What type of environment do
engineers work in?
April 18, 2020
By: Lisandro Vazquez, PE
Just as there is a huge variety of specialties and fields within engineering, there is likewise a broad range of working environments. Yet, while some engineers may work in an industrial environment spending their days troubleshooting equipment or performing/supervising maintenance, I would venture to say that the majority of engineers carry out the bulk of their work in an office due to reliance on computers for not only engineering tasks but for day-to-day operations & communications with coworkers and clients.
The office (not talking about the super hilarious sitcom):
As a Mechanical Engineer in the HVAC and plumbing design fields for building construction most of my day is spent working in an office environment (so… pretty comfortable). Most engineers (at least in design firms) work in open office or cubicle environments.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking… the dreaded cubicle. But actually, I kind of like my cubicle. I’ve had an individual office before with the floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking greenery… pretty sweet deal… but the cubicle is ok. It’s my own space where I can focus when I need to and where I can join in on conversation or jokes with the people around me.
Like most things the “cubicle farm” is what you make of it. If you view it with loathing… well, you will hate it. If you see it as your own space that you can personalize… well, then that’s just what it’ll be: your own personal space. Besides, if the majority of your work requires the use of a computer, and it’s helpful to have two or even three screens, what else would you want? You can’t exactly draft plumbing plans in REVIT comfortably while having a picnic outside (think of all the cables you’d have to run out there… and what if it rains?).
And honestly… if you aren’t an experienced engineer or manager in charge of multiple people and/or tons of projects which requires a space with a door, why on earth would you think you’d be so much happier with your own office? Sure, it might be nice to close the door every once in a while to really concentrate, but other than that you’d pretty much be doing the exact same thing you’d do in the cubicle.
What I’ve been describing though is different than the open-office concept where there aren’t tall dividers—or no dividers at all—between workstations. Having one big open “free” space without dividers would likely drive me mad because every time you look up or your eyes drift away from the screen you’d be looking at somebody else. Noise would also be an issue as I am easily distracted by sounds & conversations around me. But… I’m just postulating here as I haven’t spent any significant amount of time working in the open-office environment. Maybe I’d end up enjoying it… who knows? It’s what you make of it, right?
Almost all my time, like 90% plus, is spent at the computer. This percentage can be lower provided you print items at multiples stages of the design process and perform certain things (like calculations) by hand; but, this oftentimes leads to duplication of effort since you have to enter virtually everything into the computer anyways.
The near total reliance on the computer does present some drawbacks. To be honest, my eyes start to hurt and I get pain in my back and wrist from sitting at the desk clicking all day. It may sound “trifling” but when you do the exact same repetitive motions literally thousands of times a day, day after day, week after week, month after month… for years… you really do start to experience pain while doing your job. For some this is hardly noticeable. I was in this camp for a few years, but over the past year or so I’ve been noticing pain in my right wrist and forearm which has been getting progressively worse. I’ll have to do some more research into it to find some ways at mitigating this issue, but I figured I’d just mention it.
Recently, though, I got a “standing desk” which allows me to alternate between sitting or standing at my desk and this has helped quite a bit. I feel more energetic and my lower back pain has lessened considerably (exercising & stretching also help).
Recently, though, I got a “standing desk” which allows me to alternate between sitting or standing at my desk and this has helped quite a bit. I feel more energetic and my lower back pain has lessened considerably (exercising & stretching also help).
Travel:
Now, I promise I’ll talk more about the office and what you can expect in your first engineering role a little later in the article, but I want to briefly touch on travel first since this is a less well-known aspect of an engineer’s job. Periodically, I do have the opportunity to travel locally for site-visits or meetings with clients and/or design personnel from other disciplines outside of my firm.
Depending on your specific company or your level of skill/proficiency, your percentage of travel time may vary by quite a bit. In my experience, the senior engineers travel significantly more than the junior engineers. The former’s travels tend to be more widely distributed whereas junior and mid-level engineers range closer to home focusing on project site-visits rather than client meetings. In my current role I may have out-of-office meetings perhaps 2-4 times a month, but this is so dependent on which projects I get to work on.
Beyond site-visits or client meetings there are other opportunities for travel. For example, the companies where I have worked have been very open to providing some level of financial assistance for out-of-state training seminars or conferences. Because of this, I have been able to attend technical conferences in Las Vegas, Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Orlando.
I have really enjoyed these as I actually do like to learn more about my industry; but, it’s also pretty cool to be able to do a little bit of sightseeing as well. Please note that these events do not fall into your lap and may not even be advertised by your firm.
If you want to attend technical symposiums or workshops which require airfare or hotels, you will need to do your research and present to management why your attendance would be not only beneficial for your knowledge but how it will benefit the company.
Also, be prepared to pay a little bit out of pocket unless you can get some financial assistance from your local chapters of ASHRAE, ASPE, ASME or other applicable professional engineering societies.
