Question to all the Civil Engineers? STAAD

[tiowen3]

Hello Good day!

I would like to learn the program...STAAD....
The Problem is... i don't know what training center offers the best lessons and trainings..

Some of the training centers i know are:
-Crescent technologies
-Padilla Review Center
-Cad Vision
-Informatics
-Microcadd

Please do share your experiences with the training centers you guys have enrolled to. Feel free to post your suggestions too.

Enrolling to this course will cost you from P4000 to P6000 (a big amount for me).....
My point is.. im letting out some cash for this "STAAD".... So i might as well benefit the training with the "Best training center"
Thanks a lot in advance!:) *okay*

[faux_ph]

Unless you are not sure about the direction of your career in civil engineering, training for the skills in STAAD is not advisable. Skill in usage of STAAD means that the carreer path you are following will be in an engineering and design arena ( particularly structural engineering), contrast to other career paths which are academe, construction engineering, and construction management.

[faux_ph]

Regarding who's the best in STAAD training center, I advise ALA Training Center located in EDSA cor Panay Ave. Not that I'm promoting them for profit ( wish ko lang) but because the instructors there are practicing engineers in the field of structural engineering since their mother firm ALA ( Angel Lazaro and Associates) are involved in engineering consultancy services.

[blue_tracer]

Unless you are not sure about the direction of your career in civil engineering, training for the skills in STAAD is not advisable. Skill in usage of STAAD means that the carreer path you are following will be in an engineering and design arena ( particularly structural engineering), contrast to other career paths which are academe, construction engineering, and construction management.

correct ka diyan, sir.

i have used staad between 1999 to 2001. but had to stop. i had to switch to SAP. sap is better and more user friendly. that is, if you really like structural design. i've been involved with structural design for many years.. this is what i can say: dont spend too much time on it (structural design).

my advice: study how to use primavera instead. you better shift to construction management/engineering while it's still early. you wont see the benefits for now. later you will.

ce isnt just about 'structural design'.. unfortunately, it has become a part of pinoy-ce machismo: masarap pakinggan 'structural engineering'.. in actual job situation, the construction manager is with the client 'side'. the structural engineer is always under them and functions as a 'slave' in the construction cycle.

in macau, one the highest paid filipino engineers is a construction manager. not a structural engineer. his rumoured salary is between 10,000 to 12,000 usd.

my school mate, who's a ce-ense grad with construction management master's degree is a senior project planner in hkg. not a structural engineer. his salary would range between 5,000 to 6,500 usd a month.

and my salary..? very very much lower than them. think about that.

but still you can learn how to use it (sap, staad, strand, prokon, oasys) as a basic tool. but if you want make it as a career.. ang hirap. maniwala ka. hindi rewarding. besides, ang dami karibal. mga katabi ko sa office, mga graduates pa sa manchester, uk.. iba naman australia.. armed with master's degree..

i should have studied project management.. tsk tsk.. too late for now.

btw, di ba, ang daming peke na sap sa manila..? he he he.. :)

[faux_ph]

correct ka diyan, sir.

i have used staad between 1999 to 2001. but had to stop. i had to switch to SAP. sap is better and more user friendly. that is, if you really like structural design. i've been involved with structural design for many years.. this is what i can say: dont spend too much time on it (structural design).

my advice: study how to use primavera instead. you better shift to construction management/engineering while it's still early. you wont see the benefits for now. later you will.

ce isnt just about 'structural design'.. unfortunately, it has become a part of pinoy-ce machismo: masarap pakinggan 'structural engineering'.. in actual job situation, the construction manager is with the client 'side'. the structural engineer is always under them and functions as a 'slave' in the construction cycle.

in macau, one the highest paid filipino engineers is a construction manager. not a structural engineer. his rumoured salary is between 10,000 to 12,000 usd.

my school mate, who's a ce-ense grad with construction management master's degree is a senior project planner in hkg. not a structural engineer. his salary would range between 5,000 to 6,500 usd a month.

and my salary..? very very much lower than them. think about that.

but still you can learn how to use it (sap, staad, strand, prokon, oasys) as a basic tool. but if you want make it as a career.. ang hirap. maniwala ka. hindi rewarding. besides, ang dami karibal. mga katabi ko sa office, mga graduates pa sa manchester, uk.. iba naman australia.. armed with master's degree..

