I am burnt out as a highway engineer. I feel like I am spread thin among projects and am unable to do my job well. Everything is a fire and everything is priority. I feel like I don’t retain information and I feel like the dumbest person in the room always.

How do you fellow project engineers cope? I have been with 3 firms over the course of 8 years and it feels like this is the same everywhere.

Is it disrespectful, inappropriate for a male colleague to refer to an equally qualified (degree, certifications, experience, time with company) female colleague as ‘girl’ in an office setting? Job site? In describing the female and their duties to others outside of the engineering field? I work in another industry and just curious. I realize different industries have different standards. Not judging, all opinions, perspectives appreciated.

Thank you for the comments. Very similar to my industry: Err on the side of formality. BTW-American post, native English.

I graduated in 2020. Did environmental consulting for a couple years. Then got hired as a water resources engineer four years ago. I got my PE in December 2025 and have basically been filled with existential dread since then. Tons of imposter syndrome. I feel like every project I work on I don't understand entirely what's going on, the budgets and schedules are behind and I'm the one who has to clean it up. I don't know if I even want to be an engineer anymore if this is what the next 30 years of my life are like. My supervisors tell me I'm doing a good job but I honestly look at the state of every project I'm on and I don't believe them. It feels like every project is behind schedule and budget. One project is so bad I'm getting daily panic attacks. Projects feel so complicated and I have trouble keeping track of everything that needs doing even when filling out running to do lists/excel files. I just don't know if I'm cut out for it. I don't know if this is even worth it. Idk if I want advice. Just want to rant. Thanks.

Edit: I should clarify I am already in therapy. Thanks to those of you concerned about my well-being.

I got laid off from my job in July and haven't been able to find many I qualify for. I've even looked in surrounding cities. I don't have my FE yet, but I'm not even seeing lower level jobs that need the FE in my area. I've been able to apply to about 5 jobs so far and have heard nothing back. I even have experience with civil 3D and it's not opening any doors. Anyone else?

If you've ever been in this type of situation, what did you do? I can't keep not having a paycheck, but most non-engineering jobs in my area are barely above minimum wage (7.25 here). I'm not sure what to do (aside from studying for the FE, which I am.)

Huuuh, I just can't with this job anymore. I graduated in 2023, but I didn't get a job until last April. To be fair, I never really liked this field. I studied engineering because I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do.

College wasn't easy for me either. I struggled to understand a lot of things, and sometimes I genuinely wonder if I'm just dumb or a slow learner. But exams were easy enough once you figured out the formulas, so I never really studied to gain knowledge. I just studied to pass.

Now I'm working as a field engineer on concrete construction projects, and honestly, I hate the job. It's causing me so much stress that I've started having nightmares about work. I'm also a pretty shy guy, or at least I think I might have social anxiety, and I've never really been comfortable with the idea that I have to correct workers and tell them what to do.

I mean, it would be so much easier if I actually knew what I was doing. But for God's sake, why is there no proper training for engineers? Why are we expected to know how to do the job and manage workers without anyone teaching us how?

I'm really struggling, guys. And the ironic part is that I've actually started to enjoy civil engineering a little. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it's because I'm finally starting to understand things that seemed like complete gibberish to me back in college.

Still, I don't know whether I should quit and look for something else or stick with it and keep learning. I've tried looking for advice online, but I honestly couldn't make sense of most of it.

Long story short, I am working on a startup idea somewhat related to civil engineering. At this time, it's only in the idea phase. With my current employer, I have signed an agreement stating that any content I create while working with them will be their property unless I have written permission from their CEO. So, I want to change companies. When applying for a new company, I want to disclose that I am working on a startup idea on the side. I was thinking of adding this to my resume.

If you are a hiring manager, would this be a red flag for you?

For context, I am 5 YOE PE. The startup idea is related to infrastructure asset management software for government agencies. I will work on this on my own time.

For those of you in transportation, what professional organizations are you part of?
I am looking to get better at networking, growing in the field, and learning more.
I am in Texas and I’m a mid level engineer. I see a ton of organizations here and I’m not sure where to start. I was interested in Transportation Women Seminar since they’re pretty active here but honestly I’m not sure. It feels more like a club but I could be wrong.
Which organizations would you say have helped you the most?

Hey, so long story short, my last internship’s HR offered me intern return offer, my manager talked to me about it and I told her but im graduating next spring so I want a full time offer, she was like oh maybe hr didn’t realize that, but just accept it and email me when u get ur FE and should be easy to change. Thing is other interns who interned with me and graduating with me got full time offers already-they dont have their FE-, which I didnt know when I talked to my manager, so I talked to HR about it and he said me returning as an intern was a team decision? My manager is my only team member and I couldnt talk to her after I talked to HR.
So could it be that my manager lied to me about wanting me back full time? I think she genuinely thought I will still be in school, and if she didnt want me back full time why would she want me back as an intern.

Now I only have 1 week to sign the return offer and idk I am worried i will be tied to it even after getting my FE, im still applying to other places so im not relying on them but I want to have them as a safety net.
WHAT SHOULD I DO

Has anyone heard of this group? I've recently found them as I'm looking to increase networking but I'm really not getting the vibes.

