Perhaps without realizing it, your day will have already almost undoubtedly been made better (or perhaps) worse by the job performed by civil engineers. With the advances in technology, the job of civil engineering has become significantly more far-reaching, and, just as with almost all other industries, civil engineers are coming to rely more and more on technology to perform their roles with greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
How to become a civil engineer
Civil engineering is a branch of engineering that covers everything from environmental works like storm sewer design, turbines, and flood protection, maritime projects, transportation, structural jobs, and geo projects.
The path into civil engineering varies from person to person; however, the most common routes include studying for a degree level at university, taking a college course, or working as an apprentice, which involves learning the required skills for the job while working.
The skills required to be a civil engineer
With such a broad range of roles under the umbrella term civil engineering, it should come as no surprise that successful engineers will need to have a broad range of skills. Also, as the discipline is so varied, most civil engineers choose to specialize in a particular sector, meaning these skills become more or less relevant, depending on the pathway they choose. However, as a broad guide, a civil engineer should have at least some of the basic core skills noted below:
Design: A civil engineer should have keen design skills
Construction: A strong knowledge of building techniques and construction is almost a pre-requisite
Communication: Good communication skills are essential to ensure all parties invested in a project are kept up to date and understand their responsibilities
Attention: A civil engineer should have the ability to be thorough and to consider every possible eventuality, including having strong attention to detail
Teamwork: Civil engineers rely heavily on the staff around them to complete their projects, so they will need to have good teamwork capabilities
Computer skills: As computers and tech continue to revolutionize the sector, so today’s civil engineers have increasingly had to be adept at using computer-based tools and software
Initiative: A civil engineer should have a powerful sense of initiative and the ability to work under their own steam
Typical tasks performed by modern civil engineers
As noted above, with such a wide spectrum of potential roles and applications, it’s often hard to pinpoint exactly what a civil engineer does. Nonetheless, typical responsibilities might include the following:
- Producing blueprints – normally with the help of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) packages
- Evaluating the potential worth and cost of projects
- Providing a point of liaison between architects, clients, staff, consultants, etc
- Keeping a tight rein over production budgets
- Producing and analyzing mapping data (often using drones and software)
- Preparing bids for projects as well as providing ongoing project reports
- Adhering to environmental considerations and rules to reduce the impact of projects
- Ensuring the health and safety of all parties involved in a job