How (And Why) I Switched Careers from Structural Engineering to Software Engineering [Vlog #5]
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- Опубликовано: 3 авг 2024
- Story time! I originally went to school for civil & structural engineering but I always felt like I wasn't connected to that field in the way that I had hoped to be. Throughout my college and graduate school career, there were so many signs that presented themselves along the path that I was walking. Some of the signs I paid attention to and others I did not.
To everyone who feels stuck in their life (whether it's at school or at work or with life in general), I hope this story gives you another perspective on pursuing the things that are meaningful to you. I hope it gives you the encouragement you need to listen to the things that interest you. And I hope it gives you the courage to pursue those things without guilt or worry.
Changing any part of your life can be a scary thing but I believe it's only scary because we focus so much on the immediate consequences and outcomes rather than looking at our life journey on a grander scale. Don't be shy in spending time pursuing things that interest you or spark some kind of feeling inside of you. They do so because they are important to you.
Be curious about your life. Be a committed student to yourself and your life journey.
And most importantly, listen to your omens. 💙
⏰ Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:42 Trying to Pick a Major
4:42 The Dreaded Programming Class
6:40 Doubts About Civil Engineering
8:39 The Course That Changed My Path
10:35 Starting Grad School
14:11 Changing My Grad Program
15:24 Coding Courses!
17:01 My First Mobile Application
18:36 My First Real Job
20:41 A Unique Opportunity
22:39 Listening to My Omens
24:08 A Career-Changing Apprenticeship
25:06 Where Am I Now?
26:05 Reflecting On My Path
28:06 A Word of Advice
29:58 Be A Life-Long Student
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Thank you. As a structural engineer that feels stuck, I identify with this.
I'm glad my story resonated with you! I'm so sorry you feel stuck in the moment. I can definitely relate. At times, I didn't think I could do anything else and it brought me to a lot of low points in my life. But I hope you can navigate your life's journey in a way that feels meaningful and fulfilling to you! I promise the risks will be worth it. Is there anything you'd like to explore or pursue at this point in your life?
@@SimmySigma Hii fellow engineer, I am a recently graduated with bachelor in civil engineering. I am currently working as a Structural Engineer at Burns and McDonnell and just don't enjoy my work. The designing, codes and deadlines are not interesting compared with mechanics, analysis.
I have done my internship in windows software development for Steel designing and that's where my interest for Coding and data science has emerged.
I am not sure if I want to do Masters in course related to Computer science . Should I leave my current job and look for some software development role or go for Masters?
@@rutvikjoshi113 Hi Rutvik! Thanks for the comment and sharing your story! Unfortunately, I not best suited to give out career advice for specific situations, but it seems like you have a real interest in software and code. There are a lot of companies within the civil and structural engineering industries that rely on engineers who know how to code. My recommendation would be to continue building your foundation in code and research the companies you would want to take those skills to, companies like CSI, AutoDesk, Bentley, SkyCiv, and more. Having an engineer who has a background in civil/structural engineering and knows how to code is a powerful combination. Best of luck on your journey!
Hey man, I'm making the switch from Chem E to Software rn. Great to see another RUclipsr share their experience!
That’s super cool! There are so many transferable skills from any sort of engineering to software, especially because software is just as much problem-solving as any other classical engineering path. I hope you enjoy the journey!
What an AMAZING video!!!! Love it.
I'm glad!! And thanks for the support!
Yours is an interesting and inspiring story. I am at a stage where I have started to feel demotivated at my current structural engineering job. All my friends from college are in hybrid and earning almost double my pay with the same amount of effort as I put in. Dropped my plan for PE and will make some self-study plans for IT.
Thank you for the comment! I think it’s very important for us to always be able to reflect on our journey at different stages in life. If you have something else that is peaking your interest, I say go and explore it at the very least and see if it’s something you’d like to pivot over to. I did end up getting my EIT towards the end of my college career but didn’t pursue my PE either. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!
Awesome video!
Thank you thank you!! 😊
Great story, thank you for sharing! I have being a cab driver in NY, an auto mechanic, a Yoga instructor, a building inspector, so I understand what it is to go after what you want in life....I got a Civil Engineering degree and did structural design for five years, and now I am in my sixties and going to study for my Engineering license with your videos :). What I found was that I was looking for something to do that I would be great at, and what I found was that I am really good at doing a lot of different things, the main thing is that at some point in life you are going to look back at your life and you are going to know if you had a good journey (I also read a book in my twenties that had a great influence in my adult life "The death of Ivan Ilyich." This book gave me a hint of the importance of living life to the fullest not to an extreme. Have a great journey everyone!
I have to say I am so humbled and inspired by this comment. Going for your engineering license in your sixties is absolutely incredible!! You truly are the definition of a life-long student and I'm so happy that you're pursuing what interests you. This just goes to show you that it is never too late to try or learn something new. And I'm glad I was able to help you a bit through my videos!
