Advice to Prospective Structural Engineers in High School

Depending on where you are on your educational journey, certain skills and experiences will help give you a leg up if you hope to have a career in structural engineering. This post highlights some things which can help you on your journey to possibly becoming as structural engineer.

A solid understanding of physics and math are fundamental. An understanding of how computers work is also important as much of the engineering we do is done with computers. However, becoming an engineer doesn’t really require anything special. While coding skills are helpful, they will be taught in whatever engineering program you join. Same goes for drafting abilities. Takeaway: Don’t stress, but also try to focus in math and physics classes. And take a coding class if possible. 

Spending time in construction is also a huge benefit when it comes to structural engineering. Engineers do not spend much time swinging a hammer once they are done with their degree, so the time spent doing so prior to donning a crisp white button-up shirt is immensely valuable. Clients can tell when you have no clue what you are talking about and will immensely appreciate it if they can tell that you have spent some time in the field. Time spent swinging a hammer gives you several skills. It allows you to understand just how annoying it will be to install the number of nails you specify or the studs you requested. It also provides you with an understanding of what you are doing, beyond the theoretical. Simply put, if you want to be a structural engineer, time spent out in the heat and cold, setting trusses or stripping forms, will likely be far more valuable than any other type of work experience.  Takeaway: Work summers and holidays in construction. 

Engineers also must have certain aptitudes. If basic math routinely confounds you, engineering is likely not for you. I say basic math because basic math is practically the only math engineers do. Few and far between are the days that a structural engineer does some calculus by hand or uses a logarithm.  Engineers are doing math in their heads all day long. They are constantly examining whether results of the structural models or the information shown on the drawings makes sense. And they do this by crunching the numbers. This procedure eventually becomes almost subconscious, but it still happens. Takeaway: Know thyself.

While structural engineering is a rewarding profession, it does have a few drawbacks. The potential pay may not be as great as it would be if you became a business person, contractor, doctor, or lawyer. Also, there are days when your mind will be so fried you won’t want to talk to anyone. However, these drawbacks are well offset by perks such as a consistently warm work environment, a flexible schedule, time with your family, and career satisfaction. Takeaway: When you are young, it can feel impossible to know what you should do with your life. At some point, you just have to make a choice. And structural engineering is a pretty solid option!

Our last bit of advice would be to speak with an engineer. They are often more than happy to help give you guidance or a feel for what the work is like. It’s also easy to arrange to spend a day shadowing an engineer. This is invaluable as it conveys what an actual day in the life of an engineer looks like. It can also quickly convey whether you are suited for a life in the structural engineering field. If you’d like to speak with an engineer, send the author an email at info@thornfield.ca or give us a call at 604-359-5124 and we’ll be in touch. Takeaway: Reach out. People like to help interested people. 

An Engineer on a Site, in Discussion with Some Trades.