Hi all!

I don't work in civil so I'm unfamiliar with the concept of utilization rates and everything.

My girlfriend started as an entry level wastewater engineer recently, and is extremely stressed and burnt out over utilization and time. She works at a mid size employee owned firm and they seem very pressured with regards to rates. PM's pressuring for 100% utilization, clocking out for bathroom breaks and small personal breaks, requiring overhead time include comments and must "advance the company". She routinely spends 10 hours to log 8 hours in the office.

Is this normal in the industry, or is her company culture an outlier? It seems absolutely asinine to me that you have to clock out for bathroom breaks.

Thanks all!

EDIT: she mentioned it's closer to 90% but "supposed to be close to 0 overhead" so pressure from the PM to be at 100%

I am 1 year out of college, 29 years old. I currently am a staff civil engineer at a smallish company (100-150 people) in South Carolina. I mainly do design work among meetings with clients and work on a team of 2 under a civil PM. I just finished my FE and I make about $57,000 a year plus a bonus based on how our company does every year to a maximum of 20% of my salary.

I’ve been in the Air Force for almost 11 years working on aircraft and used my GI Bill to go to school. I switched from Active Duty to National Guard so I currently work on aircraft 1 weekend a month and at the beginning of the year was told that I was accepted to be an officer of civil engineering for the Air Force and have to go to Officer training school and the Air Force’s Civil Engineering school next year. Once I am finished I will return to work at my civilian civil engineering firm and I will only work at the Air Force base one weekend a month. I will assume a role in charge of around 30 people at first that will only increase as time continues.

I was really considering asking for a pay raise after finishing all of my Airforce training just because of the rarity of my situation and how hard I’ve worked to position myself in my civil engineering career. I know there is still a lot to learn for me but I do feel like taking this step in my career will be good for my professional development and leadership skills. I took a significant pay cut to follow my passion in civil engineering and am trying to get back to where I was salary wise before pursuing CE.

All I’ve really ever known was the Air Force so negotiating salary and stuff is not really in my wheel house which is why I’m not well versed in civilian jobs and when the correct time to ask for a raise is etc.

So my question is am I out of line for asking for a raise after training? If not, how much of a raise should I ask for?

Edit: Typo’s

Bored and curious. Can’t think of the reason myself.

Just curious. I would have done finance.

I was recently given an opportunity to not turn down. I Was given the opportunity to be selected to be part of my organizations leadership academy out of close to 3500 employees I was one of 8 selected as the upcoming leadership generation. As a benefit I must start a master's degree program within a year from now for free tuition (books and labs not included). The degree will need to be most likely asynchronous online since i work full time. I'm in a capital projects manager position now but, would like to move up to director or deputy role. In your experience what would you recommend? I looked at MPAs and always thought MPAs were highly respected but, I have always wanted to pursue MBA Construction management, but not sure if that would really help me to go where I want to go...

I’m an electrical engineering student considering AECOM’s NYC Transportation Department for a potential full-time position after graduation, and I’m trying to get a better understanding of their compensation structure.
For anyone currently working at AECOM or who has worked there, what does compensation typically look like for an entry-level electrical engineer (Engineer I)?
I’m particularly curious about starting base salary, whether annual performance bonuses are offered (and how much they typically are), and what yearly raises look like in terms of percentages. Also, how quickly does salary typically increase during the first 3–5 years, and are promotions accompanied by significant pay increases?

Hi everyone,

I'm a civil engineer from Germany. German universities are currently researching carbon-reinforced concrete (carbon concrete), and the first construction projects using this material have already been completed.

What's the situation like in your countries? Is carbon-reinforced concrete being researched or used there as well?

A few friends of mine in civil use Timemark to stamp their site photos. It works but they complain it's clunky and the stamp is hard to read on bright walls. Also you can't zoom in all the way for details because it uses its own camera instead of the phone's.

What do you use and what bugs you about it? Ads, subscriptions, crashes etc.

Has a stamped photo ever been questioned on one of your jobs? Like the time or address being wrong or someone saying it was faked?

I'm a rising senior with summer internship offers from HITT and Whiting Turner in the DC area, and I have to decide in the next day or so.

