Thank you for the kind words, it means a lot!

I agree!

Hi guys, how do I gain more proficiency in SAP/AutoCAD while looking for structural eng. internships? The courses I've seen online are so expensive...

@@yeswaystation27 for Autocad you can find free videos on KZfaq, download a free software and just follow along. Not sure about the SAAP software though

I wish someone told me this during College. Now I'm unemployed.

Glad I can help!

Heart!

Thanks for the info! I think they are called adjunct professors? Either way, it's useful to learn from them if you plan to work in the industry.

Grad school would help if you get into a good one in California: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pb1if7h606uoeYE.html I would also try to build my network in professional organizations like ASCE or SEAOSC. The more you help, the more you will get back. I know a current director of a good size firm that got into her engineering field (it was different than her major) because a CEO that was part of ASCE liked her work ethic, they taught her the technical stuff on the job. If you need more specific advice, email me at matpicardal@gmail.com

Thanks for your comments Adilbish!

You're welcome!

Hi Hur, most firms (at least in the west coast) know that you will need training. We do expect you know statics very well though, that's fundamental. For me, good fresh graduates should be asking a lot of questions, we know you don't know much, so if you're not asking, it's worrisome. Learn how to communicate your thought process and check-in and communicate with your PM daily. They may be too busy to check in on you at times, but if you give them a daily update, they will always know what you're working on and can correct you as needed. I'll make a video on this also as I have some other insights, thanks for the great questions.

Thanks!

Thanks Hassan, I appreciate the support and I'm glad I can help.

From talking to my international colleagues here in the U.S., your best bet to work in the U.S. is to go to a US grad school like you are doing, and then get a job in the U.S. right after you get your masters.

What's the goal of the project? To pass your thesis or to use it to get a job in the industry?

I would like both, but I know maybe that's not possible. The project about reinforced concrete, it's more for thesis, but in a future I would like to get a job related yo steel structures. Thank you so much for your atenttion!

Thanks Engr! I'm a Civil Engineer from the Philippines and looking forward to be a structural Engineer someday.

Hi Lucas, yes it has a good reputation here in the west coast

Hi M. Nadir, I've definitely heard of CU Boulder but I have not personally researched too much into their program. It will depend on your career goals and where you want to work. For example, if you want to work as a building structural engineer in seismic zones (US West Coast), I'd consider a good graduate program to have courses in earthquake engineering, structural dynamics, performance based design, non-linear structural analysis, and advanced classes in concrete and steel. To get the best industry feedback tailored to your goals, I'd suggest reaching out to engineers (possibly LinkedIn) in the cities you want to work in and asking their opinions on those schools. For example, if you wanted to work in Denver Colorado, CU Boulder may be a top school in that area, while it may be less known in New York.

@@MatPicardal thank you very much for your explanation. I really appreciate it.

@@m.nadirghori5136 of course, feel free to email or LinkedIn message me if you have any more questions.

I'm obviously biased, Cal Poly! But I know plenty of engineers from CSULB, no doubt they have a good program also.

Thanks Ibrahim! In the U.S., we have to go through an ABET accredited program (basically graduate with a B.S. degree), you can then get your master's or start working in the industry, then you take your Professional Engineer (PE) exam for your PE license. SE's with around 3- 4 years experience typically earn around $70-$95k in California.

Understand first the manual designing before involving some softwares.

Try to get into a reputable civil engineering school/program, become a board member/leader in an engineering student organization (like ASCE, EERI, etc.) and/or compete in engineering competitions, and get internships ASAP, yes, even when you're a freshman. The more internships, the better. The organizations and competitions will help you get your foot into the door for your first internship.

Mat Picardal thank you!

That's fine, but master's generally counts more than where you went to undergrad, at least in California.

I just turned 30 and I'm currently a Respiratory Therapist looking to get into something I really would enjoy. How did your path turn out, are you still tracked for Structural Engineer?

In the U.S., you need to pass the E.I.T. (engineer in training exam), then work for a few years in industry, then pass the P.E. (professional license) exam. P.E. probably takes 100 hours of studying at least.

Depends on the firm you end up in, I only know how to use ETABS.

Econstruct is best way to learn...is fees is high but is the best way to learn.

I think ETABS is the most generally used program?

It's a good school, personally, I would put it right below UCSD and UC Berkeley for California. I didn't get into to Stanford either lol.

But like I said, apply anyways if it's a good school! You never know.

Thank you for replying! If you were to rank the top 5 structural engineering graduate schools in the US, what would it be?

UIUC, MIT, Berkeley, UT Austin and might be UMich Ann Arbor

Thanks! Definitely see the merits in that

Have you chosen your path to college yet or are you still in high school?

@@copyright4138 I have chosen Civil Engineering for my Major. So I still went with it.

It's a bargain! And your diploma will still say you graduated from [xxxx] university.

@@MatPicardal Thank you. Can I ask you to suggest a few good two year community colleges? Thanks

Nice!

Same here, I have a civil engineering degree but I've been working as an environmental consultant for 10 years and I'm thinking of a change. I feel like I'd be starting over from scratch

Getting experience in construction definitely helps if you want to get into the structural engineering industry. You could try internships in construction. If you can't get an internship yet, build up your resume and leadership experience. You could become a team captain in an engineering student competition, you could become president of an engineering student organization, and apply for scholarships. If you have all that (or at least one or a few), it will be more difficult for firms to not look at you. Don't think you're too young to participate in those student engineering clubs/organizations, it will pay off. Here's how I got my internships: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ea2Ph7N6r5m1Yas.html If you really want a head start, statics (or vector statics, static analysis) is the most important class you'll take for structural engineering. It's fundamental and I use those concepts everyday.

Thank you very much for your advice sir, I am looking forward to it👍👍👍

@@sengsavang6499 You're welcome :)

Extra curriculars and doing well on the GRE's and writing a good admission letter. I participated and helped lead engineering design competitions at school and was a board member for a civil engineering student organization at school. It helps to have internships also, but I didn't have any when I applied.

Hi Ibrahim, if that's a UK university, I'm not familiar with them as I'm based in the U.S. My general advice to see if a grad school is good is to find out places where you would like to work (for example, the UK) and ask structural engineering professionals in that area their industry perspective. Best option to find professionals is to go to a SE society/organization meeting and ask these questions. If you're not in the area, you can try finding them through LinkedIn. Here are the relevant videos I made so far on grad school and reaching out to professionals: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pb1if7h606uoeYE.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ea2Ph7N6r5m1Yas.html

( Im from the uk) I recently went to an open day there and it seems good, lots of opportunities to get internships/placements however there are better universities e.g. bristol

@@greeneggsandham7950 i dint get admission in bristol. I have however arrived in cardiff and enroled in the structural Engineering program in cardiff university. 👍

Statics is one of the most important classes you will take. Then try to take as many design classes as you can if you want to work in the industry. And try to get internships as soon as possible.

Yes! Born there, raised in US.

@@MatPicardal wow...

Yes I am :)

Knowing how to operate software is good, but the important question is, how do you know what the software is outputting is actually correct? This is the skill I urge new engineers to focus on. Just because software tells you the design "passes", does it mean it's actually correct? Different ways to do this - backcheck results with handcalcs if practical, knowing what the design should look like before being inputted into software (e.g., tension steel on the tension side of a concrete member), backcheck with past drawings/designs for a similar project, asking a senior level engineer to review, using another software program to verify you're getting similar results, etc. Thanks for this video suggestion, I put it on my list!

Thank you for the kind words, it means a lot!