Planning to be a Civil Engineer? Here’s What You Need to Know

Civil engineering is one of the earliest kinds of engineering. It is concerned with the constructed environment and may be traced back to the first time someone put a roof over their head or crossed a river by laying a tree trunk.

Photo Courtesy: PxFuel

Much of what defines modern civilization is found in the built environment. Buildings and bridges are generally the first structures that come to mind since they are the most visible creations of structural engineering, one of the primary sub-disciplines of civil engineering. Transportation engineers, a subset of civil engineers, design highways, trains, subway systems, and airports. Then there are the civil engineers’ less obvious creations. When you turn on a water faucet, you expect water to flow without thinking about the civil engineers who made it possible. The water supply system is one of the world’s most outstanding, collecting billions of gallons of high-quality water, which is over a hundred miles distant. Similarly, few people appear to be concerned about what happens to water once it has served its purpose. Most academic departments have altered their titles to civil and environmental engineering as the ancient civil engineering subject of sanitary engineering has grown into modern environmental engineering of such importance.

A Civil Engineers’ Roles

A civil engineer is responsible for the design, construction, and supervision of infrastructure projects and systems.

Photo Courtesy: PxHere

Civil engineers are highly qualified professionals who develop and supervise the implementation of public works projects. The majority work in the commercial sector, while a significant number also work in government. Their work can be found everywhere around us. Civil engineers oversaw the design and implementation of the infrastructure that transports people and goods throughout the country.

The Ideal Characteristics of a Civil Engineer

Civil engineering necessitates a diverse set of abilities. Project management is one of the most important aspects of success. Some designs can be prepared in relative solitude, but bringing plans to reality necessitates the formation of a team, with a civil engineer serving as the team’s leader. Where individual team members’ work intersects with that of others, the civil engineer ensures that everything is in order. Public works projects require all of the talents that must be contributed to any project. Civil engineers hold people accountable while ensuring that a public works project is finished on schedule, on budget, and to the highest standards possible.

Civil engineers are adept at resolving issues. Civil engineers design solutions that stay within a project’s framework when recorded plans do not match reality. When the project’s executing sections require clarification, they respond to questions regarding the project.

Working Conditions

Civil engineers operate in a wide range of environments and circumstances. They frequently split their time between working in an office and working on building sites to keep an eye on operations and handle problems on the job. The majority of them work full-time.

What Does It Take to Become a Civil Engineer?

A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, one of its specialties, or civil engineering technology is required for civil engineers. For promotion to senior jobs, they usually need a graduate degree and licensure. Civil engineers who give services directly to the public are usually required to be licensed.

Civil Engineering Program

The Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BS CE) curriculum is a five-year program that teaches students the fundamentals of science and engineering mathematics. Structural engineering, transportation engineering, water resources engineering, geotechnical engineering, and construction engineering, and management are among the five essential fields of civil engineering covered by the program. It also seeks to give students technical knowledge and abilities in the planning, design, building, supervision, and maintenance of civil engineering works, such as roads, schools, malls, human settlements, energy development, and agricultural infrastructures.

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Students interested in pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering should enroll in the Academic Track’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand. They will study issues that will be important to them in college.

Curriculum and Subjects:

Engineering Mathematics
Hydrology
Building Design
Project Management
Civil Engineering Law
Subjects and Curriculum
Construction Methods
Structural Design
Hydraulics

Pay

Civil engineer salary In the Philippines is roughly 40,700 PHP per month on average. Salaries range from 18,700 PHP to 64,700 PHP (lowest to highest).

Photo Courtesy: PxFuel

This is the monthly average pay, which includes housing, transportation, and other benefits. Salary for civil engineers varies greatly depending on experience, skills, gender, and region. 

Job Prospects

From 2020 to 2030, the employment of civil engineers is expected to expand at a rate of 8%, which is approximately average for all occupations.

Approximately 25,000 civil engineering job opportunities are expected every year on average over the next ten years. Many of those positions are likely to arise as a result of the need to replace people who change occupations or leave the workforce for other reasons, such as retirement.

Final thoughts

Civil Engineering is a complex and challenging field, but getting this discipline is a rewarding one. As long as you put in the time and hard work, you can be a licensed Civil Engineer.