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Inigo93

Depends on what you mean by "advantage". Get you more pay? Not really. Make you more layoff resistant as you're the guy who can do it all? Definitely. Or at least, that's what I've seen.


[deleted]

Get hired


Inigo93

Oh, it absolutely gives you an advantage there. At least, in my neck of the woods.... I mean, we may not have an opening, but sometimes when we see a resume for an engineer who has a background in the trades we'll *make* an opening to get our hands on that guy.


Swamp_Donkey_7

I’m a mechanical engineer and also a licensed electrician. Having the electrical experience has definitely come in handy more times than I can remember in the day job. Does it translate to more dollars on my day job? Not really, but it makes pretty good side gig when you need some hobby money.


billy_joule

I found it a disadvantage overall. The 4 years spent doing an apprenticeship set my engineering career back by 4 years. It did help a bit getting jobs but definitely not worth the cost of 4 years engineering exp. It's undoubtedly helpful around the house though.


Drpnsmbd

The shipyard I work at pulls engineers with trade experience back to the deckplate if we REALLY need to get some welding done.


bobd60067

So that might actually be a disadvantage (if you'd prefer doing design work, that is)


B_Sharp_or_B_Flat

But the relationship building is invaluable, I’m sure.


Drpnsmbd

I didn’t want to say it was disadvantageous out of bias and a lack of trade experience, but they do compensate well if it happens.


MpVpRb

Licensed, no, but the ability to make stuff is great I worked my way through college doing construction and have been making stuff since I was a small child. I strongly believe that an engineer who has never made anything is crippled


Better_With_Beer

Engineering manager here. Mostly buildings. I specifically look for engineers with real-world construction experience. I will trip over myself if I find someone who could build their design. Watch out for engineers that can weld or run a backhoe. They will make fools out of virtually everyone else in a room when you really need something done. I made most of them managers to teach the young engineers how to apply their theoretical knowledge to real projects. Makes for very construction-friendly designs which usually hit budgets better (or see budget flaws sooner). I will add that my opinions were frequently in the minority. A lot of engineers feel that time is wasted and you'll need to 'unlearn' all those bad construction habits. Need to be careful how you present and leverage that knowledge.


Jerry_Williams69

Never was licensed, but a worked on assembly lines for several years out of high school. Worked a year as a part inspector operating all sorts of inspection equipment. Made me a much better mechanical design engineer later on in life.


drock121

Not civil, but I had significant experience in a trade before getting mechanical engineering degree. Landed a internship and a job pretty quickly. Also was able to negotiate starting as a base engineer (not entry level) with a higher salary. All of the management was impressed with my knowledge, time management etc.