How do I start finding a job in Structural Engineering?

Hello all,

A couple of years ago, I have posted here asking for advice as an undergraduate student about the field of civil engineering and structural engineering. Recently I just graduated from the University of California San Diego with a BS in Structural Engineering and have moved back to my hometown in the Bay Area in California. The advice that I received from here definitely helped me alot so I want to ask the audience again. As a new college graduate, is there any tips and advice into landing a good job in the field? I was planning to apply to jobs found on Indeed, and just slowly apply to jobs through each of the companies that I have heard of like Parsons, AECOM, and KPFF. Is this the right way to go about it? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

That's a good start.

You could also research the Universities in the area and see if they had hosted any career fair recently; if so, check which companies attended and look into those accordingly.

For example, I recall UCSD had a career fair and I went every year for 2 or 3 years straight while I was getting my BS. I ended up applying to the companies that I was interested in and that was how I got my first 4 interviews and 2 job offers.

Ahh good times... seemed so long ago. That was before Price Center 'East' was done.

The more you know about yourself, the better your job search and your interviews will go.

What drew you to structural engineering? Do you like finite element modeling and analysis? A lot of entry-level positions at the big firms will have you building and running complex and challenging models.

Are you a hands-on,outdoors, tinkerer type? You might prefer working closer to the construction side -- less technically challenging, but lots of variety and the satisfaction of seeing your work physically take form.

Are you a people person? You might want to find a company with a architectural or project management bent that will allow you to sharpen those people skills and eventually manage clients and teams.

Right out of college (especially if you weren't fortunate enough to have an internship or two), these questions can be tough to answer -- and there's something to be said about just jumping in to a job and getting your feet wet. But if you have the luxury, these sorts of considerations can make the difference between landing a good job, and landing a good for you job.