Is the job prospect for civil not looking good?

[EM_PS]

our worse gpa mandate was the requirement for min C avg (2.0) in core classes like physics & calc before going on to the higher level stuff - of course this was not a Big 10 school either fwiw.

 

[MechGuy]

It was the same way when I was at Ohio State.

I'll keep my comments on how shitacular OSU is to myself Ohhowihateohiostate. GO BLUE!

ha!

 

[driedupfish]

It kind of sucks that my school has such strict admission criteria for getting into Mech. Kind of makes me want to transfer to another school. However, let me first say that I like it so far in Civil, it's not like I want desperately to get out. But I just want to be in mechanical slightly more. So if I was admitted into both I would go for mech.

I am currently attending University of Illinois, which has a pretty good engineering program. I don't think there are other schools within Illinois that has a comparable engineering program. Also, a good portion of my tuition is covered by financial aid. I whether not look out of state because I don't want to pay more for out of state.

what do you guys think? Better to stay or go somewhere else?

or maybe I can get a degree in both.

 

[Riceman]

if you're a civil grad in the next year or two, you're dead in the water. stay in school til government hires again

 

[IlPadrino]

You should be able to take any class you sign up for, and I would think that if you can pass the classes listed in the ME program, the university should have no reason to bar you from obtaining that degree. You could take the necessary classes for say a semester or two, and show the ME department heads that you have no problem passing those classes. I would think they would then officially let you in the program to obtain the degree.
If they don't, it sounds like a pretty shitacular school to me.

I didn't think it was that strange that schools limit who can enroll in what classes beyond the General Engineering coursework that was common to all disciplines.

 

[Engentek Group]

From a Headhunters opinion

just my three pennies....

First forget about the job market of today that will change soon. First figure out where you want to go then chase your dream. What do you want to do for a career that makes you look forward to Monday mornings.

Second the college and your gpa only matter for entry level engineering positions. After 3-5 years employers care less about your college and gpa and care about your project track record. Now granted using the alumni angle helps sometimes but that is more about personal chemistry than ability to engineer.

Regarding the Gen Eng degree I would shy away from that. The one area that mangers get very sticky about is they want a BSEE, BSME, or BSCE (also structural, fire protection, nuclear, etc..). They are very definitive about this. For instance if you're a Project Engineer with a BS Construction Management you could have a hard time working with some companies, they want the BSCE. In fact, we had a very experienced candidate (15+yrs same project experience) get rejected because the FEDS demanded the BSCE degree on an overseas project. So be careful and keep the end in mind.

There are many engineering areas out there that will thrive in the future..Don't overlook nuclear energy( 20 years of neglect means real short on talent), energy transmission (our grid needs work), data center design (ME's greatly needed and the cloud is growing), transportation design...I could go on and on.

Stay flexible and keep an ear for the pulse of your industry. Civil, especially for residential and commercial projects are slow today but somebody has to design the sites for all the new reactors going in over the next several years or the federal projects being built today.

Don't over analyze, you cant always engineer your future. Unfortunately they don't hand you a crystal ball with your diploma either. At the end of the day trust your gut and just go for it!

 

[Chucktown PE]

For what it's worth, Clemson has an excellent Automotive Engineering program as a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Also for what it's worth, we had to have at least a 2.75 to get out of the freshman general engineering program and into a discipline specific engineering program at Clemson. I started as a ME and transferred to Civil.

As far as job opportunities go, I think Civil will be one of the most stable in the future. Our nation's infrastructure is crumbling beneath our feet due to neglect, there are not enough engineers graduating from school to backfill the ones that are retiring, and the country can't do without water/wastewater treatment, roads, bridges, etc.

Even with the economy the way it is I have been approached about a number of different job opportunities.

Just do what you enjoy and success will follow.

 

[picusld]

In addition to getting BSCE I would also look into the state requirements for obtaining your professional land surveying license. I know very few individuals who do this and it is something that I may pursue myself. In PA it is only 10 surveying credits on top of the BSCE to sit for the SIT exam.

Could be very usefull if you do anything with development.

Just food for thought...