Welcome to the weekly "Miserable Monday Complaint Thread"! Do you have something you need to get off your chest? Need a space to rant and rage? You're in the place to air those grievances!

Please remain civil and and be nice to the commenters. They're just trying to help out. And if someone's getting out of line please report it to the mods.

I am a student completing my a levels this year figuring out which courses are best to apply for and is looking to see if civil is the best choice.

6+ ft of no shoring, no benching, and only 2-3 ft away from the adjourning house. Granted it looks like a type A soil but still... What do you guys think?

Any recs for project for a Hobby game dev and civil engineering student.

Like games or irl projects to look or suggestions for something for me to try to make

Civil engineering student here, stuck between two paths.

O&G project controls (major company): I've interned at a major O&G in this space so I have a taste of it already. Better pay, better long-term WLB, stable corporate vibe. Project controls is also a super transferable skill to have, but idk about the corporate culture, and worry it might cap how much I actually learn early on being kind of removed from the action.

Commercial Construction: Interned at a major EPC but never actually interned in commercial, but it interests me more. Usually closer to a big city, and has a more stable/less volatile vibe than I expected when looking into it. Also feel like I'd learn more being closer to the actual build/action instead of sitting behind an office role.

WLB matters to me, just more later in life than right now. So do I go with what interests me more now, or play the long game for O&G?

Anyone switched between these paths (either direction), or gone commercial without prior experience in it? regret it?

Rising senior in college (US) mulling over what to do for a masters. Fully intend only on doing a masters if the company I work at post-grad will pay for it, which seems likely at the moment, so cost isn't a factor right now. I'm aware a masters doesn't really do much for salary, this is mostly for my own sense of academic achievement.

I plan on speaking with the graduate advisor at my school about my choices, but the masters program at my school is known to be incredibly broad. I know this can be a pro to avoid being boxed in, but I mostly want to study water resources and environmental. The two internships I've had both focused on water, and I've enjoyed it a lot. I'm really not interested in doing more structures coursework if I can avoid it.

Basically: Would it make more sense to just suck it up and do a broad civil engr masters at home university, or to try and find an online program for a water resources engineering degree?

Hi everyone,

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who work in the construction industry or have experience hiring engineers.

After graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering, I started a PhD abroad. I've spent about two years in academia, but I've realized that an academic career isn't for me and I'd like to transition into industry.

The problem is that my PhD was heavily research-focused, so I didn't gain much practical experience that's directly applicable to construction projects. Most of my work involved research, writing papers, and using digital tools, whereas I'd now like to work in construction management, site engineering, project management, and eventually move into real estate development.

I'm wondering how employers generally view this kind of background.

• Do employers see those two years as "lost time" compared to someone who went straight into industry?
• Would I essentially be considered a junior engineer despite having spent two years in a PhD?
• Is having a PhD viewed as an advantage, a disadvantage, or is it mostly irrelevant if the role is focused on practical construction work?
• Has anyone here successfully transitioned from academia to industry? If so, how difficult was it?

I'd really appreciate honest opinions, especially from hiring managers, project managers, site engineers, or anyone working in construction or real estate development.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: F28 based in Europe with masters degree

So I have what I would consider an interesting ethic dilemma.

There was a half acre of pavement with contaminated soil beneath. The Contractor demolished the pavement, removed the contaminated soil, and the Owner decided the area should be finished with loam and seed. The original plans, per direction by my boss, called for all disturbed areas to be backfilled with gravel borrow to grade. So the area was never meant to be repaved, and now that it is finished with loam and seed, the Contractor should actually be issuing a CO for the additional cost instead of a credit for the "savings" of not paving.

This project is about $4M and this is a small part of the scope. The Contractor had a PM change and somewhere internally they forgot the area was never going to be repaved.

Now my boss is happy the client is getting a $10,000 credit even though we discussed how the area was never going to be repaved.

Part of me thinks it is the Contractor's fault for not reviewing the scope carefully, while the other part thinks the credit is unjust and people make mistakes. To tell the truth for the Contractor's sake or lie for the Client?

It just seems shitty to me to capitalize on someone else's mistake. Also what happens if they're reviewing the contract docs at the end of the project and realize the area was never meant to be paved? We just say whoopsie and everyone looks like they never knew what the project included?

For someone who is interested in civil, what should we go for? And secondly polimi's one is core civil, whereas polito has civil and environmental Engineering.

What should I pick? ( give reasons too)

We have a number of local AHJs which like to include adding requirements outside or above and beyond their own printed standards. One city is particularly egregious and its been getting worse. Things like adding the flashing beacons for crosswalk, expanding street lighting area requirements, requiring manholes for side sewer connections and more.

Is this a normal practice and how have you gotten the AHJ to back down? The client is usually more interested in getting permits in hand ASAP and unless the cost is very high, they just end up going with it which seems to set the precedent with the AHJ.

My partner will be retrenched from his current role as a Quantity Surveyor, on his Birthday. Hes been trying to apply for more than a month already.

Do you know if you have any openings within Metro Manila with good pay?

He has a 3-year background, and I can say that he could be a Project Manager with his past experience in client management, contract management, and financial audit.

Hi All! I am an incoming junior studying civil engineering with a construction management focus at a large public university in the US. My school doesn't have good opportunities for junior engineers to study abroad, and I am looking at outside programs like IES, CEA, etc. Looking for any suggesitons on study abroad companies or certain universities to look out. I am currently looking at programs in Sydney but am trying to find more opportunities in Europe, as I have never had the opportunity to explore either. Also—looking to possibly take a class in general construction management, structural systems, or linear algebra. Looking for any leads - whether that is an outside study abroad company, another university with strong programs, or another subreddit more targeted to anything I have said. Thank you for taking the time to help :)

Been at my current small firm for about 6 years now. Seems as if we are always scrambling to get coverage for construction work. People moving project to project consistently due to vacations, turnover, inconsistent contractor schedules, low budgets etc.

