Does anyone have any experince working for a department of transportation? I have heard some good and bad things about NCDOT, but what about others?

Any experience with the Maryland DOT?

I appreciate the help.

11/14/2006 3:59:12 PM

it's going to be a bureaucracy, so i mean if you are ok with that, you'll probably find it just like any other government job

11/14/2006 4:00:49 PM

really depends what department and what you'll be doing. My roommate is a mechanic and they pay you well with good benefits, but like ^ said, shitloads of bureaucracy.

If it's a technical position (IT etc..) expect hell. And I mean hell. You want the lowest denominator of intelligence it works here and they'll call you about the dumbest shit you've ever heard.

"How do I turn off my machine?"

"Do I need a mouse to use windows?"

"Do I need to have the computer on to download files?".

The worst part is that they are typically your boss.

11/14/2006 4:14:51 PM

I have a part-time job with the DOT. There isn't that much stress in the job depending on where you work--unit wise. There is the highways division, aviation, maintenance, etc. Within the highways there is a ton. I work for the Aviation division for an internship and it was awesome. My job now is not so much.

11/14/2006 4:17:13 PM

I'm looking more toward a civil engineering position with a DOT.

11/14/2006 4:22:57 PM

As with any company, it depends on the individual position within the individual department overseen by the individual supervisor as to whether the job is "good" or not. I would look into state gov't benefits. Not sure about NC, but VA does a LOT for the state employees (more than compensates for "lower" pay).

11/14/2006 5:04:21 PM

^^I think that's what TKE-Teg was doing. He'll probably comment in here

11/14/2006 5:07:52 PM

My wife works with the DOT as an engineer. How the job is really depends on the position itself. The DOT is huge & has many different departments. She currently works in the maintanence department & is doing inspections & permit approval & doesn't particularly like it. The benifets & enviroment are good, but her particular job has to deal with alot of crap from contractors, who are absolute assholes & don't want to do things according to the DOT regulations.

She is going to the planning department however, which she thinks she'll like alot better, since she won't have to deal with the public.

So in summary, working for the DOT is nice, but you'll probably like a position that doesn't deal with the public better.

[Edited on November 14, 2006 at 5:15 PM. Reason : ]

11/14/2006 5:12:22 PM

Do you think the chances of advancement in NCDOT are good? In others?

11/14/2006 5:59:09 PM

There are plenty of positions within the DOT. There are many different jobs & many different levels of each type, so there is plenty of room for advancement. For an eng., there are ENG 1, 2, & 3's, & above those, there are the managers & top people.

Here's one example of the structure:
Eng. 1
Eng. 2
Eng. 3 / Eng. Suprv.1
Eng. 4 / Eng. Sup. 2
Eng. Supr. 3
Eng. 5 / Manager
Eng. 6 / Manager 2
Eng. Director
Eng. Dir. 2
Eng. Dir. 3
Eng. Dir. 4

Granted, there are few total positions above the Eng. 3/supr. 1 of course, but there are certainly opportunities

[Edited on November 14, 2006 at 6:27 PM. Reason : jobs]

11/14/2006 6:18:53 PM

There's plenty of room for advancement in the DOT.

However, it's a political state bureaucracy. If you don't like bullshit, don't work there.

Just speaking for the NC DOT really. Depends on where you are. The bridge maintenance division was pretty corrupt when I worked there, with my previous boss getting the finger instead of being promoted to the job of supervisor (he was the only person there eligible enough with enough experience to get the job). That office had a lot of problems...

Just don't start in a crappy engineering position (or should I say engineering tech position) and you'll probably be fine. Go out to lunch with your future coworkers and see if you'll want to work with them or strangle them.

I think I can really just tell you that you probably want to avoid the NCDOT. The pay there was stagnant for a while before the recent pay raise.

11/15/2006 2:44:42 AM

^As far as the raise issue... if you work for the NCDOT you'd be a state employee. The only way to get a raise as a state employee is to wait for raise legislation to pass or change jobs.

I worked for the state for 4 years. I guess I got a bad roll because during those 4 years there was only one 2% raise. It didn't even come close to keeping up with inflation. The other three years they compensated for not giving raises by:

-Giving two days of bonus leave - which is a one time two day bonus
-Giving an extra vacation day

I guess giving vacation in lieu of raises is the reason why some state employees get what, 24, vacation days per year? Sounds great until you realize just how many years the legislators have decided to pass up giving that 2% raise.

11/15/2006 7:14:04 AM

some state positions do not allow overtime, so if you work say 56 hours on a hellish week, those extra 16 hours will have to be saved as comp time, so you get a three day week instead of a bigger paycheck. some people love it, some people hate it.

11/15/2006 12:47:02 PM

I worked at the NC DOT for 9 months. It sucked ass. Everyone there acts like lazy bastards. Its like welfare its ridiculous what kind of people they have their.

11/15/2006 1:13:27 PM

Quote :

"The only way to get a raise as a state employee is to wait for raise legislation to pass or change jobs."

That's not true if it's a banded position (however they haven't banded engineers yet).

[Edited on November 15, 2006 at 4:26 PM. Reason : ?]

11/15/2006 4:24:49 PM

Well, what about transportation in the private sector? Does anyone have experience with that?

Thanks for all the honest responses.

11/15/2006 7:53:33 PM

I will say this...DOT has great training opportunities. There's a Rosgen course that has about 5 levels to it and costs about $2000 per level, and I hope to get to go through it.

Consulting firms can make you sign contracts to pledge loyalty to their firms for x amount of years when they put you through training courses.

I am not saying I would not be loyal to a firm or DOT after they put me through training.

11/15/2006 8:20:38 PM