CVE 4070

Construction EngineeringCivil Engineering Jobs Prof. Ralph V. Locurcio, PE

Civil Engineering Jobs…

Design – specific discipline Construction Facilities Engineering Project Management Construction Management Public agency Private firm

Skills you will need…

Engineering analysis Construction take off & estimating Work scheduling Ordering & receiving Negotiating Supervision & leadership Common sense

Design… Technically narrow career path

Start as member of design team EIT & PE absolutely required Progress from team member to team leader to

group leader to expert Attend professional society meetings Write & present technical papers Build experience & expertise in “your” field Become a “technical” expert Construction experience a plus May have to change firms to advance

Construction… Technically broad career path…

Begin as assistant construction manager, office engineer or inspector

Seek experience in all construction fields: estimation, project management, logistics, purchasing

Obtain project management certification Seek broad construction experience in problem

solving and leadership Join construction related professional society EIT & PE a plus; required for larger firms Projects may vary widely Location vary widely; mostly field work May progress within one firm with good

performance

Facilities… Municipal or public works engineer

Concentration is operations & maintenance Broad experience in many disciplines essential Knowledge of project management a must Knowledge of budgeting & policy a must Very limited design & construction; but require

technical knowledge of same Goal is preventive maintenance & availability of

physical plant EIT & PE a plus; ususally not required Customer relations very important

Project Management… Leader & Problem solver

Application of leadership to engineering Need broad understanding of many

engineering fields & interactions Understand process & quality control Skill in cost control & scheduling a must Requires great skill in human relations,

group dynamics & communications Applied to all engineering fields

Construction Management… Specialty form of Project Management

Knowledge of building methods & processes Knowledge of construction trades Knowledge of contracts & legal aspects Knowledge of union & labor relatons Requires understanding of engineering that

underlies design features in all disciplines Skill in cost & quality control essential Excellent problem solving skills a must Must have flexible, responsive personality

Public or Private agency… Public agency

Service mission Very structured & rule oriented; sometimes political Steady work; allocate public resources or enforce rules Advancement slow but steady; seniority counts Low salary; good retirement; good benefits; good training

Private firm Profit mission Unstructured; matrix organization; few rules Work can be chaotic; varies with economy Advancement depends on profit gained Salary can be excellent; retirement is 401k & or stock,

benefits vary; training sparse, up to individual

Large or Small firm… Large

Very structured & rule oriented; sometimes political Individual has less influence Steady work Good training & benefits Advancement slow but steady; seniority counts Opportunity to move within firm Retirement is 401k, sharing a plus

Small Pay for performance and expertise can be substantial Individual can have great influence Poor structure; can be confusing or political Erratic work Training & benefits depend on profits Advancement can be rapid; expertise counts Firms tend to specialize; narrow opportunity Retirement is company stock & 401k

Job selection & success…

Know what’s important to you Different strokes for different folks

Criteria for job comparison Compare apples to apples Use objective criteria… money & values Use a matrix to keep you honest

Job comparison matrix…(See notes at bottom of Col A) Job Offer Comparison Matrix

Salary Elements Example Goal(1) Job A Job B Job C Job D Job EBase Salary(2) $35,000 $35,000Company Car Add $5,000 $0Expense Acct Add $2,000 $1,000Company Life Insurance Add $1,000 $1,000Medical Add $5,000 $5,000Bonus Add $2,000 $1,000Other Income Opportunity Add(3) $0 $0Housing Assistance Add $0 $0401K Add $3,000 $2,000Company Stock Add $0Sub-Total Gross Income $53,000 $45,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0City Tax @ 2% 0.02 0State Tax @ 7% 0.07 0Federal Tax @ 30% 0.3 0.3Commute Cost $500 $0Cost of Two House-holds $3,000 $0Property Tax $5,000 $0Cost of Living in NYC $0 $0Net Income $23,830 $31,500 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0Subjective Factors(3)Cost of Housing 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Stability 1 1.2 1 1 1 1 1Commute 1 1.1 1 1 1 1 1Salary Potential 1 1.2 1 1 1 1 1Away Travel 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Excitement& Satisfaction 1 1 1 1 1 1 1No Burearcracy 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Influence Action 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Living QOL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Politics 1 0.9 1 1 1 1 1Promotion Potential 1 0.9 1 1 1 1 1Chemistry in office 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Average Job Quality Factor 1.00 1.30 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00Effective Income Value(4) $23,830 $40,950 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Notes:(1) Goal = Your theoretical low er limit- w hat's the least you w ill accept in a job, w hat is your target salary.

(2) Base salary of $35k is hypothetical- you need to use a number characteristic of your area and type w ork

(3) Other income opportunity - is there an opportunity to earn a secondary income; say part time

(4) Subjective Factors : these add to or reduce the "effective" value of the job depending on your personal evaluation

For example: if the cost of housing in one job is 20% less than for another you might increase the factor from 1 to 1.2 for that job.

Another example: if travel aw ay from home is very undesireable you might rate a job at say .9 to show the impact on your goals.

(5) Effective income value is for job comparison - considering all factors.. What is the "relative" value of the job to you expressed in dollars.

This may not be a "true" dollar value, excess travel for example is not an out of pocket cost, but the travel reduces the "value" of the job to you

Therefore a job w ith a "net income" of $31,500 in real dollars may really be w orth $40,950 to you taking the subjective factors into account.

Start w ith your "Goal" and add in the correct factors or percentages for the location of each job you are considering.

Notes on Construction Jobs… No decimal places in construction You don’t often get a second chance to make a

good first impression Performance more valued than potential Keep a record of your experience Keep a record of your superiors

Job success… Have a “loose” career plan

Things will change Be prepared to accept opportunity Don’t be afraid to volunteer or change Be vigilant for opportunity Network Be happy or change

Leadership What are key functions of a leader Why is a leader so important What is the leader’s primary task What is the concept of one-to-one

authority and how does it relate to leadership

Why is communications so important Who are the leaders on a project

Course evaluation…

Take 15 minutes to fill out the course evaluation.