Civil engineering, these engineers are responsible for the infrastructure that makes society work in a civilized manner. What do I mean by that statement? Well, the civil engineer, plans, designs, and supervises the project, and oversees the construction and maintenance of building structures, roads, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, harbors, channels, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, water supply and sewage systems, and waste disposal units. Try being civilized without those engineering feats.
The engineer, is good and wonderful, but; they do not complete the project without some significant engineering and professional help. Some of that help would come from the likes of: architects and drafters, CPA’s and bookkeepers, surveyors, geologists, land developers, general contractors, and the list goes on and on.
With civil engineering being one of the oldest engineering disciplines, and the broadest by virtue of its scope, it encompasses many particular specialties. Those include but not limited too the following: architectural engineering, structural engineering, traffic and transportation engineering, construction engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydraulic engineering, ocean engineering, and water resources engineering.
Before the civil engineering group, jumps into a project, they have many factors to consider. During the design process they will, estimate the cost of materials, equipment, and labor to determine the projects feasibility, compute the load and grade requirements of the site, look at and measure water flow rates, and analyze the material stress factors to determine design specifications. This over all cost and feasibility analysis goes hand in hand with meeting all government regulations and specifications, as well as knowing the potential impact that natural hazards such as earthquakes and hurricanes could have on the finished project.
The overall skills, abilities and duties required of the civil engineer, are as follows: One of the first duties to preform is to analyze the survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, and other topographical or geologic data to plan the project. Then the engineers, will manage and direct the construction, operations, and/or maintenance at the project site. The engineer, provides technical advice regarding the design, construction, and structural repairs of the project. They will, test the soils and building materials to determine the strength of the foundations, concrete used, etc., to ensure the structural integrity of the project. Finally, they maintain a presences through out the life of the project to; inspect the sites and to monitor the progress and ensure that conformance to design specifications and safety standards are met. This certainly is not an inclusive description of the work load or capacities to perform such duties; just some of them.
A must for anyone employed in the civil engineering industry are the following:
A complete knowledge of, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. A working
knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance; Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming. A through understanding of the raw materials used in the production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing, apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense, to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions, to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences, to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand, to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. Use computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. Keeping up-to-date technically and applying the knowledge and procedures to your job.
This engineering field has a number of different job titles, here are a few well known titles: Engineer, Project Engineer, Project Manager, Structural Engineer, City Engineer, Design Engineer, Railroad Design Consultant, Research Hydraulic Engineer, etc., etc., etc. A final note about the civil engineer, many hold supervisory or administrative positions, from the supervisor of a construction site to the city engineer. Many others have chosen to work in design, construction, research, and teaching.
For more information on an civil engineering, contact: American Society of Civil Engineers, 1801 Alexander Bell Dr., Reston, VA 20191.
Civil engineering, is expected to have employment growth of about 20 to 24% over the next decade, much faster than the average for all occupations. These great employment opportunities are in relationship to the need to improve the Nation’s infrastructure. And. More of these engineers are needed because of the natural population growth. Also a great need in this area that will create jobs is the fact that, they will be needed to repair or replace existing roads, bridges, and other public structures.
Alright all you bridge building, tunnel digging, waterway developing civil engineers, get busy; what are you doing hanging around with me, find that new job you want; make the career move you have been planning for the past few years; now is the time, and here is the place to find that new position.
