What is a Civil Engineer?
Civil Engineer Definition Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures, and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.
What Do Civil Engineers Do On a Daily Basis?
- Design energy efficient or environmentally sound civil structures.
- Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact.
- Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
- Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
- Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes.
- Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Civil Engineer?
Below is a list of the skills most Civil Engineers say are important on the job.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Other Civil Engineer Job Titles
- Resource Recovery Engineer
- Transportation Engineer
- Facilities Engineer
- Cartographic Engineer
- Water Systems Engineer
Civil Engineer Employment Estimates
In the United States, there were 303,500 jobs for Civil Engineer in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 10.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 32,200 new jobs for Civil Engineer by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 25,900 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Civil Engineer are Utah, Tennessee, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Alaska, Mississippi, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Civil Engineers Make A Lot Of Money?
The average yearly salary of a Civil Engineer ranges between $54,780 and $142,560.
Civil Engineers who work in Alaska, California, or New Jersey, make the highest salaries.
How much do Civil Engineers make in each U.S. state?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $84,320 |
| Alaska | $125,470 |
| Arizona | $84,770 |
| Arkansas | $81,780 |
| California | $109,680 |
| Colorado | $93,560 |
| Connecticut | $93,630 |
| Delaware | $91,410 |
| District of Columbia | $99,820 |
| Florida | $89,480 |
| Georgia | $81,110 |
| Hawaii | $86,680 |
| Idaho | $78,280 |
| Illinois | $94,570 |
| Indiana | $82,420 |
| Iowa | $83,940 |
| Kansas | $82,340 |
| Kentucky | $82,840 |
| Louisiana | $98,700 |
| Maine | $82,160 |
| Maryland | $86,110 |
| Massachusetts | $94,210 |
| Michigan | $82,240 |
| Minnesota | $90,760 |
| Mississippi | $85,880 |
| Missouri | $86,710 |
| Montana | $77,480 |
| Nebraska | $84,240 |
| Nevada | $100,700 |
| New Hampshire | $83,970 |
| New Jersey | $103,760 |
| New Mexico | $88,840 |
| New York | $102,250 |
| North Carolina | $86,270 |
| North Dakota | $83,460 |
| Ohio | $82,180 |
| Oklahoma | $91,090 |
| Oregon | $88,270 |
| Pennsylvania | $88,740 |
| Rhode Island | $87,220 |
| South Carolina | $84,660 |
| South Dakota | $77,030 |
| Tennessee | $93,810 |
| Texas | $102,990 |
| Utah | $80,690 |
| Vermont | $74,960 |
| Virginia | $94,780 |
| Washington | $93,120 |
| West Virginia | $82,210 |
| Wisconsin | $78,660 |
| Wyoming | $85,220 |
What Tools & Technology do Civil Engineers Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Civil Engineers:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- Email software
- SAP
- Microsoft Project
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Spreadsheet software
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- Extensible markup language XML
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Minitab
Becoming a Civil Engineer
What education or degrees do I need to become a Civil Engineer?
How many years of work experience do I need?
Civil Engineers Sector
Civil Engineers work in the following industries:
Related Careers
Career changers with experience as a Civil Engineer sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: Master Sgt. Roger Parsons via Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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