Civil/Structural finished college, What to do now?

Eng86

Hello there,
Ive just finished up a research masters in Structural Engineering and now im in that difficult position of trying to get a job!

How are recent graduates finding the jobs market here these days? Has the jobs market in Engineering improved? There seems to be slightly more jobs to apply for than when i finished my Bachelors degree, but it is still quite difficult to find entry level jobs.

Who are the best recruiters these days for Engineering roles?

Would I be better off packing the bags and heading for Australia/ NZ / Canada? Or would it be difficult to get a job without a few years experience.

mawk

Boat loads of work in Norway. Plus I presume a lot of work is going to be coming down the line here in the coming years in demolition

breadmonkey

I see Foster & Partners advertising in the back of The Structural Engineer for engineers of all levels (London).

godtabh

I've seen a general pick up in things but because of the lag it maybe a year or two if these jobs come on line

Ninja101

Emigrate, the sooner the better. Wages are crap in Ireland compared to Norway, Australia etc. Also you'll more likely be working for bigger companies on much bigger and more interesting projects.

Get into Oil & Gas if you want to make money, though the travelling lifestyle may not suit you when you get older. Screw it, you'll make so much in your 20's you can retire!

If you want to spend your time designing apartments, doing M= wl^2/8, ad infinitum, in some wee London office, go ahead..

Word of mouth is your best bet to get you a start, not recruiters. If I advertise a position with a recuiter/online, within 24 hours I'll have 1000 CVs- not much use to me. Its not what you know, its who you know, unfortunately.

breadmonkey

Ninja101 wrote: »

If you want to spend your time designing apartments, doing M= wl^2/8, ad infinitum, in some wee London office, go ahead..

I was under the impression that structural engineering in the oil and gas field would be just as boring! But I can't argue on the money front.

Ninja101

Yeah I'm only exaggerating for effect, its not meant literally!

Eng86

Ninja101 wrote: »

Emigrate, the sooner the better. Wages are crap in Ireland compared to Norway, Australia etc. Also you'll more likely be working for bigger companies on much bigger and more interesting projects.

Get into Oil & Gas if you want to make money, though the travelling lifestyle may not suit you when you get older. Screw it, you'll make so much in your 20's you can retire!

If you want to spend your time designing apartments, doing M= wl^2/8, ad infinitum, in some wee London office, go ahead..

Word of mouth is your best bet to get you a start, not recruiters. If I advertise a position with a recuiter/online, within 24 hours I'll have 1000 CVs- not much use to me. Its not what you know, its who you know, unfortunately.

Havent heard much about Norway before, does anyone here have any experience working there?

What is the best way to get in with a company abroad (oz, NZ etc)? Especially for graduates, Is there many companies that would take you on before getting there or is it a case of getting a working holiday visa and trying your luck once you get there?