(For more information on what professional engineering societies can do for you, click here)
Ok, let’s get back to the office.
What do engineers typically wear at work:
“Business casual” (yes… that non-descriptive label) is the order of the day as opposed to “business professional.” You don’t normally see people walking around in blazers, slacks and ties unless there is some high-level client onboarding, awards/recognition event, or marketing effort; and even in these cases it will typically only affect those in management.
My experience has been that dress codes aren’t stringently enforced, though there is a certain level of expectation of proper wear (whatever that means). Some people wear slacks and button-up shirts/blouses, while others wear khakis and polos. It’s rare to see somebody show up to work looking disheveled, but honestly when that happens it tends to be people in the first year or so of their professional working career.
Most of the variability in standards is at smaller sized firms where a more “lax” attitude toward dress may occur (jeans, maybe shorts if you are lucky???). You’ll doubtless still wear some form of collared shirt though.
The cliché of “casual Friday” seems pretty standard across the board, but again there are some limits. You aren’t typically showing up in flip-flops and board shorts (I’ve only seen this at smaller companies… so it does happen).
If your job involves site-visits to construction zones you will most definitely need to alter your wear and plan ahead for these events. You don’t want to be the engineer in slacks & button-up shirt/blouse donning a hard hat and sloshing through mud only to have your loafers or flats get sucked off your feet… you’ll look silly. While this may afford you the opportunity to provide much laughter and good spirits to your teammates, it might just be easier if you get some tough khakis or jeans (if your company allows it) and some waterproof shoes or boots that don’t look too ridiculous with pants and a tucked-in polo.
The people:
If you’re working on the design side of the architectural and engineering (A&E) industry you are likely surrounded to a large extent by others employed in a professional or semi-professional capacity. Holding off on demographics for a quick moment, I have found that in general you will be in an environment composed of well-educated people with a large diversity of interests and personalities.
Of course the latter two I’m sure are true for many industries, but I think the prevalence of formal education is a big differentiating component when comparing an engineering work environment with other office-based positions/roles or non-design related industries. This isn’t just limited to bachelor’s or master’s degrees either.
A large number of non-degreed personnel in engineering firms have either had some level of college education or have had years’ worth of technical learning related to their field. Because of the industry they’re in, many CAD designers/technicians or draftsmen tend to be somewhat computer savvy and have an overall aptitude towards technical or specialized fields (whether work-related or just a personal topic of interest).
This makes it easy to find people who are motivated and who share similar non-work related interests that may be rather complex or technical. What this also means (in my humble opinion) is that because of the overall higher level of education, understanding, and technical aptitude—and because of the amount of time and experience it takes to hold these skilled technical positions—people tend to be way more willing to go out of their way to help you learn. They will take time out of their day to teach you what they know, or to give you some assistance on figuring out how to use a certain program, or how to approach a technical problem.
Apart from just being nice they do this because they know first-hand what you’re dealing with and have a greater appreciation for seeing how lending assistance will directly lead to helping the team as a whole. My comparison here is targeted against other office-based roles. I think it is rare to find—again… my opinion—the engineer or designer/technician who simply does his or her “time,” 40-45 hours a week, without showing any interest in how the team as whole is doing.
Demographics:
The engineering industry is still a male-dominated workplace with women making up typically less than 20% of engineering teams, oftentimes significantly lower. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), women’s share of the industry increased from 5.8% in the 1980s to about 14% in 20121. Nevertheless, the trends in engineering graduation rates don’t suggest a momentous surge in the near future.
In a published study by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), the percentage of engineering graduates who are women remained relatively constant at ~18-19% between 2006 and 2014.2 Though this will likely lead to a steady increase in the percentage of female representation within the engineering workforce from its current level, the data do not suggest the occurrence of a large demographic shift within the next 5-10 years.
Interestingly, the percentage of master’s degrees awarded to women is markedly higher than their male counterparts, coming in at around 25% of the total.2
The following chart from the ASEE study, by Brian L. Yoder, Ph.D., illustrates the general breakdown of engineering degrees being awarded over a snapshot during the 2010s showing trends based on gender, ethnicity, and residency status (U.S.). For the complete study, please click here: https://www.asee.org/papers-and-publications/publications/college-profiles/15EngineeringbytheNumbersPart1.pdf)
To sum it up:
As I mentioned earlier, the working environments described here are based on my own experiences within the HVAC and plumbing design engineering fields, which are part of the larger A&E (Architecture & Engineering) industry. There are countless other environments in which engineers work so I encourage you to continue your quest to learn more about the engineering field.
Thanks for reading!
Check out these other helpful articles in the “What is it like to be an Engineer?” series:
What is it like to be an Engineer? (Series Intro)
How many hours do engineers work?
What do Mechanical Engineers do?
Other related articles:
17 Steps to Become an Engineer – From High School to Professional Engineer (PE)
Salary, the full story—how you could be missing out on your full earnings
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