''Currently working, I have 2 years of experience as a structural engineer. And I am looking to steer my professional career into aspects of civil engineering other than just design. Can anyone guide me what allied aspects can be ventured into? I am currently digging for information into Construction Management, Construction Engineering, Project Controls side since I am a good management type guy and would love to be more into it.'' From K.K. in Pasadena, Texas
The question he asked was a good one that showed vision into the field of civil engineering and the course it has taken. Looking for the combined words to describe the position in today's market might give him a good start to looking for his chosen profession with another field, like construction/civil engineering or project management/civil engineering. The young man was right. Most civil engineering jobs just do design. This is what college handbooks tell the student as they begin their journey towards graduation day.
To understand Civil Engineering here is a brief review of the work they are educated to do:
Civil engineers design things like buildings, water supply systems, airports, dams and bridges. There's an important need to have civil engineers design these structures to last a long time after they are built. During the construction, the civil engineer is necessary to oversee the design production from costing to making sure the structure is built to withstand bad weather, like Hurricane Katrina. This means the engineer may not always be found at his desk drawing designs all day, but all over the construction site overseeing his designs become reality. This is the oldest and most basic description of what civil engineers do.
Within civil engineering, there are specialty jobs: structural engineering, environmental engineering, and transportation engineering. A young man looking to broaden his chosen profession might do well to include the aforementioned specialty names to describe the type of work he's searching to find.
Large contractors are looking for civil engineers to wear more hats, especially in this economy.
Here's a typical ''for hire'' ad that you can find easily if you use search criteria for civil engineering and construction. Job titles like the following appear frequently:
- Principal Civil Engineer – Design and Project Management
- Construction/Civil Engineer
Job: Construction/Civil Engineer
Job Duties:
- Provides engineering assistance to superintendents and verifies materials, overview of contractors, equipment, workmanship, and assures results meet safety, quality, schedule, and cost in regards to design requirements.
- Performs rigging studies for defining methods and project equipment requirements.
- Provides input to the project planning activities at various stages (related to lifting and transportation aspects).
- Develops rigging plans (medium lift, heavy lift, heavy haul and critical) and performs engineering design calculations.
- Reviews and approves heavy haul, critical, and heavy lift rigging plans.
- Ensures safe rigging operations at the project site.
- Provides field supervision and execution of the heavy haul and heavy lift operations.
- Ensures compliance with company Rigging Standard Work Process Procedures at the job site.
- Supports loading and unloading operations, including roll-on and roll-off operations.
- Coordinates and supervises subcontractor work at the job site.
- BS in mechanical, civil or structural engineering or equivalent experience
- Work includes field inspections, climbing ladders, scaffold, working on elevated platforms, permanent ladders, work on uneven surfaces, and work in confined spaces.
Job Advertisement: Looking for someone to help deliver their vision of providing more than just exceptional drawings, but to also add value to their client's projects.
Job: Principal Engineer
Job description: As a Principal Civil Engineer with substantial design experience, you will need to call on all your skills and abilities to succeed in this challenging and varied design role. It will see you doing management engineering for the production of elegant designs for a wide range of civil projects including land development, building projects, bridges, and major pump stations.
There is an outcry for civil engineers to help in old buildings which are in need of repairs to bring them up to par with new construction codes.
“I plead to all young civil engineers here to enter repair work. No-accountability, no need for plans to be approved, nor is there need for standardization. Housing societies are being taken for a ride,'' said B T Unwalla, a senior consultant engineer and participant in the seminar on Healthy Structures For the 21st century - Introspection, Evaluation, Solution.
In the same seminar, engineers spoke of the unfortunate situation of fresh engineers who do not have any interest in repairing old buildings. They go into engineering with no practical hands on experience, so no wonder we are seeing major flaws in our structures.
When looking for the unique jobs to be found in civil engineering, terms such as ''Allied'' in company titles will tell you it is a company, which combines the skills from several disciplines to get the job done. These companies or firms can be a good place to look, as you’re doing team work with engineers from other fields to professionally complete the task.
There are new fields that are stemming out of civil engineering, which can be found easily. In fact, schools are providing small degrees to train people in the allied jobs that support civil engineering.
These degrees are shorter; 1 to 2 years is the time you will invest and salary range for these jobs are from $30,000 to $45,000 a year.
To K.K. of Pasadena, Texas, I hope this gives you new hope about your profession. The need has always been there for civil engineers to diversify and when you look, you will see that's exactly what some firms are advertising. Good Luck as a young Civil Engineer.
