r/civilengineering • u/CustomerMother6102 • 12h ago
Advice on Taking Smaller Firm Position for Career Growth
I am a site design EIT working at a small civil design firm under a huge architectural firm and have been here for about 1.5 years. My office consists of me and my manager, which has been incredible because I have learned a lot from him and we make a great team. He is also a very respectable man that has been a great mentor for me, I can walk into his office anytime with any question. Overall, I don't have any significant complaints; the firm environment is very laxed, never really have to stay past 5:30, I have half-day Friday's, my birthday is given as PTO. So I am in a very fortunate position and had no intentions on leaving anytime soon.
That being said, I came across a job listing this weekend that was published by a notable PE in the area. This PE started his own firm about 3 years ago and is looking for his first hire. I have known for a couple years that starting my own firm is something I am patiently working towards and think that I could benefit tremendously from joining a firm like this where I can learn how to operate a small design firm straight from the source. However, I understand that although I am in a very conformable position now, taking a new role with a new mentor is high risk and that the grass is not always greener. Its also a risk of how many projects a one/two-person firm will acquire, so I am worried about the stability of said position. I am meeting this PE soon to talk about the position in-person and if we would be a good match, so nothing guaranteed yet.
I would love any insight from individuals who share similar experiences or any advice on how to determine what the best next step for me and my personal/career growth.
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u/hobbyist9 12h ago
Seems risky in the economic climate to switch from an established small firm to an unestablished one. Counter argument is that there is always a reason not to give it a shot.
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u/LigersGhost P.E. Structural/Bridge Design 12h ago
Your goal of opening your own firm is something that you will need 7-10 years of experience to realize. However, your current goals are likely more along the lines of getting experience and your license. Your current situation appears to be stable and a good learning environment where you trust your team. I think staying there is the best move until you gain more experience to be confident in your own right. Being able to trust your supervisor and mentors to give you reasonable challenges that let you grow but with a minimum of trauma is something I would not discount. I don't mean to say that this other PE will be a grindstone and poor to work under - we don't know anything about him - but it could be less comfortable than your current job due to the realities of setting up a firm. At a large consultancy, you have HR, accountants, training, etc. to let you and your engineering supervisor focus on the engineering. At this other firm, it's one guy doing everything and you are trying to help him do it all. That can be great experience, or it can be excruciating. I wouldn't steer you away from this if it's what you really want, but I would encourage you to get your solid foundation in engineering design first before you start getting into more difficult situations.