A career as a civil engineer is all about creating projects that complement, and enhance the physical environment in which we live. Civil engineers work with construction contractors and other engineering disciplines to deliver primarily construction, transport and infrastructure projects. Let’s take a look at what a civil engineer actually does, what other people you will work it and where your career as in civil engineering can take you.
Civil Engineering: what you need to know
Civil engineers primarily work on projects that require multidisciplinary teams, with the job of a civil engineer being to turn a plan into a workable reality, working with project management teams to ensure the job is done correctly, on time and to budget.
In your role as a civil engineer on a construction project or building site, just some of the elements a civil engineer would generally be responsible for would be:
- Liaising with architects and designers to ensure plans are workable and deliverable
- Organising the necessary management team
- Overseeing the manpower and material requirements for projects
- Observing safety standards and environmental regulations and concerns
- Using innovative technology to leverage improvements
- Writing detailed reports and communicating updates to stakeholders and clients
Career Progression
With civil engineering careers having such an overall strategic impact on construction projects and sites, they will be involved with many different departments, roles and trades, primarily at senior level. Just some of these would be:
- Site Manager
- Quantity Surveyor
- Architect
- CAD Technician
- Estimator
- Electrical Engineer
- Structural Engineer
- Building Services Engineer
- Land Surveyor
- Mechanical Engineer
- QA/QC Engineer
- Foreperson
Professional qualifications
Routes to civil engineering are open to any engineering graduate, but civil or structural engineering is particularly beneficial. Once you have your qualification, you should seek to join the professional body Engineers Ireland, which offers a host of certifications and CPD opportunities. In terms of what you can earn, there is a huge demand for civil engineers so those who are suitably qualified and have the relevant experience can work towards developing a rewarding career as a civil engineer.
How your career can develop
Civil engineers work throughout the private and public sector, with the latter in particular offering an increasing amount of interesting opportunities. Civil engineering opportunities are amongst the most challenging and rewarding in the engineering sphere, with international borders no boundary to what you can do. Continuing to develop your personal network and undertaking CPD to enhance your skills will lead to even greater opportunities as a civil engineer.