Civil Engineers
Additional Information
Duties
Examples of civil engineering tasks:
- Analyze long-term plans, survey results, maps, and other data.
- A project's planning and risk analysis should incorporate building costs, regulatory constraints, environmental hazards, and other factors.
- Work with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure projects are compliant.
- Soil testing can establish a foundation's strength and appropriateness.
- Analyze test results on a range of building materials including stone, wood, asphalt, and steel.
- Determine a project's economic feasibility by estimating supply, equipment, and people costs.
- Using design software, plan and design transportation, hydraulic, and structural systems.
- Conduct or supervise surveys to determine building placements, site layouts, reference points, slopes, and elevations.
- Infrastructure managers are in charge of repair, maintenance, and replacement.
Civil engineers, on the other hand, must make their findings public via bid proposals, environmental impact statements, or property descriptions.
Many civil engineers serve as construction site managers, city engineers, public works directors, or city managers. As foremen, they are responsible for ensuring that construction sites follow appropriate safety measures.
Civil engineers play a number of responsibilities. Civil engineers and civil engineering technicians are occasionally part of construction project teams.
Civil engineers provide the documentation for the awarding of licenses for renewable energy projects. They ensure that the projects comply with all applicable rules and regulations, federal, state, and local. These experts examine large-scale photovoltaic (solar energy) structures. These constructions must endure wind, earthquakes, and other stresses. Roadbeds are regularly built to accommodate enormous lorries delivering wind farm turbines.
Completing a project offers civil engineers’ satisfaction. They frequently specialize in one or more of these areas.
Engineers in the construction business are in charge of completing projects on schedule and on budget. These engineers usually design and supervise the safety of temporary construction structures. Budgeting, time management, and communication.
Education
To practice, civil engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or a closely related field like construction. Civil engineering and civil engineering technology programs teach math, statistics, engineering mechanics, and fluid dynamics. The classroom education is supported with lab and on-the-job training. An internship allows students to get practical experience while still pursuing academic aspirations.
To become a licensed professional engineer (PE), you must finish an ABET-approved degree program. Many states need a bachelor's degree in civil engineering technology.
A bachelor's degree, a PE license, and prior experience are required to become a manager. Engineers can be found under the profile on architectural and engineering management.
Importance Criteria
Decision-making capacity Civil engineers must balance opposing demands such as financial viability and safety. Urban and regional planners routinely consult civil engineers for advice. Civil engineers must examine best practices, technical knowledge, and personal experience.
Capacity to lead. Civil engineers are held accountable for all parts of the projects they supervise or research they do. On the job training for civil engineering technicians and technologists is required.
Math savvy Civil engineers use mathematics and trigonometry to solve problems, analyze data, and build structures.
Self-management ability. Civil engineers alone can sign design paperwork for infrastructure projects. To achieve this requirement, civil engineers must be able to observe and analyze work progress on the jobsite. So, they can assure design conformance. Civil engineers, on the other hand, must be competent to manage several projects while managing time and resources.
Possessing problem-solving skills. A civil engineer oversees the design, construction, and operation of a project. They must be able to detect and understand complex issues. So, these professionals can build cost-effective and safe solutions.
Oral communication ability to explain their findings and suggestions, civil engineers must speak to a wide range of people with varied degrees of technical experience. Technical and scientific concepts must be translated into ordinary language to be useful in a variety of circumstances.
Writing skills. They must be able to communicate with other specialists such as architects and landscape designers. They must also be able to communicate with elected officials and the public. Civil engineers must be able to convey their results in a way that non-specialists can understand.
Licenses and certifications.
Licensure is not required for entry-level civil engineering jobs. A Professional Engineer (PE) license can be earned later in life. Professional engineers are called "licensed engineers" (PEs). A PE can direct the work of other engineers, approve design plans, and sign off on projects. A state license generally requires a background check:
- ABET-certified engineering degree.
- Permission to take the FE exam is necessary.
- A licensed engineer must have four years of relevant professional experience.
- Engineer (PE) certification.
The first FE test requires a bachelor's degree. Those who pass this test are often referred to as "engineers in training" (EITs) (EIs). After gaining work experience, EITs and EIs can take the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam.
Each state has its own license. Most states will accept a license from another state as long as the standards meet or exceed their own. Several states require engineers to complete continuing education courses to keep their licenses.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) offers certificates in a range of engineering fields. Engineering certs include building safety and environmental stewardship.
Pay
In May 2020, civil engineers were paid an average of $88,570 per year on average. There are two extremes of earnings in each given occupation: those earning more than the median and those earning less. It is estimated that the lowest 10% of earners made less than $56,160 per year, while the richest 10% made more than $144,810 per year.
Job Projections
From 2020 to 2030, the number of civil engineers employed is expected to rise by 8%, which is the same rate as the national average for all occupations.