Survey Development
The Importance of Your Participation
The core mission of the SE3 Committee is to retain the best and brightest in our profession and to ensure ALL structural engineers have a clear pathway to success. The SE3 survey is an ongoing effort to identify trends, understand the underlying factors, and initiate industry-wide conversations.
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Who should take this survey?
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Why should I take this survey again?
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How will it benefit the profession?
Who should take this survey?
EVERY structural engineer is invited to participate regardless of race, gender, age or job title. The SE3 mission applies to every structural engineer. Survey demographics as of the beginning of May show that 72% of respondents are male and 25% are female; roughly 79% are white Caucasian, 11% are Asian, and 5.5% are Hispanic; and the average age of a respondent is 39.5 years old with a median age of 36.
Why should I take this survey (again)?
As a structural engineer, you are part of a larger community and this is an opportunity to have your voice heard. Ever wonder if the conversations you're having with your coworkers are common among other engineers? Preliminary results of the survey suggest that respondents believe the top two (2) challenges facing the profession are inadequate compensation relative to similar professions and retention of engineers due to stress and burnout. Since the survey covers a wide breadth of topics related to career satisfaction, individuals who complete the survey may also gain a deeper awareness of their values and priorities. Introspection may influence positive changes in life choices, career decisions, workplace culture and leadership dynamics.
Furthermore, by participating in every survey cycle, the SE3 committee can track trends, identify areas that need and/or have shown improvement, and facilitate conversations towards change. The committee retains questions regarding demographics, career satisfaction, compensation, and work-life balance as a baseline for the survey.
The success of the SE3 survey relies on the participation of ALL structural engineers.
Survey Tracking
2020 Active Participation
The 2020 SE3 Survey had the greatest number of respondents.
Number of Respondents per State as of July 2nd, 2020.
2018 SE3 Survey - Geographic Location of Respondents
"The 2018 SE3 survey received 2,925 completed responses from current and formerly practicing structural engineers, with participation from almost all 50 states. Overall, California had the largest number of respondents, with 20% of those surveyed based in the four metro areas of San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Oakland. New York City had the largest number of respondents for a single metropolitan city with 261 participants. By state, California, Washington, Colorado, Texas, Illinois and New York all had more than 150 respondents each." Excerpt from the 2018 Survey Report
Excerpt from 2016 SE3 Survey Report
2016 SE3 Survey - Geographic Location of Respondents
The 2016 SE3 survey "...received 2,161 completed responses from currently and formerly practicing structural engineers, of which approximately half were located in California. The next highest state participation was Colorado, which accounted for 6% of respondents." Excerpt from the 2016 Survey Report:
Topic Briefs from the 2020 Survey Results are Accessible for Your Use: