With the world focused as ever on growing the economy and developing more real estate and infrastructure, there is a growing demand for skilled and highly attentive individuals in the engineering sector. While it’s fairly commonplace to see many people hired for jobs in engineering, computer-assisted design and drafting, there’s also a rising trend of firms looking for intelligent, focused and hardworking individuals who have done well in CAD school or engineering training to become engineering consultants. In a more managerial role, it involves overseeing most of the day to day operations of an engineering firm, and playing a key role in the decision-making process when it comes to design and construction.
What is Consulting?
Engineering consultants usually work in roles at larger engineering companies or firms, overseeing existing projects and making recommendations about how designs will go forward, what challenges the project might face, and what could be improved. The typical duties of an engineering consultant are wide-ranging, and differ depending on the type of engineering – whether it be civil, mechanical, industrial or otherwise – but generally revolve around giving advice and helping to improve projects in development. Engineering consultants usually have a wealth of experience in the industry, either as designers, drafters or planners, and have proven themselves to be experts in their field.
Entrepreneurship vs. Firms
As an engineering consultant, there are typically two separate paths you can embark on when it comes to making a career out of consulting – becoming an independent engineering consultant and offering your services to a plethora of clients, or sticking with one firm and overseeing their projects only. They’re both lucrative and fruitful career choices, but each has their own unique advantages and disadvantages. However, if you’ve succeeded as a computer-aided drafter or a similar job title in the industry, either type should be a natural extension for you.
Independent Consulting
The perks of independent consulting are that you’re not tied down to one firm, so you’ll get to experience a wide range of projects of varying types. Anything from overseeing construction of a new bridge to helping streamline water systems could be on the agenda. The disadvantage of independent consulting, however, is that you’ll have to be quite experienced and established as a leader in your field to win contracts. People are going to have to believe that your services are worth it because it costs a fair amount to bring in an independent consultant instead of just going with someone in the house. However, if you’re an expert in your particular brand of engineering and have established a name for yourself you’ll enjoy the freedom of being your own boss and having your skills in high demand.
Working With a Firm
Working with an engineering firm gives you the peace of mind and job security of always having projects to work on and eliminates the stress of having to constantly be searching for and trying to win clients. You’ll usually be privy to a good salary and a nice package of benefits, as well as many opportunities for growth. However, the disadvantages to a career as a consultant with a firm are that the variety of projects you work on will be smaller, and you may be tasked with smaller tasks that don’t necessarily fit in with consulting. Whichever avenue you choose, you can be sure that the career of an engineering consultant is multifaceted, fast-paced and rewarding.
