Become a Civil Engineer

Civil engineering is an exciting career with opportunities in many different areas. Some civil engineers work in the field, some work in offices doing design, and others work in a combination of the two. Here are some helpful steps to starting your career as a civil engineer.
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    Understand what a civil engineer does. Basically, this is the side of engineeringconcerned with designing, building, and maintaining public works.[1] Civil engineers focus on structures and facilities such as transportation routes, features (tunnels, bridges, flyovers), and hubs (such as airports and bus interchanges), water treatment (sewage, dams, pipelines, etc.) government buildings (police and fire stations, major office buildings, etc.), and other structures required on a large public scale. In some countries, such as the United States, civil engineering also involves military engineering.[2] Another way of looking at what a civil engineer does is to see it as a role of reducing complex ideas initiated by policymakers, chief executives, and other such people into concrete reality.
    • It's a job that pays a reasonably high income due to the level of skills and expertise required, and the ongoing responsibilities to ensure safe, accurate, and enduring engineering outcomes.
    • Civil engineers can work in a variety of work environments, including in the public sector, as contractors, consultants, or even as part of a firm that undertakes work outsourced from municipalities and government. Civil engineers also work with architect firms and construction firms.[3] Throughout the lifetime of a civil engineer career, you might vary your employment circumstances considerably to work around different needs and interests; the good thing is that your qualifications will allow you much flexibility.
    • Within civil engineering there are different roles open to you. For example, in the United Kingdom, you can become an engineering technician, an incorporated engineer, or a chartered engineer. Your personal interest in where to specialize will be something to consider as you pursue your studies and the different options offered through the course, so be sure to ask what's available in your country or region.
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    Assess your skills. Civil engineering requires good mathematics, design, and science skills.[4] In addition, having a "big picture" mentality, creativity, the ability to function as a member of a team, the ability to work without supervision and to handle high levels of responsibility, the ability to clearly and concisely communicate your ideas both verbally, and through the use of writing and images, are all important, well-rounded features to ensure a successful civil engineering career.
    • If you're still at school, appropriate subjects to focus on most include mathematics, design and technology, information technology, and physics, with economics, geography, and geology also being of help.
    • At school and during university, participate in engineering style competitions with teams, such as model bridge building competitions. These can increase your knowledge of how things work structurally and will give you a taste of how to work as a team.
    • Contact the universities offering civil engineering degrees that interest you to find out what their exact requirements are. The requirements are constantly updated to reflect new technologies and methodologies.
    • If you have already left school and haven't taken the appropriate subjects during school, you may need to undertake bridging courses or aptitude tests to prove that you're able to undertake the subjects offered in a civil engineering degree.
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    Choose a study program. In general, in most countries civil engineering requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, which will usually take about four years.[5]Depending on where you study, you may also need to take a formal certification course at the end of the degree, and in some countries, being licensed (licensure) is a prerequisite to being allowed to work or as or call yourself a "civil engineer".[6][7] Keep in mind that in order to become an engineer, there may be qualifications for your school. For example, in the United States, the bachelor program must be accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, or ABET.[8]
    • Choose a program that has courses in the specific areas you are interested in. These can include design, hydraulics, construction, earthquake engineering, soil mechanics, computer methods, construction management, structural mechanics, etc.
    • Consider whether you want to take some courses outside your own country, to expand your knowledge of what is happening in civil engineering elsewhere, such as in a country that has very different geological concerns from your own. You might need to have proficiency in another language to be able to do this. Find out what's possible by talking with your university course guidance.
    • Ensure that you take courses outside of your intended field. It is possible you will find a different field that you prefer, so try to choose broadly to get a good feel for the different areas open to you within civil engineering.
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    Expect field trips to form a part of your degree. Being given the opportunity to apply the theory to real-life examples will help you to grasp the principles faster and will probably increase your enthusiasm for your chosen career as well.