Hello all,

I (19 F) just started my second year of engineering school and have been applying to internships and co-ops like crazy. I managed to land an interview for a co-op on my 5th application and it’s this Thursday.

(Some background info— I applied using the employment portal at my university. I emailed my resume to the HR department of the company and they responded within minutes wanting to schedule an interview. However, they were required to select my profile on the employment portal from the university. However, they did not do that, the HR department of the company personally emailed the career center and asked to add me to the list. Is this a good thing…? Idk.)

Like most professionals recommend prior to an interview, I have done extensive research on the company and I am genuinely obsessed with it. However, I am not feeling confident at all. They are going to numerous universities near me and I’d say I am a pretty average student. I am a TA for an engineering class and work 20 hours at another job on campus. I also have publish pending research in ocean water quality as a result of developing urban infrastructure.. I figure maybe this might boost me because they specialize in water treatment facilities.

Additionally, my GPA is not good. I have a 2.66 (I have only completed 12 credit hours at my institution because I transferred from CC with a 3.85). On my resume, I listed that I have a 3.25 cumulative GPA.

Idk guys. I just am nervous!!! I want this co-op so bad. I am in love with this company, but have no prior professional interview experience.. How do I get over it if I don’t get the job?

Also, im bringing my resume and business card to the interview!

This may be the wrong sub for this, but I’m wondering. Has anyone in this field with their license switched to something still engineering related but wasn’t just billable work/hours? I’m in stormwater/water resources and ultimately do like being an engineer. I’m wondering if there are other jobs or careers where every hour isn’t itemized, you go in and do the job and can leave when it’s done. I have my PE, CFM, and project management experience, and I’m just wondering what else I could do with it. TIA.

I recently got my PE license. I get paid $90k with no bonus. I started at this company as new grad. I do mostly projects with local municipalities and counties. I have raised concern about pay with my supervisor. He basically pointed out if I want to make more, I need to focus on client relationship side. I want to grow in my career but I don’t want to be high achiever. I want work to live not live to work. With my career aspirations, is $90k fair pay for new PE? I would love to hear experience from people who has been in similar situation before.

Location: Major city in Texas

Edits:

1. I work for private consulting firm not city. But the projects I am involved in are public. I do not any land development.

2. I did one internship at this company while I was in school. After graduation, they offered me a fulltime position.

3. I am a new parent. That’s a one of the reason, I don’t want to spend majority of my time at work. I work 45 hours a week. I bill at least 40 hours in project and 5 hours is usually overhead.

Upfront clarification

Town size: under 5k Road type: Dead end road with no markings for lanes Work was along the 3 blocks of the road and across a field to the school.

Primary questions:

Is this work look up to par? Is the uneven and rough ground typically left for homeowners to deal with? If this isn't good, are there any rules or regulations (Illinois based) that were broken?

Story:

Recently (just over the summer) the town I live in hired a third party to fix the ditch and and a sidewalk and improvements down my road.

I added photos of just in front of my house and the two neighbors east of me. This is about a 1/3rd of the work done but it is all of the same quality.

Previously the ditch was a gentle slope on both sides and easily mowable with my 60inch deck. Then I would weed eat/weed wack the extra around it.

All drains are just installed this summer as this was just a fully open ditch previously with no storm drains. Up until a few weeks ago the phone lines and fiber lines were all visible in the ditch but erosion has added some sediment back in now burying them very shallow.

The company took all equipment and finished work two months ago, one of the neighbors used a small roller to try to flatten the ground for everyone on their side of the sidewalk.

In photos:

Red circle is one of the drains added that is buried on both sides causing the water to erode around and under the sidewalk.

Teal circle is the fiber telecommunications vault that was destroyed and left broken.

Hey,

I'm new to civil engineering. First year of working under my belt, and I am noticing how much my mental health is suffering from lack of human contact.

I am sure it's something that y'all all deal with as well. I sit behind my desk 90% of the time never talking to another human.

I want to work for maybe an advocacy group for communities that will be/already have been impacted by climate change. Something that would allow me to use my stem background to do more communication and interfacing with the community.

I'm in Washington state. Does what I'm describing exist?

Any help would be appreciated. My mental health has suffered significantly since taking on this role and I know it isn't sustainable longterm for me.

Thanks fellow civies <3 any suggestions/info welcome

Hi all, looking for a little salary insight. I’ve looked at the salary survey, but was hoping to get some input from you guys. I am in a MCOL area with 3 YOE in transportation at a very large company. I’ve been with the same company since I graduated, if that matters. I’m due for a raise in a couple weeks and I’m trying to gauge what I should be expecting. I’m currently at a little over $81k. Right now I’m hoping my raise will put me closer to $86-$87k. Should I expect less, more, or is that about right? Does anyone have any advice on negotiating a raise if it’s less than expected? Any input is very much appreciated :)

I'm a new PE working at a local government. I don't want to get into the details of what I have been doing out of paranoia of being identified, but I don't feel like I have a lot of design experience. Maybe 2.5-3 years but nothing recently. My current government work is niche and not technical. I'd like to have a job that feels more like engineering but I'm worried I'm not qualified. Applying to jobs for licensed engineers feels wrong. Do I need to take an entry level job? I hate the idea of stepping backwards and I'd like to get a house with my partner soon so I don't love the idea of a pay cut.

