In the past two generations of civil/structural engineers we have seen a loss of engineers to other discpilines and professions, notably computer-oriented. I resisted the numerous offers that came my way and stayed in civil/structural engineering. I focused on how to integrate quality into the way we work, not in the analysis but in the communication through our calculations. And it works!

I believe we are profession that needs to step up a gear and think about how to produce quality calculations. I have seen the global slide into mediocrity and everybody shrugging their shoulders wondering what to do. We all have an individual responsibility to the future and we need to recognise it.

Companies invest in designers and modellers as the big ticket items. Training of engineers is alomst non-existent, but it is critical for innovation, excitement, education and recruitment. Now is the time to train the engineers in new work processes.

You talk about IBM, but modellers are already being trained to add loads to the structural model, to become ‘low-level’ engineers. Frightening stuff but happening.

I believe engineers must lead the team and reclaim the important roles from project engineers and modellers. Calculations and computer proficiency are the key.

Good post. It is truly a strange time and definitley bizarre how the civil engineering industry has changed in the last few years. I was one of those civil engineers who worked countless hours on private land development projects (including hydrology/hydraulics, drainage, roads, etc) and have rolled up my sleeves many times to get drawings finished and out the door. WELL, now I am on the street looking for a job. So much for civil engineering being a stable career (at least right now). I never thought I would have to deal with a layoff but it sneaked up on me and is reality.

It is a difficult time, BUT it is a great time to diverisfy and use those broad skill sets I have learned to do something different (Fortunately I was with a company that did tend to let us ‘spread our wings’….but just a little). I am planning on possbily changing to a different industry (power, infrastructure) all together. One of the good things about civil engineers you forgot to mention- our discipline, in general, forces us to be a little broader than say electrical or mechanical engineers. Thanks for the post, I always enjoy reading them.

IBM is advertising their “product” which is congestion charging systems – though their experience is more properly described as a prime contractor / systems integrator. IBM and PBS&J are both working on the San Francisco Congestion Charging study which is being wrapped up now. We have the planning engineers and experience in actually spec’ing out or operating tolls, and IBM has the congestion-charging experience from Stockholm.

Of course, the primary point of your note is not that civil engineers are going to IBM (no, IBM is scooping up EEs and systems people, and their management consulting operation is using MBA-types), but that non-civil engineering companies are putting the sexy ads on TV. You ask, where are the CE firms with sexy TV ads?

IBM is selling an image “we’re smart and our stuff works;” and image which they need to match their market position in IT and, frankly, the kind of fee structure they have. CE companies, even the largest ones, aren’t typically charging multi-million dollar fixed-fee prices for unique products. Our professional service firms compete in a diferent space – CE companies don’t need to advertise to the general public “we’re smart and our stuff works;” no, we just have to repond to RFPs with government forms and some text that suggests we actually read the clients’ prospective Scope of Work. ‘ don’t need TV advertising for that.

IBM was advertising their image, not recruiting.

We have all read and written many times about the shortcomings of the CE profession as a career choice, but we accept those shortcomings because the job stability is nice (like right now!) and we are not hated like lawyers and bankers.

I don’t think the shortcomings need recounted here. In addition to the pay and career issues, there is the perception of civil engineering as a slow-moving, non-competitive vocation. This is not necessarily true, but our work does require a certain maturity to be able to watch a project develop over years, not days. In today’s cultural environment, these things are a tough sell – particularly without IBM’s kind of advertising budget.