Need Career Guidance

Secure a position in any of these areas and evaluate the options once there.

I believe that your education was wasted.

I think you should become a hair dresser.

I can see it now, a structural perm or a cantilever quiff!

Engineering planning requires multidisciplinary knowledge and aptitude. The no. of jobs as planners are probably more. The Piping design and analysis requires a very specific specialized knowledge ina somewhat narrow discipline. the no. of jobs in the market will be comparatively less. the salaries could be similar for both the options.

Thank you very much Learner42 for great advice

Your choice should depend on what type of person you are. Are you a forest or a trees kind of person?

Engineering Planner has become Project Coordinator. Even going so far as to contract out the actual engineering. A project coordinator will do all budget calcs and (almost) no beam calcs. Higher hourly pay, no overtime pay, less technical, more multi-tasking.

Along the Gulf Coast pipe designers are making more than engineers at the moment. Even a cub designer can make comparable money out of the gate if you can run AutoCAD and CAESAR II. Lower hourly pay, plenty of overtime pay, very technical and detail oriented.

As a young graduate engineer, I would go in as a (pipe) design engineer. Work the hours, make the money. Ultimately knowing project coordinator was my long term future. Folks with hands-on field knowledge do (IMNSHO) allot better as project coordinators in the long run.

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Wait, didn't you start out as a Project Coordinator (or manager)?

An addition I'd like to add is that although Pipe Designers get paid more they do very little engineering. If you work with an engineering firm, you can do pipe stress analysis. This requires a knowledge of pipe design (which you'll get from working with others) and it incorporates engineering.

Based on what little I know from the post, I'd bet you'd be a better Project Engineer or Project Manager than stress analysis engineer.

Yes, after twelve years in various tradesman positions before going back for an actual engineering degree.

In my time I have seen many young folks come out of school and try to be project coordinators. Most of them have a multi year learning curve and are regarded as "dumb engineers" by the folks that do the actual work for them. These engineers tend to leave and go to work for someone else, with a fresh start and finally some experience under them, they can finally be taken seriously.

On the other side of that are engineers like you, technically minded and detail oriented out of the gate. Seemingly better suited for design engineering and problem solving.

I have no idea who the OP is. Hopefully he is reading these posts and recognizes something he would like to pursue.

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