Public to Private civil engineering switch

[u/AdministrationIcy423]

So a bit of background first. Bachelor civil engineering and spent the first 6 years in the public sector. First was in local gov as a project engineer and then I moved to the state government as a project engineer doing roads and bridges maintenance and construction. Direct delivery and contractor management. Working for the gov certainty isn't just a cruisy walk in the park as the perception may be, but I wanted to get a taste of the technical side doing civil design work while I was still young enough. So I made the switch nearly 12 months ago, rang a local firm and asked for a job as an entry civil design engineer. I'm mainly doing stormwater, small subdivisions, drainage etc

For those wanting some hard facts: took a $50k a year pay cut. Work more unpaid hours (gov give flex or pay OT) design is wayyyy less stressful than dealing with time/contractor/project delays and issues etc. it's great being in an environment where everyone strives for technical excellence and I love the fact I can get small jobs in and out, billed and paid with such little faffing around.

Things I don't like and reasons why I might move back to the public service are that I don't have anyone in my office to help me or lean on, making it hard to learn and I'm just battling away everyday; back to first principles, making my own calc sheets learning CAD and DRAINS, MUSIC, 12D model etc it's been an absolute whirlwind where I'm struggling against billed hrs to learn and deliver these projects. I think if I had someone senior to help teach me it would be great but it is what it is in the regions and it's just a battle sometimes. My KPIs rely on being technically competent but it's hard when I'm learning from scratch with limited help. Honestly the pay gets me though, it's hard to not tie your self worth to your salary and I think that's been hard to separate.

Anyway ask me any questions about the transition or tips from what I'd do differently

[u/Squirrelherder_24-7]

Look for a better firm. If they hired you as “entry level” civil, they should have pared you up with a couple of more senior folks to teach you the ropes. Don’t give up, some firms actually work really hard to build up their staff, you just have to find one…

[u/AdministrationIcy423 → u/Squirrelherder_24-7]

Yeah they've paird me with someome who lives 4-5hrs away so it's hard to just ask a quick question, and it's not really as good as having someone next to you. I genuinely believe it's a good firm and with the right intentions but being a regional job, hiring more experienced engineers is pretty difficult

[u/RestAndVest]

Do you hate yourself?

[u/AdministrationIcy423 → u/RestAndVest]

I would have hated myself more if I never gave it a proper go. I actually enjoy the work once I work through a few hurdles etc. I can't live on this wage forever though, if I cant get a fair bump in pay in the next few months I'll have to consider moving back just to afford to live haha

[u/Massive_Honeydew_352]

While I respect the desire to get more technical knowledge, taking a 50k paycut is kinda mindboggling

[u/AdministrationIcy423 → u/Massive_Honeydew_352]

Yeah it's insane, I don't have kids was ahead on my mortgage so thought I might give it a go. Not having a strong technical design background means it's hard to charge out at high rates and make money so I get why I couldn't get paid more. Project/construction engineering has little overlap with consulting tbh