repair technician

civil engineer

engineering assistant

senior maintenance person

technician trainee

New York State Department of Transportation

To start you have to be "certified"  by state trainers on pieces of heavy equipment, regardless if you have an educational background, have work experience, own a construction company, etc, or even be the most skilled operator out there, you are still deemed as incompetent and have to be trained and certified.  

You don't do much equipment operating in the lower NYC region of the DOT system, as a highway worker, you are pretty much are a State slave. Higher ups in a certain residency are bias, you are just a number when you work at the state.
 You are primarily there to pick up trash around cars moving 65plus on state highways, plow snow, forced to work unneeded overtime throughout the year. In order to make a decent living and make at least $1200 per check you pretty much have to live at the job. You have no life in the winter months.

People are supervisors that don't have any people skills, and all of the higher ups feel they need to yell at you to convey a message, and then when you say something back, its a problem. 

I highly suggest working for a town ship or a incorporated village, common workplace grief is high at this organization, I cant speak for all of the work locations but at my locations on Long Island in particular it really tough to remain working hear. People with a college degree or any high experience in truck driving or equipment operation, or surveying, I suggest you look elsewhere, they false advertise a lot, NY State as an employer in general. Benefits are great but they are always up to change also.

DOT has potential to be great but management is stuck on the old ways - sink or swim instead of proper training, no job advancement and the littlest fry do all the work. Management doesn’t want to develop you; you’ll be given work above and below your title because they themselves don’t know the work, other employees are difficult to deal with (and aren’t reprimanded for it) or they literally don’t know your position and what you are actually supposed to do. There are a lot of great employees there that they refuse to promote; yet employees stay because the little benefits they get. However, with the amount younger staff coming into the work force, this will not last. Younger employees will not stay in  the same position for years with hopes of getting promoted one day. They will simply leave. I think the agency forgets this is a state job and private pays more. And the impact has already been felt in the agency. Yet, the agency wants to focus on the employees retire and filling those duties. Hopefully, someone in management can see the full picture of high turn overs and focus more on development and opportunities for staff (and no that mentorship program being offered isn’t it). 

The union protects your job which is good. Tier 6 retirement is the same as any private company, so no advantage compared to outside employment. 3/4 of the employees are lazy and are pro's at milking the system leaving the rest to make up for their laziness. The place is ripe with nepotism. If you're a good worker you will definitely be taken full advantage of. You're on call half the year for snow. The other half is impossible to take time off because your trying to get equipment and roads ready for the next snow and ice season. The pay is very low, probably why the employees do as little as possible. Management abuses their privileges the most. Driving state owned vehicles home, to doctors and dentist appointments etc. When you get interviewed/ hired management lies to you and paints the organization as positive, great benefits, tons of time off, really anything they can say to get you to work there because they can't get anyone to work there after people find out the truth. If you tell the truth management construes it as having a negative attitude.

Working here has been a positive experience.  When I commute in the morning and afternoon I see the work I have helped to complete.  I work closely with civil engineers, environmental specialists, and planners to bring big capital projects in to construction.

Work is structured and requires good communication skills.  The work day is over when the clock strikes 5.  No late nights here!  Management is a little top heavy.  On occasion your responsibilities are stretched to meet the needs of several supervisors.  On occasion the head of an entire division will step in and straighten everything out.

Co-workers are lovely, helpful, and interesting people mostly.  There are always some bad eggs.

The most difficult part of the job is coordinating the knowledge of 200+ skilled professional on jobs that sometimes get as small as 1,000 ft. of sidewalk.  Everyone has an opinion, and everyone wants their input respected.

The most enjoyable part of the job is seeing all of the work pay off.

A typical day at work consisted of morning greetings, talking while grabbing coffee, then back to desk.  Check emails for any new tasks needed then prioritize job assignments.  Set up any necessary meetings for current work.  Spend rest of the day doing your best to complete assignments while balancing out co-workers desk visits for chats, questions, discussion.  
Best part of job is that you can have an outside life if employed here and there is a lot of professional development.
Worst part of job is that whether you put in 100% or 10% effort, you will receive an eventual pay raise.  Discourages productivity and passion.  Can be hired, keep quiet and don't rock the boat and can skate by for years without doing any actual work and retire with good benefits.

Picture this, you are back in elementary school and the teacher is yelling at the class to be quiet and do their work. One kid has to go to the bathroom, one kid wants to go to the nurse because his tummy hurts and one kid is at home faking a injury. This is a great example of a day at the state NYS dot. Grown men whining and crying  all day because they ACTUALLY had to do work.
The only time they carry their weight is in the winter time and for that I thank them.
I gave it 3 years and I had to leave.

Pay stinks,
The tier 6 pension is a joke and if you even think about doing some work, you will be laughed at and put down to no end.

	Assisted civil engineers on several key government projects involving Highway/Bridge designs and improvements, solutions easing traffic congestion and replacement of deteriorating bridges.
	Inspect bridges, highways, plumbing, or foundations during and after construction for structural quality, general safety, or conformance to drawing specifications and codes
	 Inspect and monitor construction sites to ensure adherence to safety standards, or drawing specifications.
	Monitor construction activities to ensure that environmental regulations are not violated
	Handled cost-of-materials estimations, report and document tracking, project documentation, on-site project visits.
	Gained experience in blueprint reading, as well as preparation of maps and plans.

As a Civil Engineer-2 of NYSDOT, overseeing multiple project related to highway, bridge, moveable bridge construction and maintenance of highway project. Typically every other day i go to field for overseeing/ supervised construction activities on field. 
In construction field, everyday pass through new challenges and to resolve for progress. Everyday need to do work management with available resources and man power as an inspector to supervise construction activities. Need to managing financial resources too. Hardest part of job to achieved amicable resolution of any dispute/ claim with contractor. 


Project Manager for all of NYS Highways, Municipal Roads & Bridges Project Schedules.  Work for Trauner Consulting Services, Inc. as a Consultant to NYSDOT.  My work included project schedule reviews and revisions, creation of baseline schedules and critical path reports, review of project plans and specs, advising/training contractors on the use of the Critical Path Method (CPM) in Oracle Primavera P6to efficiently schedule their projects, routine coordination with and attendance at project meetings with contractors with delinquent schedules to get projects back on track.

Typical day at work was 9 - 5 and spent most of the time in the Photolog lab working on image requests.
Learned Python to help do image requests and automate the process.
Also learned about film for photography.
Management was laid back.
Gives opportunities to work at home.
Benefits are great.
Plenty of time off and holidays.
Can't really think of anything about the hardest part of the job. A lot of people worked at home so office parties were not happening.
Most enjoyable part is a relaxed environment.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Repair technician 10 salaries reported	$53,937 per year
Civil engineer 21 salaries reported	$113,254 per year
Engineering assistant 10 salaries reported	$85,239 per year
Senior maintenance person 2 salaries reported	$48,524 per year
Technician trainee 4 salaries reported	$51,439 per year

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