A civil engineer is in the career cluster of Architecture and Construction. Being a civil engineer means that you help design and build many of the structures we see and use every day. They work on a variety of things such as Skyscrapers, bridges, roads, sewers, etc... Designing and Building are the main reasons I would like to be a civil engineer. I have always had a passion for making things and being able to design them. I think it's really fascinating to see people work on these huge structures and being able to make them safe for people to use.
Right now there are approximately 303,500 civil engineers. Statistics say that by the year 2026 there should be 335,700 employed engineers. This is an 11% increase.
Being an engineer has a variety of things that you could do. The main duties though are Structural engineering and geotechnical engineers.
Through all this building and designing they usually work from 40 to 50 hours a week, with some overtime. To clear it up more they work from 8 to 10 hours a day. If that isn't enough they also work on nights and on weekends. Still isn't enough? Depending if they have a tight deadline they'll have to work longer hours. Engineers could have many projects going on at the same time and staying on top of it could be stressful.
Although there are many good things about this career there are many hazards with doing this job. Many things can happen such as falling objects, eye injury from flying particles (splinters), electrocution, explosions, etc...
There is no age requirement to be a civil engineer and there are both females and males working. You do need a bachelor's degree which usually takes four years to get. If you want to become a professional engineer you don't just need a degree you have to be licensed in your state as a professional engineer. Also knows as a P.E. To do this you have to take an accredited program, work for several years under professional engineers and then pass two exams.
Being an engineer requires many skills. Some skills you could try to work on to help you later on in your career are decision-making, leadership, organizational, problem solving, speaking, and your writing skills.
If you want to prepare for this career you should take as many courses in math and physics as you can in high school. Other helpful things to take would be chemistry and other sciences, English, and computers.
If you want to start getting as much related experience as you can while you are in school you could look into internships and summer jobs in your area. Some schools offer co-op programs. These let you get world experience all at the same time as studying.
When you first start off as an engineer you salary is $55,640 which is $27 per hour. Then you start getting more experience and you start going into the median salary which is $89,120 or $43 per hours. Lastly, an experienced engineer makes a salary of $165,680 or a wage of $80.
An Engineer in training (EIT) makes $50,000 to $60,000. They need a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering which is four years. Their responsibility is to analyze and design basic projects with an experienced engineer.
A professional engineer (PE) makes $60,000 to $80,000. They need several years of on-the-job training and must have completed the professional liscensing exam. Their responsibility is to supervise on-site constructions and design basic structures.
An intermediate engineer makes $80,000 to $100,000. They need many years of experience as a licensed PE (professional engineer) and a master's degree in a specific area of civil engineering. Their responsibilities are to design more complex structures ad supervie junior engineers.
A senior engineer makes $85,000 to $120,000. They are required to have many years as a licensed PE. Their responsibility is to oversee the analysis and design multiple projects, communicate between client and governments officials, supervise trainees and junior engineers, and perform administrative and managerial duties.
Lastly, the highest you get is a partner at an engineering firm. They make $90,000 to $150,000. You're required to have a master of business administration (MBA) degree. Your responsibility is to pursue new clients, keep track of company finances, manage a large number of employees, and perform many administrative duties.
Some benefits from this career that you get is creativity. Plus, you are a respected profession. You are an important part of the community.
But how did civil engineering come to be? Civil Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginnings of human existence. The earliest practices of Civil Engg may have commenced between 4000 and 2000 BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (Ancient Iraq) when humans started to abandon a nomadic existence, thus causing a need for the construction of shelter.
After this career in depth, I am still interested in making this my career choice. There are both advantages and disadvantages of this career but I know that I love designing things and would love to do projects on building these things. Even though many things can hurt you while doing this jo =b I believe it will make me happy and that's what matters most when working. Just like Mark Anthony once said, "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life."
