CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE!

ok . . . .

here i sit . . .BORED out of my skull!!. . . . at this DESK!! . . in a 8 x 8 cubicle.

i went to college to be a civil engineer, and i PROMISED myself i would NEVER ride a desk for 8 hrs . . . . .

so here i am. born and raised on a farm . . . rather stand in the freezing cold or heat of the summer than sit inside tied to a desk.

besdies the INSANE construction company hours and driving . . . WHAT CAN I DO??? . . . .

oh yeh . . .I AM GOING to pass the exam in April!

I feel your pain!! Welcom to da board. :brickwall:

Welcome!

I don't have an answer to your question. If you figure it out, let me know!

welcome!

& yeah I thought civil engineering = outside too

I spent four years in construction and now ride the pine in an office. I liked the outside work but I gotta say that I really like the 7:30-4:00 M-F gig.

My first engineering job out of college was working with FEMA in Florida. Hurriances, tornadoes, fires, floods -- you name it, I was out there. My primary responsability was to write grants in the form of a scope of work (for eligible damages) and then cost estimate the cost for completing the scope of work. The surveys covered public infrastructure - actually anything from public services (police, fire, utility, etc.) to roads, bridges, WWTP .. if it was damaged and operated by the govt, I was looking at it. I was always charged with developing mitigation measures to prevent future damages if they were deemed "cost-effective".

It was a lot of work - 16 hr days Mon - Sat with half day on Sunday when I was in 'emergency mode'. I did a lot of travelling and living out of hotel rooms, but what really meant the most to me - the important part of all of it was that I felt like I was doing something to make a difference. :true:

These days - I debate the finer points of public policy. I ride a desk, for the most part, as well. They are still important things, but I don't see the end results. Not directly at least.

Before you give up in despair Rob, think about this. It is within your grasp to be the master of your domain. You are reaching out for the golden ring (P.E. Licensure) -- it is just a tool. You let it open the doors in the direction you want to go - you don't let it dictate the jobs that you 'must' take.

One last thought as I close. We all have days where it seems the best you can do is sigh. All jobs have that - the best you can do is make the most with what you have .. :brickwall: Always keep your eye on the goal - P.E. license.

JR

Earlier in my career I worked on utility projects, and some development. Then I worked for several years on development - mostly behind a desk.

Now I am doing traffic work and some development, which is a good mix. I manage to get out of the office on a fairly regular basis to do traffic counts, inventory the sites and intersections, take measurements and photos. I am enjoying the chance to get out from time to time.

I work in the office and love it. Don't have any overtime and sit on a warm chair.

If you don't like it why don't you find another job ? In our area here civil engineers have absolutely no problem finding a job.

I grew up on a farm, too... got a degree in mechanical engineering - 'cause, it just fit.

After going into manufacturing, I was pretty disappointed with sitting behind a desk so much, but, as I get older, I actually like it more. You have to find a job you like, or if you're in a job that you don't like, find those things to work on that really focus on what you want to do and take advantage of it.

I really wanted to work outside more, and was thinking of going into construction engineering - HOWEVER, when I went into work this morning at it was a very *CRISP* 8 degrees outside, I was appreciating the office job.

It's really all about what you want out of it, and be sure not to look a gift horse in the mouth, if you have a good job, see what you can do to make it work for you, but if you're finding yourself not happy at all, then test the waters. Once you get your license, it may help open some doors for you. Stick with it!

Ahhh, the farm life. Up early, building fence, working cows, hauling hay, riding. Yeah, I miss that tremendously. I was in the field doing customer related work for 13 years, 12-14 hour days/nights, grumpy customers. **** I miss the cows.

Now that I have my PE I can work the regular 8 to 5, or whatever, and go spend some time on the farm.

One of these days I will retire from whence I came. Yep, retirement is a goal. :waitwall:

I like field work better, too, but it gets old quick. My last two jobs have been pretty good balances between office and field work, I think. Hard to do the job without making site visits!

I am lucky that I get out of the office fairly often. Also am lucky that I don't travel all over the place, weeks at a time, all the time... I know some who do that and it has to get old really quick.

Kipper said:

Ahhh, the farm life. Up early, building fence, working cows, hauling hay, riding. Yeah, I miss that tremendously. I was in the field doing customer related work for 13 years, 12-14 hour days/nights, grumpy customers. **** I miss the cows.
Now that I have my PE I can work the regular 8 to 5, or whatever, and go spend some time on the farm.

One of these days I will retire from whence I came. Yep, retirement is a goal.

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FIRST OFF . . . .

thanks to y'all for letting me rant and the words of encouragement . . just havin ONE OF THOSE DAYS you know?

Kipper i can relate bro. seems like some days im just working so i can retire back to the farm.

heck i dont even mind the cold!!!!

work for the D.O.T.......money isn't the best.....but you can escape to the fresh air when you want :whipping:

T.G.I F .......... I'm ready for some beer and wings !!! :whipping:

X2

Used to work on the field. When finished my degree then I got a job in an office. First it was nice but then I started to feel like claustrophobic??? (spelling mistake warning) and everything went South. Did not enjoy my job anymore and my performance was not at 100% :whipping: . Motivation is important. Almost a year ago I was re-assigned to another group and now I am back on the field. I love it. :dunno:

NCPACKER said:

T.G.I F .......... I'm ready for some beer and wings !!! :whipping:

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I'll take a dozen of each.

Honey Habaneros?

DVINNY said:

Honey Habaneros?

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