Is it normal for entry level civies to have to take notes in meetings and do a lot of administrative work for their team? This was my experience over the past two years and I was really taken aback and frankly hate it. I did more technical work (calculations) as an intern for an architect but barely get to touch math nowadays. Any insight?

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Well it’s likely you would do these kind of works but depends on your manager as well. In my office some of the newbies are completely doing technical work and mostly intermediate and senior does administrative work. I am project engineer so I do kinda both technical and PM tasks.

I only do technical.

That means where you are doesn't have enough work for you. Start looking to make a move and bring this up to your manager. Phrase it as you're not getting technical experience.

Everyone is stretched thin now. Companies want more work out of less people. They are not going to pay for as many admins as used to be around. It’s not fun, but it’s the nature of your industry. As far as notes go, I actually encourage you to always take notes. This is a cover your a** thing. A work journal is super important. Contractors often take notes with only their view and if you don’t have receipts to prove you said otherwise, you’ll get thrown under the bus. Also, if you are they type of engineer who understands the importance of good notes, good exhibits, good administrative processes, you are much more valuable. I work on the “commercial” end. So, I’m constantly getting into arguments over what the contract says, what was promised in a meeting or workshop, and how much work all that entails. Too many engineers don’t understand the importance of the basic administrative responsibilities. The ones that do get promoted. The ones that don’t get forgotten. Use OneNote. Make a good meeting minute template. Document everything. If you only want to design and don’t want to perform the PM tasks, you’ll need to switch roles or firms. I don’t blame you for not liking it but is is a necessity. Also, if you do have a team admin who is smart, train them up, help them help you, and you’ll both be put on important jobs.

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