i should have studied project management.. tsk tsk.. too late for now.

btw, di ba, ang daming peke na sap sa manila..? he he he.. :)



pareng blue_tracer, siner mo pa ko, pareho lang naman tayo!:D

tinakot mo pa yung bata. hinay-hinay lang sa pananakot.:lol:

actually rewarding din naman ang structural engineering as a profession. pag nataon ka sa mga kompanyang hindi contractual ang sistema, pareho lang ang makukuha mong rate ng kumapara sa kahit sinong herodes mapa-puti man sya o itim. barkada ko nga na nasa norway, tumataginting na 10k USD yung sahod eh, considering na wala pang 10 yrs experience sa structural engineering. Parang gusto ko na rin tuloy sumama.:D

But I think I have to disagree sa yo dun sa tawag mo na "slave" ang structural sa construction manager. Maybe you meant project manager ( but even then structural engineer is not answerable to the Construction Manager). Project Manager = Client Side; Construction Manager = Contractor's Side; Engineering & Design Consultants (Architect,Structural,Geotechnical, MEPF,Facade, etc) = Client Side. Kapareho lang ng mga engineering and design consultants ang project managers. Mas maaangas lang ang mga project managers dahil sa nature ng trabaho nila na sumisigaw palagi.:lol:

Contrary to popular notion, structural engineering also entails project management. Pag umangat ka na sa level na you can handle bigger and more complex project in an engineering and design perspective, management skill is required to handle a team of different specializations & skill levels to interface with different discipline needed for the project. This is particularly critical during different stages of the project such as scheme and concept stage, design development stage, and detailed design. Most of the time, ang alam na lang ng mga project managers ay detailed design stage na kasi pumapasok na dito yung pre-construction issues.

Sayang nga yung skill ko ng Primavera at MSProject, di ko na nagagamit.:( Mapurol na ako siguro . Huli akong gumamit nito nung nasa construction pa ko. Primavera P3.1 tsaka MSProject98 yung mga huling version na nagamit ko.

Gumagamit ka ng oasys? Ano'ng oasys program ang ginagamit mo?

Wala na masyado yung mga nagbebenta ng pekeng software. Madalas ang raid eh. Kahit sa mga offices, nire-raid ng NBI pag nalamang gumagamit ng pekeng software. Mga may pangalan pa naman dito sa 'Pinas yung mga na-raid na mga kumpanyang iyon. Malaki kasi ang reward sa mga nagti-tip ng pekeng software!*okay*

[tiowen3]

hmmm.. kasi... 1year n ako nag ccad... i just want to shift to something that is related to what i took up (bsce).... and the first thing that pop out of my mind is "structural".. so kaya yun... STAAD ang naisip ko..
kasi sa mga companies... structural is always divided into two... first is the Engr.. second is the drafter/cad. Syempre mas mataas ang sweldo ng Engr di ba? so i think learning structrual design softwares might help..

@faux ph
thanks. ALA training center? sa Quezon city ba un? mmm....medyo malayo ah.. i was hoping sana somewhere south.

@blue tracer
Thanks. You really think Structural is a waste of time? i mean... 10000 USD vs 5000 USD? wow that is a big gap! 2x!

[faux_ph]

well, I suggested ALA kasi, AFAIK, yung mga nabanggit mo na training centers have few ( sometimes none at all)instructors that are practicing structural enginner. It's better if you have instructor that have years of hands-on experience on the usage of the tool so that you have a better understanding on the positive and negative feedback of the usage of the software as it evolved through the years.

[blue_tracer]

tama si pareng faux_ph :)

ang ibig ko lang sabihin pag nasa side ka ng construction/project management madalas ka mapunta sa admin. kaya malamang medyo nasa bandang 'itaas' ka. anyway, tama si faux_ph.

mas wider nga lang ang scope ng construction management at mas direct ang link doon sa architect ng client.

oasys.. di ako gumagamit niyan. familiar lang ako. yun ba yung gawa ng arup..?

