I never thought I'd work in water utilities but that's where I've landed and it's a lot of fun. I basically play sim-city all day while keeping our operations guys and the tax payer in mind. Some civil career paths can become extremely polictical as well.

If your son is going down this paths, I'd strongly recommend that he get out of his comfort zone often and be as outgoing as possible. That will take him a long way. Good luck!

 

[Twodog]

Nor Cal here. I work in the construction inspection RE arena. I work for Butte county, Local Gov. We have a serious lack of civil engineers. The pay wont be astronomical but working in the public works sector the time off is amazing. between sick, vacation and comp time I'm sitting at around 900 hours of time off on the books.

 

[Rotnguns]

Wondering if any of you guys are in the mechanical or civil engineering fields and live in Wyoming, Idaho, Montana or Colorado. My son has been researching these fields and wanted to talk to someone who is currently in the field or has gone through it. His main things that we talked about today
1. Job availability in these states
2. Pay
3. Time off for hunting and fishing
4. Quality of life
5. Job growth opportunities

I am glad he is starting to think about these things. He is starting his Jr year and has been looking up colleges and cost ect.
He is a strong student. 4.5gpa and is already taking some jr college classes.
He is not an over the top high needs kid. He just wants to make enough money and have more than enough time off to hunt and fish. Other than that he is pretty basic.
Thanks

I'm an emeritus professor of mechanical engineering, retired from Boise State University. Mooretitan, thank you for taking an interest in your son's education. My advice to your son is to pursue the field of engineering that he finds most rewarding and interesting. Salary and job growth are both important, but both can change over four or five years, both statewide and nationally. He'll have a much more rewarding career doing something he likes, even though another field of engineering might pay a little more. Sounds like CE or ME now, but when he starts college and experiences a few introductory courses, he may go in a different direction. Can't count the number of my advisees who have started in ME and then found that EE, CE, MatSci, or even Comp Sci rang the bell for them. And that goes the other way as well. And I strongly suggest that your son pursue internships as soon as possible when he starts college. Best of luck to him!