So I’ve been working in geotech/CMT for four years in a MCOL city in the southeast. I recently got my PE but want to make a switch into environmental w/ww work.
As a project manager, I feel increasingly tightened in a vise grip as my overhead costs are crushing me, my subs are able to raise their rates (even before the fuel crisis) but I can’t raise my rates in an effort to be competitive. Subsequently, I’m only at 71,680 and my boss doesn’t intend on giving a serious raise within the next 2 years at least. The low pay and the constant stress and late night/early morning phone calls are really burning me out and driving me away from the industry. I love the engineering behind geotech and materials engineering, but the industry absolutely sucks and I can’t see a way to improve it.
I would like to switch to doing environmental work, and have applied to 8 design firms, but my only response was from our city sewarage agency offering 72,000. I know the PE doesn’t instantly transform me into a genius, but I still feel it is far too low. I think My problem applying to design firms is that I only know geotech and materials work. I think since I have never had to actually design anything using a software, companies are hesistant to hire me. I’ve spent a lot of free time reading up on the clean water act, local environmental and water regulations, solid waste regulations etc, but I still can’t get any hits. Am I too pigeon holed into geotech to switch out, or does anyone have any advice on how to picot?