1. A successful LDE is already used to dealing with government officials and jurisdictional authorities. Anyone who has worked on the design, entitlement, and permitting of a major LD project understands how challenging that environment. I actually believe LDE’s are more often better skilled with government as they deal with officials on projects where the government has little or know money onvolved. In public sector consulting the government is the client and they will often be much more amicable on resolving permitting issues to make sure their public project stays on schedule. In dealing with developers, the municipalities aren’t concerned with the finances or the schedule and therefore thay are much more difficult to negotiate with. As a developer you’re negotiating with the government and the LDE plays a significant role in that process. As a public sector consultant you’re working with the government. It’s logical that coming from the developer’s side where the LDE has to be good at negotiating because they have few negotiating “cards” that they will be even more effective when the government is their partner on a project.

2. Regarding “master of” or techincal competence I would say that a typical LDE has some area of specialization, or several. Many come from an industry specific consulting background – mostly stormwater and transportation. However the main point as it relates to this is that an LDE has to be extremely budget aware. Therefore there is an inherent requirement to be technically competent in all areas of civil infrastructure that relates to LD. How can an LDE be able to solve major problems and simultaneously reconcile serious budget constraints without fully understanding all the technical issues.

I think successful LDE’s are easily integrated in certain other CE roles. These roles include transportation, utilities (conveyance systems), stormwater, environmental (limited – all non-treatment related), and construction management just to name a few. LDE’s are often excellent project managers because of their need to juggle so many issues for highly demanding clients. YES – private sector clients are far more demanding (even unreasonable) than the public sector. Both have their challenges and I have consulted extensively in both arenas. Te each have their challenges but the LDE working with private sector developers is used to unreasonable expectations, extremely fast paced environment, and an almost schizophrenic change of plans. This touches on the LDE’s metabolism. I would say that if there is a drawback to hiring successful LDE’s for public sector consulting. That drawback would be their high business metabolism. They may find themselves frustrated by the change of pace. Bureaucracy is not positively accepted in the private sector. The firm may find that they have a team of engineers that accelerate their resource leveling charts if an LDE is running the team:)

Areas that LDE’s are generally not suited for predominantly reside with vertical facilities related work. ALTHOUGH – some LDE’s have extensive experience with amenity design for developments and therefore may be able to integrate in that area if they have specific education that compliments that experience.

Good article – I hope this helps to progress a change of opinion that LDE’s can easily integrate into other positions.

It’s funny how during the boom, companies that specialized in say, highway design, would clamor to hire you if you designed maybe a few cul-de-sacs during your career. Now, as many of the previous comments have stated, your experience has to match to posting almost exactly in order to have a chance at getting the position.

I guess the big consolation is that things have to turn around sometime, right?

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. I did want to clarify with you though my last paragraph:

“During the current recession that we are entrenched in this may not be too much of an issue for you with the surplus of candidates “out on the street.” But during improved times and boom times, is this mentality really too “out of the box” for the civil engineering industry?”

So yes, I realize that these days firms can be very selective because of the high volume of candidates out on the street due to so many lay-offs. My commentary was discussing the situation during times when the economy is robust and thriving and the market for civil engineers is tight.

Thanks for the compliments and I appreciate your insight into this topic-your passion in what you do is great, I hope other LDE’s can remain as passionate even during these difficult economic times. We have not had any responses from other civil engineers outside of the land development specialty, I wonder what their opinion is on all of this?

Thanks again,

Matt

Once again a wonderful article and I applaud additional insight from so many. I’ve been silent over the last few months reading numerous discussions/blogs/articles on the state of our business of LD. Now, having been in the business for over 30 years and lived through the changes from slide rules to pocket PC’s, from the Selectric to a word processor, from a dumpy level to a robotic total station, many in this business of engineering seem to forget that in the not so distance past we were all Civil Engineers.
There were no specialized fields and we were all taught water/wastewater, transportation, traffic, stormwater, structural, geotechnical, etc, and we all took the same PE exam. LD is a specialized field that is learned over time by trial and error and experience that is passed on to each new generation of civil engineers. Even today there are very few educational programs that teach LD. Today’s LDE’s have to be the best of nearly all of the specialized fields of civil engineering to succeed in today’s world.

My final point: I have seen many LDE’s, including myself, succeed in the move from LD to a specialized field and I have seen as many whose career was based in a specialized area fail at LD. LDE’s are the most versatile, adaptable civil engineers in the marketplace, and without them our future would not be so bright.

We also did the projects for the municipal engineers such as parks, ballfields, trails and roadways, because even though the municipal engineer could write a detailed and lenghty review letter (usually from a check list) they could not put together a set of plans or work with a budget and schedule if they tried.

I left my position as a land development engineer about 5 years ago to work with a large regional devloper to make the big bucks, which worked out well until the economy and real estate market along with my job went south. I quickly found out there was no market for Land Development engineers so I started my own company and haven’t looked back. With out the broad and varied experience I gained as a land development engineer I would never have been able to start my own firm. You have to be a jack of all trades to be successful.