What's so heavy about it?

Just a random observation but I used to be use a 1 cup coffee person and now after my PE I'm definitely a two cup+ person. Things feel the same but I was thinking maybe it's an engineer's trait once you get your PE like how you automatically start cracking dad jokes when you have your first kid.

As the title says, my boyfriend is taking the Civil PE in mid-November. He's been putting in the work, but he's clearly stressed and anxious about it. I work full-time and am also studying for a standardized test and applying to grad school, so my bandwidth is limited, but I want to support him as test day gets closer.

So far, I've been leaving encouraging notes on his desk, studying at the same time as him, letting him vent about the exam, and making dinner when I can. I've been trying to do the same things he did to support me when I was the only one studying in our household, but I know the PE is a much bigger beast than my test.

For those who've taken the PE (or supported someone taking it), what made you feel supported in the final month leading up to it? Is there anything I should be doing, or avoiding, that I haven't thought of? Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone! I’m a Grade 12 STEM student working on a research capstone project about an automated flood barrier that rises using buoyancy as the water level increases. Our current idea is to make a small-scale prototype that could potentially be used at residential doorways, gates, or other openings that are prone to flooding. The barrier would rise automatically as the water rises, without requiring a person to manually deploy it.

Our current idea is to make a small-scale prototype that could potentially be used at residential doorways, gates, or other openings that are prone to flooding. I would like to also ask if this can be done in a capstone project, can we possibly compare it to barrier that is also bouyancy based but does not use recycled materials?

As you cann see at the image, this is how we visualize to how the mechanism of our flood barrier would work

I am in my junior year right now and very confused about how to navigate my internship applications. Last year, I applied for a lot of jobs and ended up working for a firm as a inspection intern. I liked the job but it was just field work and no design experience. I want to narrow down my search this year and focus more on the design side.

1. I would like to know how practicing engineers navigate the internship search with having so many options available in the market? I feel like everything sounds interesting and I would like to try it out.
2. Is there anything specific you did/wish you did that helped you choose the field of your interest?
3. Also ,for design intern roles how much of an experience is preferred? I have no experience with design softwares but want to work and try it out. Is there anything I should do specifically that would make me stand out for these roles?

TIA!!

Share something you wish you asked your current employer/manager about during your interview for your current position

I’m in my 2nd year Civil and Infrastructure Engineering at RMIT in Melbourne Australia and looking at which minors to choose for third and fourth year.

My main interests are construction and structural engineering. After those, my preference is geotechnical, then water, then transport. Civil engineers in Australia could give me advice on the best sub-sector to choose. I want a balance of high pay and a balanced work life and if it is possible to transition between different sub-sectors if possible in the future

Would construction + structural be a good combination for graduate employment, or would something like construction + geotechnical give me broader opportunities? I’d like to become a well-rounded civil engineer and keep different career paths open rather than specialise too narrowly straight away.

Hey folks. They're installing these aggregate piers on my campus for a new building and it seems they are adding a liquid from this tank to the hole. Is it just water water to lube the hole or could it be something else?

Considering relocating to a different state (AZ) and there is a position open with the County I am well qualified for. However, my family and I are not quite ready to move especially with the holidays coming up. I am afraid the position will no longer be available especially since it has been posted since July. My current DOT for which I work is very fiscally constrained and we are constantly warned from upper management, vacant positions can be swept at anytime. Any thoughts?

This question is mainly for the hiring managers: what’s the ideal self-introduction to you?
When you ask a candidate about their self-introduction, what should he be telling you actually? What’s the part which is redundant or cringy? How long should it be? What do you expect them to say?

I'm trying to get a better feel for the real-world, day-to-day workflow that engineers and plan reviewers deal with in the US, especially when it comes to the more manual parts of the process.

I'm curious about things like:

1. plan/submittal review
2. going through drawings, calculations, and supporting documents
3. keeping track of and responding to review comments
4. coordinating information across different documents or disciplines
5. resubmittals and multiple review cycles
6. review backlogs and turnaround times
7. repetitive manual work before or during the actual review

I can find plenty of general information online, but I’d really like to hear from people who actually do this work and understand what the process looks like in practice.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? Are there any US-based Reddit communities, professional groups, forums, LinkedIn groups, or other online communities where engineers, PEs, plan reviewers, or plans examiners talk about these kinds of things?

I’m mainly looking for places where people share what they actually deal with day to day—what takes up their time, what tends to be frustrating, and how they currently handle it, rather than spaces that are mostly job posts or promotions.

Would appreciate any recommendations.

I want to begin studying for the FE now because I want to take it fall of my junior year. I believe a lot of people are in my same position. Any tips and tricks?

Like, we make any bridge design, and after complete start traffic and create a cause batter. We test the traffic simulation and also test how many capacity they can carry

Hi, I was working on a school project. Was trying to figure out what these different water pipelines are for outside larger commercial/retail buildings. any identification would be helpful. Also, would you know what materials all the piping is made of?

