Please help me with info! CE vs. CET

College Majors Engineering Majors
#1

<p>hello,</p>

<p>my name is Luis, I am new to the forum, and well I am pretty much stuck right now on what major to choose. I know that I definitely want to to go into the Engineering business, but I am having a hard time choosing between Construction Engineering Technology and Civil Engineering? I want to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona.</p>

<p>I have had some people tell me that they are basically the same major and some tell me that Civil is better than construction because it is more respected. I have also heard that Civil engineers are just stuck in an office while construction engineers are out on the field. i have heard a lot of different things. </p>

<p>would someone who is studying either one of these fields help me out please?
I am really into the part of being on the field, but I want to choose a career that will benefit me more(salary) as well as one that will assure better employment.</p>

<p>*I hope I did not ask too many questions, I really appreciate every reply. Thank You.</p>

#2

<p>From my limited experience as a junior engineer in industry, i would warn you against doing CET. Yes, you're correct that CET will spend more time in field but spending more time in the field means you won't move up.</p>

<p>At my workplace, the starting pay for a civil engineering was around $50000 while for a CET its around $37500. However, a CET will max out at around...$45000-$50000 while the mid career salary for a civil engineer is around $90000.</p>

#3

<p>really? wow, I didnt know that there was a salary limit for CET?
and well, I am interested in making good money so that kind of drifts me away from CET a bit,
thank you for the info!</p>

<p>anyone else have information?</p>

#4

<p>I would also advise you to pursue CE, not CET. It's easier to become a professional engineer as a CE. Yes, it IS possible for a CET, but it takes longer. You will DEFINITELY get paid more as a CE, and if you want to be in the field, you can. ken285 can tell you more - ken, where are you? :)</p>

#5

<p>CET is NOT consider a full blown engineering degree. It is typically more similar to a high level technician training program. Any engineering technology degree mostly relegate the degree holder to job positions that deal with maintenance or repair of an engineering project or product. This is part of the reason why their salary is substantially lower than a proper engineering graduate. </p>

<p>Civil engineering professionals with full blown engineering degree will typically be involved with structural design, upgrade, and retrofit, not just repair and maintenance. This accounts for why engineering degree holders will almost always make more money.</p>

<p>Echoing what the previous posts have said, since you are going to spend 4 years studying hard, Get the CE degree.</p>

#6

<p>Thanks a lot for the advise guys! Appreciate it. I was pretty confused because some counselors were telling me one thing and others were telling me different, so its good to hear from others who are in the field. One last thing, I was wondering if you guys could describe what a civil engineer does like on a daily basis of work? I would really appreciate it guys!</p>

#7

<p>Construction engineering technology is basically management of construction projects with a touch of engineering for background information. Civil engineering is about the design of buildings and infrastructure. The two are related, but are not the same.</p>

<p>You can be in the field and have a civil engineering degree as well, like myself. I have a BE and MS in civil engineering and work as a construction superintendent. I am based on the actual construction site and spend the majority of my time there. </p>

<p>If you want to be in the field, you have two options. You can go into field supervision, which is mainly management; there is little to no engineering involved. Your other option is to go into engineering and be in the field mainly as an inspector.</p>

<p>I'd be very wary about saying there's a "maximum" salary for any specific major mainly because your major doesn't necessarily dictate what job you get. The previous CEO for my company was a construction engineering technology major and this was for a multi-national construction management firm. In the construction field, majors do not matter too much; it's all about the experience you have. I will add that civil engineering majors who go into construction management tend to have starting salaries on par with those who go into structural engineering.</p>

<p>I'll also add that you move up just as easily in the field in construction management. It is a completely different track from engineering with different roles and responsibilities. That being said, engineering firms tend to stick the newbies in the field and use the more experienced people doing design in the office. If you're not in the office much, then your development as an engineer is being stunted. The opposite is true for construction superintendents.</p>

<p>In general, I recommend that people go for civil engineering degrees since that keeps the most option open.</p>

#8

<p>wow! that's a lot of great information, thank you very much.
That really encourages me and now I know that I am going to go for Civil Engineering, I mean its going to be a lot more math classes, but in the end I am sure it will be worth it.</p>

<p>and it is great to hear from someone who is currently in the field. I truly enjoy being on the field because the scene itself is what made me want to pursue engineering.</p>

<p>Throughout the post (ken285) you mentioned that you can go into different fields like inspection, field supervision, construction management, structural, etc. however, I am pretty confused about that, so do you choose the field you want to go into while being in college or is that after graduation? </p>

<p>***Im sorry for all of the questions guys, Im just trying to get as much information as possible. I really appreciate the help.</p>

#9

<p>
[quote]
Throughout the post (ken285) you mentioned that you can go into different fields like inspection, field supervision, construction management, structural, etc. however, I am pretty confused about that, so do you choose the field you want to go into while being in college or is that after graduation?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That's a difficult question to give a definite answer to. The courses you take in college will push you towards a certain direction for certain fields, but won't lock you in completely. Structural engineering, if you choose to go that route, is more picky. Construction management cares less about the courses you took, and a variety of majors go into this field, though of course it's always better to take relevant courses.</p>

<p>What you should try to decide at some point, if possible, is in what capacity you want to work in the field. There are people who are more concerned with getting the project completed on time, correct per drawings and specifications, on budget, safely and the actual construction aspect of it. There are also people whose roles are to only monitor and inspect for the correct installation of various structural items, such as rebar, steel, concrete, masonry, etc. I did work in the latter for a short while when I was in college, but am now working in the former. </p>

<p>For now, if you are looking for recommendations on courses, I would focus on taking more structural and geotechnical courses, even if you want to work on the construction end. It's a good idea to take a few construction management courses too just to get a better idea of what it entails, but it's not something you can't pick up on your own if need be. Learning structural design by yourself is significantly more difficult.</p>

#10

<p>I like the idea of doing the type of work that you mentioned... the ones who inspect for correct installaions. what is that civil engineer position called?</p>

#11

<p>^^ Those are structural engineers.</p>

#12

<p>And geotechnical engineers for the foundations.</p>

#13

<p>ok great, thanks!
geotechnical engineers ae the ones that test for soils and stuff like that, right?</p>

<p>so it will probably structural civil engineering for me, I plan on going to Cal Poly Pomona, does anyone here go there?</p>