What Does A Civil Engineer Do?
Civil Engineers, well civil engineering specifically was once defined in the yellow pages as "See Boring". I'm pretty sure this was not meant as a joke but stigmas do stick. However from personal experience I can tell you that civil engineering is as boring or as interesting as you want to make it.
Civil engineers will get involved with repairing potholes in our roads. Or they are associated with the worlds most amazing man made objects. Skyscrapers, bridges, tunnels, dams are but s few examples but the list goes on. However truth be told the majority of civil engineers are involved with the maintenance and adaption of existing infrastructure. The highways, footways, the rail network, the associated drains, sewerage systems, water supply networks and flood defences all nee looking after. This is the critical role that most civil engineers undertake to ensure the existing infrastructure that we all take for granted functions effectively and safely.
The variety of infrastructure in this world, each depends on a variety of professional disciplines and as such civil engineering consists of different specialisms often divided into specific sectors; highways, rail, structures, bridges, transport, geotechnical, nuclear, environmental, municipal and energy.
In each sector there are primarily two roles. the consultant and the contractor. The consultant generally undertakes the feasibility, design and initial estimates of a project. Projects are tendered then passed to the contractor to build.
The consultant spends most of their time in an office while the contractor spends most of their time on construction sites.
Both roles require the same fundamental skill sets: versatility, the ability to problem solve, to be creative and logical in their daily approach to challenges. One aspect often overlooked is the civil engineer’s ability to work with others. Civil engineers need to be able to communicate with others. Forget all the qualifications you may think are important you will benefit from mastering the art of communication if you want a successful career in civil engineering.
