[nashashmi]

Going from a civil engineer to computers and programming is an all too common career path. For some reason, even though I am very knowledgeable of computers/programming/development, I never made the switch.

Part of the reason Civil Engineers go into Civil is because they are excited by the idea of making things (especially with computers). Part of the reason they leave, is after they see how frustratingly slow-paced it is, how poor communication is, and how ridiculous the number of times your project or work gets axed (not shelfed, axed!).

There is a concept in software engineering called reusable code. That concept is completely absent from CE. The entire industry works that way. And it seems backwards.

I am still holding out hope that one day this field will improve, and I may have a hand in it. But in all honesty, I see architects, surveyors, and software engineers doing a better job of revamping this industry than civil engineers ever can.

[tonyedgecombe]

To be honest I think you can find those sort of criticisms in just about any industry, you can certainly find them in the software world.

[sidibe]

Also CE->SWE here, if you are criticising these issues in the software world you will hate being a civil engineer. While they are in some corners of software development, it's basically all there is in civil engineering.

Civil engineering is already figured out. In the first world, what you are supposed to do for most situations is not only almost entirely mapped out but is actual regulations. That's great for society, but there is just no stimulation for CEs. In the first world, being a civil engineer is mostly about knowing and keeping up with the the rules (which is a feat in itself considering how many organizations are involved and how scattered the information is), applying them, sending drafts to clients/regulators/etc. and waiting for weeks for responses.

[nashashmi]

Wow! You just brought back memories of a line in a paper I wrote my first week in Civil Engineering college ... "a boring field that is 1000 years old where all opportunities of innovation has already occurred". But when I was thinking of going into CoE or CS the dot com bubble burst and I had to reconsider.