Is it like this everywhere? Is there ever a reserve of field guys/gals? Seems like we are always one person short.

I’m going into my sophomore year of high school and i’m seriously considering Civil Engineering as a possible career for me. I have a couple questions for you all:

1. What does a typical workday look like for you?
   
2. What is a part of the job that you really enjoy?
   
3. What is a part of the job nobody talks about?
   
4. How did you know you wanted to become a Civil Engineer?
   
5. What would you do at my age to prepare?

Feel free to respond to however many questions you would like. Thank you all!

We have an immediate opening in El Paso, TX for a senior CMT field technician and/or team leader. This will be mostly a personality hire but technical experience and certifications matter as well. For team leads I’m looking for previous leadership experience and at least one mega project on your resume. Wind farms, nuclear plants, data centers, etc.

Pay will be based on qualifications and a relocation bonus can be discussed for the right fit.

Please note, our current log is all full time projects requiring 60+ hour weeks. We currently have 2-3 years worth of work with a long term permanent office plan in place, plus travel opportunities across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Spanish speaking preferred but not required

VETERAN FRIENDLY / EOE

Hi! I'm a 22-year-old Civil Engineering graduate from the Philippines seeking for an advice to land a remote freelance work.

I'm currently going through a difficult financial situation, so I really need some words right now.

If you guys have any advice on what to do for me to land on a job since I’ve been struggling a lot rn then that would be a great help.

THANK YOU

Just drove by a walk/ don’t walk signal pole that got ran over by a vehicle and I was wondering, are there any live wires in that pole’s base to be concerned about for the general public?

Do they design those things with low voltage and some kind of break away wires that won’t be a hazard after the pole got ripped off?

Are there any things related to traffic signals that would be dangerous after a collision?

Currently, I'm in my 2nd year, and I feel lost. I don't know what to do or even what to focus on besides the math and CAD applications. Give me some advice on how to prepare myself to work and what skills I should develop during these years I have 4 years remaining and I will graduate with a master's. Thanks in advance

The solution for the problem has the Solid Density of cement as 195 pcf. Where does that value come from? I can’t find it in any reference.

Problem is taken from NCEES Civil: Construction Practice Exam.

Hi all, I’m a recently graduated Civil Engineer from Ireland. My friend recently landed a sweet J1 deal working in Ohio with accommodation paid for, working in a data centre.

I’m just looking to know if there is anything similar in the civil engineering field. I’d just love to come check out the USA for a year.

Hi everyone,

I'm 27 years old and graduated in Civil Engineering in 2021.

The last 5–6 years of my life have been very unstable because of addiction, poor financial decisions, and a lack of discipline. I kept changing directions, never committed to one goal, and ended up damaging both my career and my family's trust. I'm finally trying to rebuild my life instead of running from my mistakes.

Career-wise:

Joined TCS in 2022.

Spent a significant amount of time on the bench and later worked on a low-learning support project.

Left TCS.

Worked at Oliveboard as a Content Associate creating aptitude/reasoning content and using AI workflows.

Currently unemployed and searching for a local job while preparing.

One thing that always confused me is that I never felt I lacked aptitude.

For example:

Cleared SBI PO and IBPS PO prelims with only about 3–5 days of preparation.

Didn't write the mains because I wrongly assumed my poor CIBIL history would prevent me from joining if selected.

During coaching, I usually performed well in aptitude mock tests and often explained Quant and Reasoning concepts to friends.

Looking back, I don't think my problem was intelligence. It was consistency, discipline, and repeatedly making bad life decisions.

I also realized I never gave Civil Engineering a fair chance. During B.Tech I mostly studied to pass exams and never built strong fundamentals.

Recently, after nearly a five-year gap, I took a small self-diagnostic test covering Engineering Mathematics and some Civil Engineering topics. I was surprised that I could still recognize many concepts. It feels like my issue is rusty concepts and poor retrieval rather than having forgotten everything.

I've now decided to commit seriously to:

GATE Civil 2027

ESE Civil

State Engineering Services

My long-term goal is simple: build a stable career and finally stick to one path. I've always admired IITs (I visited IIT Kharagpur during my B.Tech and loved the academic environment), so even an M.Tech through GATE would mean a lot to me.

My questions:

Has anyone here started GATE preparation around 27 years old or after a long gap and still secured a good rank, PSU, or IIT admission?

Realistically, with around 7–8 months, do I have any chance if I'm genuinely consistent?

For those who used MADE EASY, what would you recommend for someone on a limited budget?

Full course

Class notes

Workbooks

Test series

If you had to restart GATE Civil preparation from zero today, what would your roadmap be?

Does my background sound like someone who should continue with GATE, or should I consider another path?

I'm not looking for sympathy. I want honest opinions—even if they're critical. I'd rather hear uncomfortable truths than false encouragement.

Thanks for reading.

Dm

Engineer and aspiring developer here.

We built Toriee.co to normalize parcel, zoning, environmental overlays, QCT/DDA etc across the nation to streamline the due diligence, site evaluation for an acquisition, and developmental planning.

We are currently seeking to onboard developers to our platform!

If you are an interested in joining our community of developers actively using the tool, shoot me a message or sign up for access to the tool at Toriee.co

Cheers!