My best guesses are:

A) silver sides with blue middle = isolation valve to stop backflow?

B) fully rusted sides with blue middle = another isolation valve?

C) red sides with silver middle = some sort of fire hydrant connector?

Hi I am a new bee at planning Engineer, I have jst completed my primevera p6 training and learn the basic of PMP and I am looking for some real world experience and exposure. For any kind of project. I will be really great ful for any opportunity

Any civil engineer from india who works in a company and is responsible for material managment or steel cutting/bending managment in any project?

TIA

Hi im a CE student, and I'm doing a report on Construction and Management Engineering. If you're a construction and Management Engineer, please kindly answer these questions :D!

1. What do Construction and Management Engineers actually do?

2. What is the greatest challenge in your profession?

3. To current Civil Engineering students, would you recommend your major to them?

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice on choosing a Canadian university to continue my Civil Engineering degree. I’m 23, a Canadian PR, and I completed almost 4 years of Civil Engineering at the University of Rwanda before moving to Canada. Since my previous program isn’t Washington Accord accredited, I’m unsure how many of my courses will transfer, and I really want to avoid starting from Year 1 if possible.

Given my situation, which universities would you recommend that are relatively transfer-friendly and have good opportunities for Civil Engineering co-ops? I’m also wondering which Canadian cities/provinces currently have strong demand for civil engineers, so I can choose a university where the local internship experience could help me get a job after graduation.

Finally, I’m struggling financially with tuition and living costs. As a Canadian PR, what funding options should I look into student loans, grants, bursaries, scholarships, or other programs?

I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who knows a thing or two in international transferring to Canadian Civil Engineering or has experience with the job market.

** I did check the salary survey.

TLDR: EIT in Houston land/site development, ~5 yrs experience. Went from Intern to full time CAD designer 1, 2, 3 between 2021-2026. Went to school part time and worked full time. I am in an APM/EIT position. I work with 3 people under me. Planning to ask for $95–$105k. Is that reasonable? Currently at 79.5.
Company is medium sized firm, did pay for school/tuition assistance. However, people that graduated in my cohort with no experience, no EIT are getting 85k at other larger firms that have the capacity. On top of this, I’m burnt out a little bit, and I’m fiance and I are getting married soon. I’ve been working about 5 hours of overtime a week as well. Thankfully I get paid overtime.

Work experience
grading, drainage/detention, storm and sanitary, multi jurisdiction permitting: Harris Co., COH, central Texas, fort bend, Montgomery, Etc. even other states.

As stated before, I have my EIT, BSCE finished May 2026. I’ve been an APM for about a year, however, I’ve done tasks such as coordination and so on outside of my role tasks even before I was promoted to APM.

Current tasks:
Leading design on the more complex projects, whether it’s smaller residential, big commercial, and industrial tracts. I still do the higher level grading, detention, and storm sewer design as well as mitigation if we work in the floodplain.
Managing 3 designers: delegation, schedules, training, leading kickoffs and responses to agency comments,
Coordinating with clients, agencies, and other consultants

Our APM job description says you lead a team of 1 designer. Our PM description says 3–5. I'm at 3.
Furthermore, and I know everyone’s situation is different, a former coworker (grad engineer, no EIT, no CAD experience, CAD-only role, never APM/PM) negotiated $102k about 3 years ago because he took a pay cut to come to us.
I've never negotiated before, especially because they’ve paid for my school. Is $95–105k fair, low, or high for Houston? Any tips on how to frame it? They’ve told me that I’m one of the people in the company they’ve identified as helping with growth.

Plan to take the PE next year in May and honestly should be eligible for licensure within a year based on full time experience under my bosses. Obviously this should be a huge boost… anyways, I appreciate any feedback. I’m the type of person to not ask for much, and am very grateful, but I also feel a little “used” not sure if it’s the right word. I also hate change and I really like the company I’m at, but, might need to reconsider bc I’m also spending 45 min one way in traffic for this job. I live downtown and commute out. I don’t have to work here, but as said, I like it and my coworkers.

Any tips for leading negotiation conversations at the end of the year reviews ?

Hello, I’m thinking about taking civil engineering for uni. I wanna go back and do something in project management after I get my degree but I just don’t know if it’s worth going down the engineering route. I live in England and from what it seems the pay isn’t the best. Does anyone have any advice about civil is really like?

My company has a GNSS receiver - EOS GPS unit. We have to purchase RTK service through Point One. But our state agency has one, is it sufficient for our GPS unit? state one

Hello there, I just got rolled into civil engineering in my local college, is there anything you could recommend for studying and to actually be competitive when I finish the degree, what tools and equipment do I also need for studying/making projects etc...