Civil Engineers
Civil Engineer Nature of Work
Civil engineers plan, design, construct, operate and maintain buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, water
distribution and sanitation, sewerage systems, transportation, harbors, canals, dockyard facilities, airports,
railways, factories and large buildings.
Civil engineers are employed by engineering consulting companies, in all levels of government, by construction
firms and in many other industries, or they may be self-employed. Many civil engineers hold supervisory or
administrative positions, from supervisor of a construction site to city engineer.
Civil Engineers Work Conditions
Civil engineers may work in offices or spend much of their time on site. They may be required to work long hours
and be capable of meeting strict deadlines while working under minimal supervision. Civil engineers deal with
various professional, skilled and semi-skilled people.
Consulting and contracting engineers often travel interstate and some may travel overseas. It may be necessary
for some civil engineers to change residence every few years as their work takes them from one major engineering
site to another.
Civil Engineers Personal Requirements
- Able to accept responsibility
- Able to identify, analyze and solve problems
- Able to work as part of a team
- Able to work without supervision
- Aptitude for computing and design
- Good oral and written communication skills
- Practical and creative
- Willing to contribute and adhere to the safety requirements of the operation
Civil Engineers Employment Requirements
- A bachelor's degree in civil engineering or in a related engineering discipline required for entry-level
engineering jobs.
- Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program and
after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice
examination.
- Licensing usually is required to approve engineering drawings and reports, and to practice as a
Professional Engineer.
- Supervisory and senior positions require experience.
Civil Engineers Duties and Tasks
Civil engineers may perform some or all of the following duties and tasks:
- Act as project or site supervisor for land survey or construction work
- Analyze risks associated with natural disasters including wind, earthquake, fire and floods, and design
structures and services to meet appropriate standards
- Conduct feasibility studies, economic analyses, municipal and regional traffic studies, environmental
impact studies or other investigations
- Conduct field services for civil works
- Conduct technical analyses of survey and field data for development of topographic, soil, hydrological or
other information and prepare reports
- Confer with clients and other members of the engineering team and conduct research to determine project
requirements
- Develop construction specifications and procedures
- Ensure construction plans meet guidelines and specifications of building codes and other regulations
- Establish and monitor construction work schedules
- Evaluate and recommend appropriate building and construction materials
- Interpret, review and approve survey and civil design work
- Plan and design major civil projects such as buildings, roads, bridges, dams, water and waste management
systems and structural steel fabrications
- Prepare contract documents, review and evaluate tenders for construction projects
- Supervise technicians, technologists and other engineers and review and approve designs, calculations and
cost estimates.
Civil Engineer Example Titles
- Bridge Engineer
- Construction Manager
- Highway Engineer
- Municipal Engineer
- Project Engineer
- Structural Engineer
- Traffic Engineer
- Transportation Engineer
- Water Management Engineer
Civil Engineer Related Occupations
Engineering Related Industries
| 
Delicious
Digg
Facebook
Google Bookmarks
Reddit
Stumbleupon
Twitter
Yahoo My Web