There is a vast array of avenues that a person can take in their career after obtaining a civil engineering degree. And I’m not talking about the different branches within civil engineering like structural, water resources, geotechnical, etc. I’m talking about the avenues that one can take within each discipline.
Design engineer
Licensure Required: Yes – All states require professional engineering licensure for those in responsible charge of civil engineering design work.
Main Responsibility: Design of new projects
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere) – smaller companies with smaller jobs are more common and can be found in smaller towns. Bigger companies with big projects usually stick around major metropolitan areas. Don’t think you can live in Chular, CA and have job designing the world’s next tallest sky scraper. It isn’t going to happen.
Requires management of others: Occasional depending on size of project
Travel Requirements: Minimal occasional site visits
Environment: Office setting with business formal or business casual attire.
Professional Liability: High – If the bridge falls 15 years after construction the first person they call is the person who signed and stamped the plans. If that is you, then you better have a real good memory.
Stress level: Moderate to High
Time in front of a computer: High
Political Involvement: Moderate; may require public presentations and work with local government officials.
Field Engineer / Inspector
Licensure Required: Yes
Main Responsibility: Ensure job is built as designed.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere)
Requires management of others: No.
Travel Requirements: Substantial; requires travel to sites; wherever they may be.
Environment: Construction sites, mobile office (car), minimal time in office. Requires work boots and construction work type clothing, very informal
Professional Liability: Moderate due to possibility of performing negligent inspection
Stress level: Low
Time in front of a computer: Low: requires documentation, correspondence, and coordination.
Political Involvement: Low
City Engineer
Licensure Required: Yes
Main Responsibility: Project review and protection of public interest.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere) Public sector work.
Requires management of others: Yes
Travel Requirements: None; all work presumably occurs in the same city.
Environment: Office setting with business formal or business casual attire.
Professional Liability: High – As city engineer you could be signing and stamping many plans and specifications. As the engineer you are liable.
Stress level: Moderate to High
Time in front of a computer: Moderate; requires coordination of public works projects, budgets, designs, and public outreach.
Political Involvement: Very High
Construction Engineer
Licensure Required: No
Main Responsibility: Construct a project on time and under budget.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere)
Requires management of others: Yes.
Travel Requirements: Substantial; requires travel to construction sites; wherever they may be.
Environment: Construction sites, mobile office (car), minimal time in office. Requires work boots and construction work type clothing, very informal
Professional Liability: Low
Stress level: High; projects must come in on time and under budget. Unforeseen issues may cause delays and cost increases which can be stressful.
Time in front of a computer: Low: requires documentation, correspondence, and coordination.
Political Involvement: Low
Plan Check Engineer
Licensure Required: No
Main Responsibility: Ensure designs are up to standards, codes, and project can be built without massive change orders.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities; however companies that specialize in this are scarce. Jobs are usually in the public sector.
Requires management of others: Occasional.
Travel Requirements: Minimal; occasional site visits
Environment: Office setting with business formal or business casual attire.
Professional Liability: Low – Even though plan checkers review the plans the engineer or record (design engineer) is still ultimately responsible for the design.
Stress level: Low
Time in front of a computer: Moderate; correspondence and documentation.
Political Involvement: Low
Project Manager (PM)
Licensure Required: No, but most PMs are.
Main Responsibility: Ensure design projects are completed on time and under budget.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere)
Requires management of others: Yes; entire project team
Travel Requirements: Depends on the type of firm you work for.
Environment: Office setting with business formal or business casual attire.
Professional Liability: Can be high if licensed
Stress level: High
Time in front of a computer: High; correspondence and documentation.
Political Involvement: Can be High
Engineering Professor
Licensure Required: No
Main Responsibility: Research and develop the best systems for construction.
Where are jobs: Cities with universities.
Requires management of others: Yes; graduate students.
Travel Requirements: Moderate
Environment: Classroom, lab, and field with business formal or business casual attire. (As a rule professors must have at least 7 blazers with elbow patches, one for each day of the week)
Professional Liability: Low – reputation is more important.
Stress level: Unknown
Time in front of a computer: Unknown
Political Involvement: High
- Do you want to be a designer, or in construction?
