Ask anyone who an architect is and what they do and they'll most likely tell you something along the lines of designing buildings. It is true, architects are the people responsible for designing buildings and other structures. Some structures inspire, others just serve their purpose. But who is responsible for making sure these structures don't crumble? Ask most people this question, and they won't know what to say. That is the job of a Structural Engineer; to ensure that a structure (building, bridge, airplane, popsicle stick house, etc) will not respond negatively to the loads acting on it. It's a career not many people are interested in, but without sounding too self-serving, it's one that is crucial to our advancement as a society.
So what does it take to become a Structural Engineer? Well, first you have to know what you're getting into. The specialization of Structural Engineering is generally a subset of the Civil Engineering career. As a Civil Engineer, you learn how to analyze and design the systems that we use in our everyday lives: roads, canals, sewage and waste water removal, traffic systems, and buildings and bridges. Structural Engineering specializes in looking at buildings, bridges, and other structures to ensure that whatever loads act on it (weight, forces from wind, earthquakes, snow, etc) will not severely damage the building.
Being an engineer requires a great deal of understanding of how the physical world reacts to forces; that's right, you need to be good at math. My personal belief that math is the language of nature is a topic for another post, but every engineer needs to rely on math, especially calculus, as one of the most important tools of the trade. Physics also plays a huge role in the Structural Engineering field, since physics is the study of forces and reactions, and structures are nothing more than systems that react to outside forces.
But there is something much more important to Structural Engineering than math. After taking all the pocket-protector, graphing calculator required courses you get thrown into the "real world", and you learn that engineering is just as much about dealing with people as it is about numbers. As a Structural Engineer you are tasked with communicating between architects, owners and contractors what needs to get done to make the building safe (from a "not gonna collapse when i step inside" perspective). This is a challenge for most engineers, since not a lot of courses in college stress the importance of personal skills in a field like ours. It is imperative that engineers learn how to solve problems quickly and creatively, and how to manage people and budgets as well as they manage their TI-89's.
I find the history of Structural Engineering riveting. From our earliest works to the newest and boldest designs, it's all amazing to me, but since this is not a history lesson, I'll let you find out for yourself. If you think this career plays to your strengths, you should definitely find out more about this world that I know and love. Here are some links to get you started:
- Structural Engineering - Wikipedia
- What is Structural Engineering? - Structural Engineers Association of Northern California
- Why we need good Structural Engineers
Posted by: Santiago Bermudez
So what does it take to become a Structural Engineer? Well, first you have to know what you're getting into. The specialization of Structural Engineering is generally a subset of the Civil Engineering career. As a Civil Engineer, you learn how to analyze and design the systems that we use in our everyday lives: roads, canals, sewage and waste water removal, traffic systems, and buildings and bridges. Structural Engineering specializes in looking at buildings, bridges, and other structures to ensure that whatever loads act on it (weight, forces from wind, earthquakes, snow, etc) will not severely damage the building.
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| Structural Engineering & Architecture at their finest |
Being an engineer requires a great deal of understanding of how the physical world reacts to forces; that's right, you need to be good at math. My personal belief that math is the language of nature is a topic for another post, but every engineer needs to rely on math, especially calculus, as one of the most important tools of the trade. Physics also plays a huge role in the Structural Engineering field, since physics is the study of forces and reactions, and structures are nothing more than systems that react to outside forces.
But there is something much more important to Structural Engineering than math. After taking all the pocket-protector, graphing calculator required courses you get thrown into the "real world", and you learn that engineering is just as much about dealing with people as it is about numbers. As a Structural Engineer you are tasked with communicating between architects, owners and contractors what needs to get done to make the building safe (from a "not gonna collapse when i step inside" perspective). This is a challenge for most engineers, since not a lot of courses in college stress the importance of personal skills in a field like ours. It is imperative that engineers learn how to solve problems quickly and creatively, and how to manage people and budgets as well as they manage their TI-89's.
I find the history of Structural Engineering riveting. From our earliest works to the newest and boldest designs, it's all amazing to me, but since this is not a history lesson, I'll let you find out for yourself. If you think this career plays to your strengths, you should definitely find out more about this world that I know and love. Here are some links to get you started:
- Structural Engineering - Wikipedia
- What is Structural Engineering? - Structural Engineers Association of Northern California
- Why we need good Structural Engineers
Posted by: Santiago Bermudez
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
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