- 1Earn your engineering degree. You will need to have a bachelor's degree, at minimum, to get a civil engineering job. Research the details of the program before enrolling.
- Some engineering programs focus on employment after the bachelor's degree. They usually feature internships. A strong program will include entry-level placement for its civil engineering graduates.
- Other engineering programs prepare students for graduate degrees. These programs may deal more with theoretical concepts in the first 4 years, and many students enter into a graduate degree that will prepare them for management and highly technical projects. Some of these degrees are accelerated.
- 2Choose a specialization within the civil engineering field. Subsets of the civil engineering field include structural, traffic, transportation, traffic, water and architectural engineering. You should begin taking courses in your field of expertise as soon as you decide.
- 3Find an internship while you are in school. Interning for a private or public civil engineering organization will help you develop contacts and get necessary work experience. You will network and learn about potential jobs, if the work is a good fit with your career path.
- 4Seek job placement with your school's engineering program. Schools with excellent job placement statistics begin setting up interviews for their students before they graduate. Seek out several applications in your last year of school.
- 5Join the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Institution of Civil Engineers or another professional organization. These societies can help you connect with a local chapter, find a mentor and attend conferences.
- 6Move to an area where there is a high demand for civil engineers. Cities with large population growth or a lot of Recovery Act money will be hiring more engineers. Read research on where state departments are allocating large amounts of development money, since governments hire approximately 12 percent of engineers.
- 7Search for jobs on websites like engineerjobs.com. This job search aggregate gathers engineering jobs from job search websites and posts them in 1 place. Check this site daily when you are looking for work.
- 8Check the ASCE Career Connection page. Click on the "Job Seekers" section to find a list of jobs that are advertised on the website.
- 9Set up a Google alert for Craigslist and other websites. Using this free Google product you can use the website and search terms like "engineer" to get daily or occasional alerts about local jobs.
Find a Civil Engineering Job
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the need for civil engineers to increase along with population growth. The rate will be at approximately 19.4 percent until 2020, far higher than the growth average for most jobs. Civil engineers will need to provide roads, bridges, buildings and other structures required for a healthy infrastructure. Jobs are available in both the public and private sectors across the country. Civil engineering students will need to decide how much schooling to pursue and what area of expertise they want to develop. Learn how to find a civil engineering job.
