Engineering Consulting

[Sschell]

I can't believe I read the whole thing... I am now officially stupider than when I opened this thread.

 

[JSteven]

become a surveyor like me. I make it rain with my fatty income - i likes sex 2 :mf_boff:

Yeah? I gotta say surveying is pretty attractive. I spent a lot of time in the field and I gotta say

that the low level of supervision as well as generous amounts of outdoors time would do wonders for my mental health. Sex and money notwithstanding!

 

[Dexman PE]

I likes all the sex I get from my fatty salary too. That's why I got into engineering, it's all about the bling!!

Seriously though, the easiest exam is the one you have the most work experience with. I had no chance at all for the Water resources exam, but a co-worker thought it was easy, and vice-versa for the construction exam. It's about what you're comfortable with doing.

 

[EM_PS]

become a surveyor like me. I make it rain with my fatty income - i likes sex 2 :mf_boff:

Yeah? I gotta say surveying is pretty attractive. I spent a lot of time in the field and I gotta say

that the low level of supervision as well as generous amounts of outdoors time would do wonders for my mental health. Sex and money notwithstanding!

that and you carry machetes!

Seriously though, the easiest exam is the one you have the most work experience with. I had no chance at all for the Water resources exam, but a co-worker thought it was easy, and vice-versa for the construction exam. It's about what you're comfortable with doing.

D = 1 / F

D is level of difficulty, F is level of familiarity

 

[Sschell]

^there should probably be a constant in that equation.... and you neglected units... are we working in SI here?

 

[benbo]

^^^

Um, don't question him. He makes fatty money.

 

[EM_PS]

units are dimensionless...like radians...and my income

as for a constants, lets throw in me (electron mass) on the argument side, and h (plank's constant) on the assignment side

the units cancel out - kinda like how posi-trac works in a chrysler...it just does

 

[Capt Worley PE]

the units cancel out - kinda like how posi-trac works in a chrysler...it just does

Ahem. Chrysler limited slips are called Sure Grip. Posi-traction is a GM term.

 

[JSteven]

the units cancel out - kinda like how posi-trac works in a chrysler...it just does

Ahem. Chrysler limited slips are called Sure Grip. Posi-traction is a GM term.

Once again, I respect these humble positions to some extent, but I feel I am surrounded by eggheads

 

[MA_PE]

the units cancel out - kinda like how posi-trac works in a chrysler...it just does

Ahem. Chrysler limited slips are called Sure Grip. Posi-traction is a GM term.

and for the record (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Other factory names for Limited Slip Differentials include:

Alfa Romeo: Q2

American Motors: Twin-Grip

Buick: Positive Traction

Chevrolet/GMC trucks (after 1973): Gov-Lock

Ferrari: E-Diff

Fiat: Viscodrive

Ford: Equa-Lock and Traction-Lok

International: Trak-Lok or Powr-Lok

Jeep: Trac-Lok (clutch-type mechanical), Tru-Lok (gear-type mechanica), and Vari-Lok (gerotor pump)

Mopar: Sure Grip

Oldsmobile: Anti-Spin

Pontiac: Safe-T-Track

Saab: Saab XWD eLSD

Studebaker-Packard Corporation: Twin Traction

TVR: Hydratrak

 

[Mutha PE PS]

Don't let EM pull the wool over your eyes. surveyors can make good money, but we fight amongst ourselves way too often and end up cutting our throat!

There is definitely more money on the engineering side.

Consulting is feast or famine. There is is a lot of famine out here right now. I have worked in both local government and private consulting. I prefer the private consulting even in tough times, as it is more rewarding personally for me.

 

[JSteven]

Don't let EM pull the wool over your eyes. surveyors can make good money, but we fight amongst ourselves way too often and end up cutting our throat!There is definitely more money on the engineering side.

Consulting is feast or famine. There is is a lot of famine out here right now. I have worked in both local government and private consulting. I prefer the private consulting even in tough times, as it is more rewarding personally for me.

I guess the main point I was getting that is that I realized I'm not that good at consutling and I certainly don't enjoy doing it. I've done enough field, office, construction materials and soils lab, and CAD work that tells me I can use those skills in other professions or other facets of civil engineering that dosen't involve working for a consultant.

 

[EnvEngineer]

I think you are doing the right thing in looking where you will be happy, I have been in consulting for 30 years and its a tough life. First make sure its not the firm you are with that is the issue. Maybe go to some professional meetings outside of geotech and see what you may like. I do environmental engineering are really love it.

 

[NCcarguy]

I can't believe I read the whole thing... I am now officially stupider than when I opened this thread.

lol....I was thinking it, and someone typed it!

I will say the same thing others said. Just buckle down, study your ass off, learn to pay attention to details on the exam, and take the one you're most comfortable with. You can pass it, you just haven't been focused enough in the past.

 

[EM_PS]

the units cancel out - kinda like how posi-trac works in a chrysler...it just does

Ahem. Chrysler limited slips are called Sure Grip. Posi-traction is a GM term.

D@mn mechie! Actually i know this: BUT I was going for the line from Joe Dirt, where Dirt asks his mulleted dad 'how exactly do you not go back and look for me' or something like that - to which his dad responds (among other examples) "How exactly does a positrac rearend on a plymouth work? It just does!" I kinda blew the quote a bit

Don't let EM pull the wool over your eyes. surveyors can make good money, but we fight amongst ourselves way too often and end up cutting our throat!There is definitely more money on the engineering side.

I was just poking fun at my 'self-unemployed' status which truly leads to a dimensionless salary. I think it is [was] far easier to earn fatty $$ as a surveyor than as an engineer, if you're self employed anyways, or a small firm. Before the housing bubble burst, one guy i knew was pulling in over 6 figs mainly just doing mortgage "surveys" with the occasional boundary survey thrown in. I imagine he ain't doing too well now...

I do hear more negativity about surveyors when you're talking about the colonial states (such as SC) versus the public land survey system (plss) states. What I feel is really killing the profession is people giving their work away - an ALTA survey that would normally be bid out at $1200-1300+ goes to some ********* throwing a $350 quote?! People freak out in a recession and cut their costs on everything - they make no money to justify even doing the work, and the client sure doesnt get what by law he should...some people have no business being in business

- anyways, JSteven what do you mean when you complain about being surrounded by eggheads? I burned out in the consulting arena back in my prior life as a geologist, but my take back then was being surrounded by idiots

 

[JSteven]

[No message]

 

[Mutha PE PS]

Don't let EM pull the wool over your eyes. surveyors can make good money, but we fight amongst ourselves way too often and end up cutting our throat!There is definitely more money on the engineering side.

I was just poking fun at my 'self-unemployed' status which truly leads to a dimensionless salary. I think it is [was] far easier to earn fatty $$ as a surveyor than as an engineer, if you're self employed anyways, or a small firm. Before the housing bubble burst, one guy i knew was pulling in over 6 figs mainly just doing mortgage "surveys" with the occasional boundary survey thrown in. I imagine he ain't doing too well now...

I do hear more negativity about surveyors when you're talking about the colonial states (such as SC) versus the public land survey system (plss) states. What I feel is really killing the profession is people giving their work away - an ALTA survey that would normally be bid out at $1200-1300+ goes to some ********* throwing a $350 quote?! People freak out in a recession and cut their costs on everything - they make no money to justify even doing the work, and the client sure doesnt get what by law he should...some people have no business being in business

Agreed!!!!!

But the ALTA is still too cheap, even at $1300.00!

I will have to admit that recently I have had to turn work away because I refuse to prositute my services to get a job, that I know before I even leave the building, I am in the hole.