Then once we got the job, I scheduled drilling, assigned techs to do the utility locates and the borehole logging. For a typical project, I would get the RFP, write the proposal, turn it over to my manager for review. If you find yourself in a firm like that, you need to start looking to move on.įor instance, I started out like you, but by the time I had almost 4 years experience, I was running projects from the proposal to the report, working as a project engineer and manager for the company. They don't want you to learn because then they won't have to pay you any more money, you won't be able to get a job elsewhere, and you'll be cheap to replace. There are a lot of bottom feeding geotech firms out there that will ride EI's for years, never really teaching you anything, and just using you as a glorified field tech. If your company doesn't have a track record of increasing responsibility and moving you from the field into the office, you probably need to look for a different company.

My experience with geotech is that the longer you are in it, the less time you will spend doing grunt work (field logging, utilities, etc) and the greater amount of your time will be spent doing the actual engineering: selecting soil samples, assigning lab tests, calculating bearing capacities, pile capacities, expected settlements, slope stability, writing reports, etc.