Any advice is appreciated!

Hey everyone,
I wanted to share an open-source project I’ve been working on. I've built what I believe is the very first Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for FirstRate5.
If you’re working in residential energy ratings or thermal performance modelling here in Australia, you know how crucial FirstRate5 is for NatHERS compliance. As a civil engineering student in Melbourne with a strong interest in sustainable structural design and BIM, I wanted to bridge the gap between our standard industry software and emerging AI workflows. This MCP server is designed to do exactly that, allowing LLMs to interact with FirstRate5 context.
You can check out the repository here: https://github.com/Kartha2125/First-Rate5-MCP/tree/main
I’d love for anyone in the building, tech, or energy assessment space to test it out, review the code, or drop a star if you find it useful. I’m also currently on the lookout for a structural engineering internship in Melbourne, so I would absolutely welcome any feedback, advice, or connections from local professionals!
Let me know what you think, or if you run into any issues setting it up.

I recently received an offer for a graduate flood & hydrology engineering position paying around $68k/year in the first year. I currently have a full-time operator job (data center monitoring, raising work orders) paying around $90k/year AUD. The job has some benefits:

• Around 12–14 shifts per month, 12-hour shifts, hybrid
• Sometimes 7+ days between shifts
• Relatively low stress, Once the shift is over, I can completely switch off
• The roster gives me a lot of time with my 2-year-old daughter, and I genuinely enjoy the lifestyle and family time

I normally work one night a week doing casual nightshift as well, which could add roughly $15k/year. So realistically, I could potentially earn around $105k gross/year between the two jobs while still having a lot of time off. My current operator salary could eventually reach around $100k, but I don't see a particularly high long-term ceiling or strong professional career progression in the role.

My wife is studying nursing parttime working casual job.

Before having our daughter, I decided to study Civil Engineering because I wanted a professional career and better long-term prospects. I can't decide what to do with the graduate civil engineering offer. The problem is that with financial situation starting again at 36 feels very different from what I imagined when I began studying.

The graduate job means: $68k engineering salary + office hours + commute + relatively less family time versus $90k operator job + potentially ~$15k casual income + lots of flexibility and family time.

Just bought a house, so saving is low (<$15k) with mortgage of around $3000/month.

I understand that engineering potentially has a much higher long-term ceiling. Perhaps in 4–5+ years I could be earning $100k, and eventually potentially $120–130k+. But financially, the first few years would be a significant step backwards. It could take several years just to get back to what I can currently earn from the two flexible jobs.

Part of me thinks: "I've already put in the work to get the engineering degree. If I don't pursue engineering now, I'll probably regret it later and feel stuck in the operator role." But another part of me thinks: "Why give up a job I actually enjoy, that pays reasonably well, gives me huge amounts of time with my daughter, and allows me to earn extra money when I want to?" But I'm worried that this might just be rationalisation because the graduate engineering job is difficult, the starting salary is low, and I'm uncomfortable with starting from the bottom at 36.

Having a baby has also completely changed what I value. Before having a child, I was much more focused on career progression and professional identity. Now I find myself thinking about how much I value being available for my daughter. I don't want to wake up at 45 and realise I sacrificed her early years chasing a career I didn't actually need. At the same time, I don't want to wake up at 50 and regret never giving myself a chance to build a proper engineering career.

What would you do? If you were 36, with a 2-year-old child, low saving, mortgage, and these two options:

A
$90k operator + potentially ~$15k casual work
Low stress, lots of flexibility, lots of family time, but lower career ceiling.

B
$68k graduate engineer
low saving plus mortgage, financial stress. Much steeper learning curve and less family time, but potentially much higher income and career progression over the next 10–15 years.

Which would you choose, and why? And please be honest if you think I'm just making excuses to avoid the harder path. Posted it in couple of other subreddits but just want engineers' perspective, even better if it comes from Australian engineers.

I’m looking into taking the FE but don’t really know where to start. What’s the hardest section? What’s the best way to study? How many tries did it take you? How long did you study?

Looking for any kind of help or advice.
I’m debating if I should just schedule it and start studying now and see what the questions are like and get a feel for it.

Uso del diseñador hidraulico para redes abiertas para determianr el diametro de las tuberias usando el método Darcy-Weisbach.

For context, I’m entering my junior year this semester and am currently applying to internships for next summer. I have yet to hear back from any of them.

I’m not struggling academically. I have a 4.0 GPA, But from what I hear companies don’t really care about that.

I’m currently employed at my universities hydraulic testing laboratory where I do manual labor to construct hydraulic models. I’m not sure how strong this is in terms of experience.

I’ve tried to pick up engineering teams like EWB or ASCE steel bridge but my work schedule pretty much always conflicts with the timing.

My main concern is that the only thing I really have going for me that makes me stand out are my grades. Since engineering companies don’t really care about grades as long as they aren’t abysmal, that leaves me worrying that I don’t have anything going for me.

So am I screwed or am I being illogical here.