How to Become a Civil Engineer?

Answer 1

There is at times a healthy rivalry among the engineering profession as to which discipline is the most significant: electrical, mechanical, aeronautic, biomedical and chemical engineers all have their arguments, but civil engineers’ work stands the test of time. The ruins of once great civilizations are the testaments to their civil engineering, and today’s civil engineers are protecting and promoting civilization for all of us. If you are curious about how to become a civil engineer, here’s what you should know.

Know What Civil Engineers Do

Civil engineers deal with making the environment yield to the needs of human communities. Public works of all sizes"roads, bridges, major environmental repair projects, utility construction and so forth"are the works of civil engineers. One particularly interesting application is traffic engineering: these civil engineers develop scientific models of traffic patterns in order to design more effective roads and relieve congestion over an entire urban area.

Get Your Education

From associates degree programs to post-doctoral research, if you have a lot of time or a little, great knowledge and affinity or just average, you can find work in this vital and growing field. Technical colleges often offer open admissions and flexible schedules. With a two year degree you can be doing hands on work in the most practical civil engineering applications. With experience advancement is possible, and entrepreneurial spirits will have the opportunity to really stretch their design muscles.

A solid background in mathematics is absolutely essential"any worthwhile program for civil engineers will cover algebra, geometry, calculus and some higher order math topics. Physics, chemistry and computer and shop skills are likely to be required as well.

Who Hires Civil Engineers?

The most prominent employers of civil engineers are governments at all levels. From the Army’s Corps of Engineers (which is consulted by private entities and government projects from the local level up) to county surveyors and everything in between, a government job means more job security, and health benefits and pensions which can’t be beat. Architecture firms are also hiring more and more civil engineers. As structural engineering knowledge advances, the designs of architects often need to input of civil engineers to come to life.