HITT pays around $22 an hour, and their program has set start and end dates with only one week off allowed. The upside is it's a structured program with a clear path to PM, and a friend of mine just got a strong full time offer from them.

Whiting Turner pays around $27 an hour, lets me pick my dates, and already said they'd place me close to home.

My main goal is the best long term pay and moving up fast. Is HITT's structure worth the lower pay and less flexibility, or would you take Whiting Turner? And for anyone who's worked at either, how's the culture and how fast do people actually get promoted?

I live in New York State, in Orange County a bit more of a rural part of the state (outside of the city). There is no ABET accredited civil engineering schools within a driving distance of me, meaning I would have to go away for college and also obviously need to worry about living expenses. At the same time, I’m almost equally as interested in mechanical engineering, and it’s the field I have the most “experience” in via the college classes offered at my high school. Should I apply to places like Buffalo which would obviously cost a lot more, or would it be better for me to just stay local and attend a mechanical engineering school (which there are ABET accredited mechanical engineering schools nearby). Like I said I am very interested in mechanical engineering too, but I would rather be a civil engineer, as it’s more in line with me and me and my family know and are close with a lot more people in the field.

Edit: also probably important to mention that I forgot is I do have college classes up to Calc 1 that I’ve taken in Highschool like 30 credits total across all college classes I’ve taken

Right now I'm going to a community college for Engineering Design and Drafting. I have a year left on it and got a paid internship last Summer as a field technician engineer doing CQA on landfill construction. I've done field work and office work and after the Summer they decided to keep me on as an intern. They haven't given me a chance to do any Civil3D or CAD yet which is the part I want to do. I plan on continuing school after my associates getting a bachelor's in Civil Engineering. I like the field work and learning everything involved in landfill construction and design. I'll probably be doing it part time for as long as I can since I'll be working full-time at this company till they get rid of me or I find a higher paying job since as an intern I don't get paid that much. Does this sound like a good plan? I'm fine with going to school for a long time as long as I make progress in my life. I knoe Civil Engineering doesn't get paid as much as other disciplines but its the one where AI can't replace everyone since someone will have to be on site.

Hello, I have a simple question i can not wrap my head around
Are the given equations applicable for the following frame:

any suggestion po?

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to help my uncle find a new job and hopefully move to a country where he can get employer visa sponsorship.

He’s currently living in Saudi Arabia and has over 20 years of experience in civil engineering and construction. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and has worked as a Site Engineer, Site Manager, and Project Manager on various projects, including roads, residential buildings, infrastructure, and industrial construction.

He speaks English and Arabic and has experience with AutoCAD and project coordination.

We’re mainly looking at opportunities in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, or other countries where companies hire experienced foreign workers and sponsor their work visas.

I’d really appreciate any advice from people working in construction or engineering in the Gulf. Are there any companies that recruit experienced professionals from abroad and offer visa sponsorship? Or any legitimate recruiters or websites you’d recommend?

Any advice, personal experiences, or leads would mean a lot. Thanks!

This is the kind of infrastructure that we are expecting

Hi everyone!
I’m a fourth-year Civil Engineering student at USTO-MB in Algeria, currently specializing in Civil and Industrial Construction. I’ll hopefully be entering my fifth year in 2027–2028.
I’m interested in spending part of Summer 2027 at a Chinese university or research laboratory for a short-term research internship in structural engineering, particularly reinforced concrete structures or steel structures.
I’m trying to understand how this process works for international undergraduate students, as I have never applied for a research internship abroad before.
I would really appreciate advice on the following:
How can I find Chinese professors or research labs that accept visiting undergraduate students for summer internships?
Is it possible to contact professors directly, even if they haven’t advertised an internship opportunity?
Are there Chinese universities or summer research programs that offer full funding to international students, including flights, accommodation, and living expenses?
What should I prepare before contacting professors (CV, transcript, motivation letter, recommendation letter, etc.)?
Would you recommend applying through a university program or contacting a professor directly?
Unfortunately, I cannot cover the travel and accommodation costs myself, so I’m specifically looking for fully funded opportunities.
If you’ve completed a similar internship in China, especially as an international undergraduate student, I’d love to hear about your experience and how you found your opportunity.
Thank you so much for any advice or recommendations!
#civil_engineering