Freelance Engineering Consultant

If you happen to be a freelance engineering consultant looking for a new/better paid job, you should consider going global. This has never been easier than today, when online marketplaces are popping up at a rapid speed. Certainly not all of them are worth your time, but there are still many that will lend you a dream job in no time. Field Engineer is our recommendation.

Engage engineers right now to seize growth opportunities!

Becoming an Online Freelance Telecom Consultant

The same goes for the position of online freelance telecom consultant. Why limit yourself to local companies when you can choose away?

Telecom engineers are in high demand. They have always been and they will always remain. Telecom engineering jobs are, on top of that, among the best paid ones out there. No further elaboration is needed, we believe. It should be enough to casually browse the offer to grasp the extent of opportunities.

What is Consulting Engineering?

Simply put, consulting engineers provide independent engineering expertise. The term covers a wide area of fields, as engineering branches are numerous. In fact, consulting engineers come from virtually every specialty. Normally, they work within a team, making sure that services are promptly delivered to the client. The actual roles may vary greatly, depending on the type of company in question. I.e., a consulting engineer may be required to fulfill technical roles and coordinate or even manage projects. More often than not, it is the combination of all these roles that is needed. Consulting engineers frequently coordinate the activities of other team members.

Types of Consulting Engineering Companies

Given that the opportunities are varied, consulting engineers have a wide range of options at their disposal. A professional may choose to work with a partnership or a multinational corporation. Consulting engineering services are sought out by industries, construction firms, governments, and developers, to name a few.

Large companies usually assemble multi-discipline teams comprising technologists, engineers, and other professionals, with an engineer as the leader. Smaller companies usually partner with bigger ones for large-scale projects.

Keeping in mind that professionals with various specializations are required to complete an average engineering task, there are numerous job opportunities for engineers. Generally speaking, the team assembled to work on a single engineering project consists of technicians, engineers from all walks of life, administrative, business, and financial experts, construction workers, surveyors, architects, planners, and project managers.

Engineers vs. Technologists

While the role of an engineer is clear, that is usually not the case with the role of a technologist. To an extent, that is understandable, as the distinction may appear slight in some cases, as both professions encompass similar sets of skills.

Technologists are responsible for the implementation of the engineering-related technologies. Technologists work closely with engineers to that end, and are usually under their direction.

Typical Roles of an Engineering Consultant

Engineering consultants start the day meeting with the project manager. A review of the previous progress comes first; then it is on to defining the concept of the next project phase. Once agreed, the concept is then presented (in person, by email, or otherwise) to the design team. After that, the client is to be informed about the progress.

From there, it is all about calculating and sketching. CAD operators’ assistance may be needed, as these people are responsible for incorporating the concept into the drawings. During this phase, a loose timeline is also being defined.

Later on, it is a visit to the construction site. The engineering consultant meets with the construction inspector. Together they define if there are any potential issues. If there are, the engineering consultant then heads to the contractor to discuss a change to the design. Additional costs need to be taken into account here, as well as the viability of the proposal. The engineering consultant then contacts the project manager with recommendations and proceeds to issuing a change order to the contractor.

After all that has been done, it’s back to the office, where the engineering consultant checks the email and meets the CAD operators for an update on the drawing.

Typical Roles of an Engineering Technologist

Engineering technologists start the day meeting with the project manager. A review of the previous progress comes first; then it is on to working through the potential concepts of the next project phase. Engineering technologists also participate in (and often, chair) design meetings, communicate with contractors, and coordinate with other consultants. Visits to project sites close to finalization are also one of their duties. Engineering technologists perform site inspections, as to make sure that the design equals the one in the construction documents.

These professionals may be required to write site review reports and Contemplated Change Notices (CCNs) and send them to the client. At the end of the day, the engineering technologist checks the email and reports to the project manager on the design progress.

Being a Successful Engineering Consultant

Engineering consultants perform numerous duties and manage large groups of people. And (as is always the case with large groups), an issue or two are bound to occur. Guess what? Engineering consultants are expected to solve them on the go.

Being a successful engineering consultant starts with a proper assessment of the situation. Quite often, it happens that the client needs a completely different skill set than the one they think they do. It is a consultant’s job to advise the client and, ultimately, find the solution to the issue. Presenting it, however, often calls for some diplomatic skills. The consultant needs to explain that the client won’t achieve the goal by using their specialty.

Succeeding as an Online Freelance Engineering Consultant

Succeeding as an online freelance engineering consultant calls for a slightly different approach. Naturally, all communication is to be done by email, phone, and online. In practice, that means that a consultant needs to be on hand whenever needed, and that “whenever” usually implies “at all times”.

On the upside, online consultancy makes for a far better job offer, as working remotely means you are not required to be even on the same continent. As stated above, online engineering marketplaces are the best gateway to finding well paid jobs. In addition, they make keeping to your schedule possible. You will be your own boss as you will get to handpick only the projects you are interested in.

Engage engineers right now to seize growth opportunities!