And I'm glad that you've brought up the fact that life is a journey and not a destination. That was something I struggled learning when I was going through my college career. I've learned that the world really is our playground and our life should absolutely consist of learning and trying new things as much as possible. That is the only way to have true experiences. I will definitely be checking that book out and I love your quote of "living life to the fullest and not to an extreme." I've written that down in my journal. 😊
its very symbolic to hear this from you, was through your videos that I learned about Hydrologic soil groups, a crucial topic for me to finish my civil engineer undergraduate final thesys last year, from 3 years ago that I am searching for a way to switch career to a more information technology oriented.
Thank you so much, that means a lot! And I'm glad I was able to help you in a part of your schooling career! That really means a lot. I promise that it is never too late to explore new interests or pursue something entirely new. It does take effort and some strategy but if you really want to pursue something new, I say go for it! How has your search for a new career been going?
@@SimmySigma At the moment I am in a school called 42 school here in Luanda, Angola, it is an international programming school, it offers a great opportunity for me to change career to programming since the way their program is design it should take less time for someone to get an internship and even a job, being the case that they even aid the student on this. Having said that, what do you think about the career of developing civil engineer software? Have you created another one other than the one you developed for your teacher?
Very inspiring. I had similar thoughts on whether Civil Engineering was my passion... A lot of my undergrad coursework was in structures, did a year of structural engineering work, then shifted to land development and site design for 5 years, then changed emphasis again to transportation engineering... Even earned my PE but a part of me wishes I had taken up software engineering instead... I've been learning Python on the side and have been enjoying it...(also actually enjoyed MATLAB back in college and programmed a lot of equations and formulas into my TI-89 for exams lol!) Trying to find ways to fuse the two together (programming and engineering) since a lot of the stuff that I do in engineering are very repetitive and can be automated... We'll see where life takes me but I am actively building skills and learning new things until I really become proficient in coding and making apps in the near future... more than 11+ years deep into civil engineering but definitely exploring other paths and building a career and life I can be content and happy with. Cheers, man. Thank you for sharing your story.
Honestly, if I were to do things all over again, I would study software engineering over mechanical engineering! The job and wfh opportunities are significantly better and the manufacturing/civil industry know this too because they are losing talent since people these days value work life balance now. Manufacturing and civil industry jobs are so site specific so that discourages people from applying in the first place.
That is very understandable and I know others who have brought up the same concerns of work life balance. It was also a part of the reason I considered the switch in the first place. That being said, I did decide to take the decisions I made in the past as lessons and points-of-guidance to shape the path I'm on now. Do you think you would pursue software as of today? Or any other field?
@@SimmySigma I am! But I am doing it by applying through different roles. I might take a bootcamp in the future to solidify my coding knowledge
@@DiamondFlame45 That’s really cool! And that’s probably the best way to learn too. Most of my coding knowledge came from applying code to a bunch of my structural engineering courses and projects and that’s what lead me to get really comfortable with it later on in my career. Any particular path of software you’re interested in?
@@SimmySigma Backend but I am also interested in developer advocate roles because it’s a nice blend of coding and content creation!
@@DiamondFlame45 Even cooler! You should totally create content on coding and start sharing that online. It’s a great way to build a portfolio and practice building the skills needed to become a developer advocate! If you haven’t already, of course 😅 I’ve always found those types of roles to be even more fun. You get to code but also share your coding skills and expertise with other developers!
What a journey . similar to my path . i am also structural ...
Hey man , really appreciate you for making this I watched the whole video which I usually don’t coz I’m not a fan of really long videos 😅😅… I am a first year student studying civil engineering and I can really relate to you …I really love the maths and mechanics classes but i find the other classes boring. I have decided to learn programming and explore it during my semester break next month . What will be your advice for me , I only know basic programming I learned in high school ( which I’m pretty sure I have forgotten it ) 😅. I want to know any tips on my self teaching journey , Also I will be taking a minor course in data science next year so that i can broaden my career opportunities. Do you think my civil engineering degree minoring in data science will be useful .
Funny that I stumbled upon your video. I used to watch you when I was taking fluid mechanics about 6 years ago in my undergrad at Cal Poly Pomona. I since then graduated and acquired my PE but have never felt connected to this industry. I’ve been thinking about going to grad school for computer science and was looking to see if others have taken the same route.
I think pursuing your interests, even just to learn a little more before deciding what you truly want to do, is always a good thing. And the great thing is is that you can decide to do this at any point in your life. :)
Also, it’s always awesome meeting other Broncos! 🐴
Thanks for sharing, I'm going through a similsr path. What do you think about the career of development of civil engineer software? Have you created another one other than the one you developed for your teacher?
Thank you, i recently graduated n got job as a Site engineer but I'm not enjoying the job and I'm thinking switching to software development
Haha I chose Structural Engr due to my grandpas path. What’s interesting is I would ask my physics professor about how to explain the mechanics of a failing member loaded in tension. I asked a lot of similar questions in physics. So, by the time I got to Steel Design, I was extremely engaged and eager to learn and did well. I love my job now as an SE.
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you’ve found that career path that you love and it’s even more awesome that you continued on your grandpas legacy. I’ve said before that SE is a very noble profession. I hope you continue to love the field and explore it to your hearts content!
Same Case Here
Btw coding doesn’t necessarily mean web development, coding (Python) has many things to do with engineering also. But yes, one should think more about future aspects of the subject they are going to pursue.