All here is a good tips.. Me my self is a freshie in bachelor civil engineering n now in my final semester, i'm more interested with design as for my last capstone project subject i design the mosque from google sketchup autocad esteem n staadpro.. All of it i start with zero, n after i done it i think wanna pursue in this sector for my 1st job after graduate

I'm a Project Engineer currently at site

The best thing about Project Engineer is very flexible working hour, i mean no punch card or whatsoever and you get daily and monthly allowance plus petty cash, entertainment cash, my company pay my phone bill + broadband, got company car and free diesel, flight ticket and many more.

The downside is workload is very high and basically you are incharge and responsible for the whole project. Always feel want to cry when doing report or after went to meeting T_T

hi bro..
mind to share what is your company?small contractor?big contractor?developer?
how many years have you been working?

tq

hi all sifus ..im a fresh grad in the field of mechanical engineering .. any companies u guys can recommend to me with lots of learning opportunities ? big or small doesnt matter.. Im interested in the consulting line for now ..and in the future of course i would like to be project engineer when i've enuff design knowledge ..also whats ur jobscope like for consultancy ? just designing?thanks

Here is my advice....since you are from Mech. background, look for opportunity in oil & gas field instead of construction....Construction pays the lowest for M & E fresh grad among all the engineering fields...Moreover, M & E field in construction is saturated in terms of manpower at the moment....The market is full of players while projects are lesser now...In short, supply is more than demand...Even contractors are fighting bloodily to capture job until the profit margin becomes lesser and lesser, let alone consultants.....This is the effect of economy booming and downturn in 1993 & 1997......This situation may apply to C & S field as well....

PS : sorry for discouraging.....but this is the reality right at the moment.....

This post has been edited by josephlau7966: Mar 26 2012, 03:31 PM

follow josephlau7966 if you are from mech background. you can join o&g consultant like technip, worley parson, etc.

though i have left this construction field with M background to o&g but initially the first few years left, still got people phoned me if wanna join back. but my answer was no.
the construction projects & the current econ situation,
the big boss in a project is the architect & c&s/ owner & developer always,
working under hot sun/rain is ok but the compensation allowance is not on par as getting aging then health..., health is more important,
it is become more competitive among consultants nowadays in order to fight the tender price--> very low profit margin especially m&e, more & more self-open consultant or part time consultant (if you have been in this field long enough, part time out there lot),
when econ down can expect late progress payment if lucky enough -->hope no one close down company,
work at late night if need to rush drawing/design due to tight urgent schedule from owner/developer.

of course, consultant most of the time sit in the office but sometimes inspection, t&c may require to present at site or opportunity arise to become RE.

but i did learn a lot from 10 projects from high-rise commercial/government buildings to infra within 3 years.

This post has been edited by ch_teo: Mar 26 2012, 04:56 PM

That is why in my honest opinion, I am quite pessimistic about the prospect of construction sector in malaysia. Beside the issue of too many players, corruption problem is getting worse as well. No matter how good your technical knowledge, without a "good relationship" with authority and developers, you cannot go any further in career advancement. Sadly, i have been a few years in this field. I could not afford to shift to O n G and start all over again. The alternative route left would be oversea for the same field.

This post has been edited by josephlau7966: Mar 26 2012, 05:57 PM

u guys is right, i'm meche graduate who work in construction for about 1 year now, preparing to lompat to oil and gas shortly, this year is the recruitment year for oil and gas, hopefully can get call back from them

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Added on April 6, 2012, 8:24 pmIts a main contractor, grade A, ISO company, private company, i can say quite big in Palm Oil Mill construction but if we say in overall then just a normal grade A contractor. Its my first job and now i am about a year with the company. Too much pressure, want to find another job. How can the whole project in-charge by only one person..

This post has been edited by scarybuzz: Apr 6 2012, 08:24 PM

Hi all Sifuss,

I'm a Geotechnical Engineer with 1 year experience. Working in a Consultancy design office.

Just wanna ask, is it possible for Civil engineer like us to venture into Developers? Cos' heard that it has high salary etc.

Would love to hear from you all!

Is it advisable for fresh engineering graduates to join consultancy firms? I have been offered jobs at a small consultancy firm and also another job at a multinational manufacturing company (injection moulding company) as QA engineer. I am kinda confused on which job to go for?
More concerned on my career path and the opportunity to grow further... I need some advise... Pls help...

Guys
I just want to share that it is possible to join O+G and developers. I worked in in one now and the other before. I started as an engineer with a firm of consulting engineers. Perhaps I am an exception rather than a norm.

Most important is you must hone your skills, both soft and technical skills. Get yourself professional qualified and get an additional postgrad degree. I find good spoken and written English is definitely an advantage. You also need to be confident in yourself.

Hi,

You are working in O&G firm now? Does it require you to travel around etc? Is the salary good?

Yes I am in the O+G industry. I am actually based outside M'sia. Salary is relative.....I do not check around if I am paid well compared to others. I can say that I am contended with what I am getting.

IMO a good career path would be from project engineer to become consultant

I could not decide for you which path is better. I never join manufacturing factory. So, I cannot comment on this. But some of my friends from factory are doing routine work in the same place everyday. They started to feel boring and not challenging. Just my opinion, most probably your job scope would be very specific in factory. The competitor companies know each other in whatever aspect (salary, benefit, culture and working environment). It will be a disadvantage for you as a employee. A few years down the road, you will find that your field is narrow and couldn't shift to other field to start all over again.

For consultancy firm, your future will be much more depends on your luck, personality and your "sifu". Just talk about your "sifu". Normally he is the Ir or the director of the firm. If he is nicely and sincerely treating you, you will learn a lot and have a better prospect. You don't mind to work for him during weekend without pay. If your "sifu" is a bustard, your future will be doomed. Going to office is just like going to hell everyday. no joke.

This post has been edited by josephlau7966: May 15 2012, 10:11 PM

Thanks alot for the honest opinion... :-)