Civil engineering symbolizes more than just constructing buildings & structures.
The future is bright for civil engineers. Between 2020 and 2030, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts an 8% increase in employment for civil engineers, which is in line with the anticipated growth for the labor market. Additionally, the subject will always be in demand due to the numerous ongoing and new civil engineering projects around the globe. Although a profession in civil engineering might be difficult, it also offers tremendous financial and personal rewards.
Civil Engineering Careers
Many career options are available to someone with a degree in civil engineering. For example, they can work for local, state, or federal departments and help create infrastructure, including roads, trains, and other public works projects. Alternatively, they can work as project managers in privately-owned real estate and construction companies and build residential and commercial buildings. Some companies also need civil engineers to construct industrial structures. Civil engineering graduates can manage complex construction projects, supervise other engineers, and analyze & design buildings besides constructing buildings and structures. Other career options for civil engineers include engineering research and teaching in universities and colleges. Successful engineers can also launch their own engineering consulting firms.
A person who has earned an advanced degree in civil engineering can choose from a variety of job pathways due to the field’s diversity. These paths tend to focus on a specific element of civil engineering.
- Construction Engineers
Construction engineers oversee general construction projects, from the planning and development stage to completion. These projects can take on many forms, from bridges and highways to airports and stadiums. Those in the role can also oversee elements of a project, such as its budget and timeline.
- Structural Engineers
To ensure the strength, durability, and safety of major construction projects, structural engineers study and analyze them. To guarantee the general integrity of a structure, they can also participate in the design phase of a project.
- Coastal Engineers
Coastal engineers oversee the construction of structures that are located along the coast. Their work marries construction engineering principles with the objectives of protecting the environment and ensuring building integrity in the face of unique coastal conditions.
- Transportation Engineers
Systems related to efficient transportation are designed, developed, and maintained by transportation engineers. These projects might range from simple roads and highway projects, or they can be more complicated ones like mass transit systems, airports, and harbors. Sometimes, a single facet of transportation is all that transportation engineers concentrate on.
- Environmental Engineers
To discover solutions that enhance the environment and work toward resolving environmental issues, environmental engineers combine civil engineering and environmental principles. Their work can be focused on regional problems or broaden to include more universal ideas like environmental sustainability, climate change, air and water purification, handling of chemical and biological waste, and cleaning up contaminated areas.
- Surveyors
Surveyors provide measurements of sizes and positions of construction projects to determine a structure’s or property’s boundaries. They also measure elements that can impact how a structure can be built, such as angular deviation and slope distances. Additionally, they can work to establish official land and water boundaries for legal documents such as leases or deeds.
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