- Do you want to be in an office all day, or do you want to wear a hard hat and literally get your hands dirty out in the field?
- Public or private employment?
- Would you like to start your own company some day?
- Are you willing to travel around the country (or world) for work?
Design engineer
Licensure Required: Yes – All states require professional engineering licensure for those in responsible charge of civil engineering design work.
Main Responsibility: Design of new projects
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere) – smaller companies with smaller jobs are more common and can be found in smaller towns. Bigger companies with big projects usually stick around major metropolitan areas. Don’t think you can live in Chular, CA and have job designing the world’s next tallest sky scraper. It isn’t going to happen.
Requires management of others: Occasional depending on size of project
Travel Requirements: Minimal occasional site visits
Environment: Office setting with business formal or business casual attire.
Professional Liability: High – If the bridge falls 15 years after construction the first person they call is the person who signed and stamped the plans. If that is you, then you better have a real good memory.
Stress level: Moderate to High
Time in front of a computer: High
Political Involvement: Moderate; may require public presentations and work with local government officials.
Field Engineer / Inspector
Licensure Required: Yes
Main Responsibility: Ensure job is built as designed.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere)
Requires management of others: No.
Travel Requirements: Substantial; requires travel to sites; wherever they may be.
Environment: Construction sites, mobile office (car), minimal time in office. Requires work boots and construction work type clothing, very informal
Professional Liability: Moderate due to possibility of performing negligent inspection
Stress level: Low
Time in front of a computer: Low: requires documentation, correspondence, and coordination.
Political Involvement: Low
City Engineer
Licensure Required: Yes
Main Responsibility: Project review and protection of public interest.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere) Public sector work.
Requires management of others: Yes
Travel Requirements: None; all work presumably occurs in the same city.
Environment: Office setting with business formal or business casual attire.
Professional Liability: High – As city engineer you could be signing and stamping many plans and specifications. As the engineer you are liable.
Stress level: Moderate to High
Time in front of a computer: Moderate; requires coordination of public works projects, budgets, designs, and public outreach.
Political Involvement: Very High
Construction Engineer
Licensure Required: No
Main Responsibility: Construct a project on time and under budget.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere)
Requires management of others: Yes.
Travel Requirements: Substantial; requires travel to construction sites; wherever they may be.
Environment: Construction sites, mobile office (car), minimal time in office. Requires work boots and construction work type clothing, very informal
Professional Liability: Low
Stress level: High; projects must come in on time and under budget. Unforeseen issues may cause delays and cost increases which can be stressful.
Time in front of a computer: Low: requires documentation, correspondence, and coordination.
Political Involvement: Low
Plan Check Engineer
Licensure Required: No
Main Responsibility: Ensure designs are up to standards, codes, and project can be built without massive change orders.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities; however companies that specialize in this are scarce. Jobs are usually in the public sector.
Requires management of others: Occasional.
Travel Requirements: Minimal; occasional site visits
Environment: Office setting with business formal or business casual attire.
Professional Liability: Low – Even though plan checkers review the plans the engineer or record (design engineer) is still ultimately responsible for the design.
Stress level: Low
Time in front of a computer: Moderate; correspondence and documentation.
Political Involvement: Low
Project Manager (PM)
Licensure Required: No, but most PMs are.
Main Responsibility: Ensure design projects are completed on time and under budget.
Where are jobs: Metropolitan areas and midsized cities (i.e. just about everywhere)
Requires management of others: Yes; entire project team
Travel Requirements: Depends on the type of firm you work for.
Environment: Office setting with business formal or business casual attire.
Professional Liability: Can be high if licensed
Stress level: High
Time in front of a computer: High; correspondence and documentation.
Political Involvement: Can be High
Engineering Professor
Licensure Required: No
Main Responsibility: Research and develop the best systems for construction.
Where are jobs: Cities with universities.
Requires management of others: Yes; graduate students.
Travel Requirements: Moderate
Environment: Classroom, lab, and field with business formal or business casual attire. (As a rule professors must have at least 7 blazers with elbow patches, one for each day of the week)
Professional Liability: Low – reputation is more important.
Stress level: Unknown
Time in front of a computer: Unknown
Political Involvement: High
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