Public v Private - Civil Engineering

[EnhancedFujita]

I'm not an engineer but have worked public sector for 15+ years working alongside engineers on the public side and private side. I've worked a lot closer with the public side, so will I can't give specifics, I would say that the public side isn't without its own pressures. Its just different that the private side.

My guess is that if you ended up at a large public organization in a staff level role, your stress and pressure would be a lot less. However, as you get into higher roles, there are some real pressures that are different than the private side. Especially if you end up in a smaller organization where you have a higher amount of responsibility.

The issues as I see it tend to be that there are a crap ton of things that need to get done but not enough funding. Plus everyone has an opinion on what is the most important thing to do, which can lead to some real friction.

 

[Sousaclone]

I'm not an engineer but have worked public sector for 15+ years working alongside engineers on the public side and private side. I've worked a lot closer with the public side, so will I can't give specifics, I would say that the public side isn't without its own pressures. Its just different that the private side.

My guess is that if you ended up at a large public organization in a staff level role, your stress and pressure would be a lot less. However, as you get into higher roles, there are some real pressures that are different than the private side. Especially if you end up in a smaller organization where you have a higher amount of responsibility.

The issues as I see it tend to be that there are a crap ton of things that need to get done but not enough funding. Plus everyone has an opinion on what is the most important thing to do, which can lead to some real friction.

That's a good point. If you are at a higher level on the public side not only do you get to play office politics, but you also get to play political politics. Saw my first taste of that on an extremely large bridge project north of NYC.

 

[RLD4ISU]

Tossing in my two cents even though I'm not an engineer. I've been around enough of them over the years to justify giving a response.

My guess is you've got an idea of what you'd like to be doing in 5, 10, 15 years, have a projected retirement goal and have asked yourself the multiple questions about how to attain those goals. (If not, you should) I would say to first draw the line for what you won't do. Would you relocate. Do you have a bottom dollar in mind for your salary. In addition to what you've done here (with hearing others experiences), keep researching. Reach out and talk to someone that works where you'd like to apply. Make connections on LinkedIn. Those connections could help if you decide to do something different. Have you also taken a look at other private companies to see if they can help you reach your goals?

It's all chess move. Sometimes you make the wrong one, sometimes it's the right one. If it's the wrong one, you make a different move. Life is full of choices and life is always changing. Your priorities and goals may be completely different in 10 years.

Remember.....sometimes the grass is greener elsewhere because it's fertilized.


For everyone else - I don't think I've seen anyone post about jobs or discuss openings? Is that a no-no or ok? If it's ok, what forum?

 

[throwittoblythe]

I've got 12 years in the CE field. I got my BS and MS (geotech) from ISU. I did one internship with the Iowa DOT, but otherwise, have worked for contractors and consultants in my career.

To address the OP, here's my impression after working alongside public folks in my career, which have mostly been DOT employees:

• They generally make less than private sector folks. Sometimes, A LOT less. I was working on a DOT job once and decided to look up the salary of my peer on the DOT side. He was making 25% less than me with similar experience.
• The pressures are still there, but different. If you're running a project or a program, you're dealing with contractors, private citizens, govt officials, etc. As someone said, there's so many things that need fixing but just not enough money to fix them all. You also have lots of political pressure. "The Senator wants this project accelerated so he can campaign on it in the fall" is a real thing that happens.
• Hands down the hours are less, for most. I'm sure some of the higher level officials put in lots of hours, but I would venture to guess they also get comped for that time. I know if you call someone at the DOT in Minnesota after noon on a Friday in summer, good luck getting them to pick up the phone. They are almost certainly in a boat somewhere.
• One thing not mentioned is the common trend of working on the public side for the minimum years to qualify for the pension (20 years or so) and then "retiring" from the DOT to go to consulting. Usually consulting firms pay high dollar for 20 year+ DOT/city govt folks because they have all the inside connections. I've seen lots of people "retire" from the DOT so they can pull their $40k/yr pension, then get paid $200k/yr by a consulting firm for "business development."

I've worked for two of the biggest construction companies in America, a regional geotech firm, a regional bridge contractor, and I now work for a small, specialty geotech design-build company. In my experience, it all comes down to what fits the best at that phase in life. 10 years ago, I would've scoffed at the idea of working for a small specialty firm because it wasn't sexy enough. Now, I just want to do interesting things, make decent money, and spend time with my family.

So, while it's informative to seek counsel and advice, it ultimately comes down to what fits you and your life the best. Good luck!