@tiowen3:

nag-aaral ka kamo ng cad..? ituloy mo. importante din yan. at least alam mo. pagkatapos niyan eh di sa pure engineering ka na.. i didnt say na huwag ka mag structural eng. i said dont spend too much time diyan. importante, alam mo ang general design philosophy. siguro mga 3 to 5 years experience diyan, move ka na. maganda yan mas magiging well-rounded pagiging engineer mo.

biruin mo kung naranasan mo mag cad drafting, naging structural designer ka, tapos nag project engineer ka.. oh ed di puwede ka na sa project management.

ang advantage ng isang project manager na may 'alam' or background sa structural eng. ay makakagawa ka ng mga maseselan at on the spot decisions sa site. and making a sound decision is what matters most in our field.

tama lang naman yung landas mo. ituloy mo. good luck :)

[tiowen3]

well, I suggested ALA kasi, AFAIK, yung mga nabanggit mo na training centers have few ( sometimes none at all)instructors that are practicing structural enginner. It's better if you have instructor that have years of hands-on experience on the usage of the tool so that you have a better understanding on the positive and negative feedback of the usage of the software as it evolved through the years.

Tama ka. Mas maganda kapag practicing engineer ang nagtuturo.*okay* Thanks.

@blue tracer
Wow. thanks for the advise. mukhang ang dami nyo ng work experience ah?;)galing! I appreciate the help. thanks.

[faux_ph]

tama si pareng faux_ph :)

ang ibig ko lang sabihin pag nasa side ka ng construction/project management madalas ka mapunta sa admin. kaya malamang medyo nasa bandang 'itaas' ka. anyway, tama si faux_ph.

mas wider nga lang ang scope ng construction management at mas direct ang link doon sa architect ng client.

oasys.. di ako gumagamit niyan. familiar lang ako. yun ba yung gawa ng arup..?

@tiowen3:

nag-aaral ka kamo ng cad..? ituloy mo. importante din yan. at least alam mo. pagkatapos niyan eh di sa pure engineering ka na.. i didnt say na huwag ka mag structural eng. i said dont spend too much time diyan. importante, alam mo ang general design philosophy. siguro mga 3 to 5 years experience diyan, move ka na. maganda yan mas magiging well-rounded pagiging engineer mo.

biruin mo kung naranasan mo mag cad drafting, naging structural designer ka, tapos nag project engineer ka.. oh ed di puwede ka na sa project management.

ang advantage ng isang project manager na may 'alam' or background sa structural eng. ay makakagawa ka ng mga maseselan at on the spot decisions sa site. and making a sound decision is what matters most in our field.

tama lang naman yung landas mo. ituloy mo. good luck :)

I actually had the same career path. Nag-construction muna ako then nung di ko na masikmura ang kabulastugan ng mga kasama ko (i.e. corruption), umalis ako and embark the engineering and design arena. My first job ( in the engineering and design) was actually a CAD designer pero binigyan ako ng break ng dati ko'ng boss na subukan ang mag-structural engineering ( specifically bridge engineering) dahil naniniwala sya na hindi ko raw i-confine ang technical knowledge and skill ko sa ganun level lang and have to adopt new skills. Dun na ko natuto gumamit ng ibang tools ( i.e. softwares) and became familiar with different technical standards, codes and eng'g practices. It's a good thing na nag-CAD ako kasi the issues of production of drawings and its quality control can be managed easier than if I haven't. It's a good thing na nanggaling ako sa construction because the issue of constructability and methodologies and quality control are dealt in early in the project. Also, na-apply ko yung people and management skills na nakuha ko nung nasa construction pa ako.*okay*

Just go on with your career path. Subukan mo ring daanan lahat para you can have a wider perspective and appreciate on how projects developed. Di ko lang napagdaanan yung project management ng client side, but having been involved in several high level management meetings and discussions, kayo na lang sa project management!:lol:

BTW, I did not attended a formal training sa paggamit ng mga engineering and design softwares except AutoCad.;) Self-study lahat yun.*okay*

[faux_ph]

Ano na nga pala latest sa STAAD? AFAIK, STAAD Pro2005 ang latest. May mas bago pa ba dito? Last time na I used STAAD extensively sa isang project, STAAD Pro2002 yung version.