Civil engineering is a profession that will perhaps never be out of demand. Students studying civil engineering learn the basics of structure, material, design, construction and stability.
As a Fresh graduate Civil Engineer, you can find work in a range of sectors, particularly in the construction sector, on buildings, large scale structures, transportations and etc., The common career path for graduates is to join an engineering firm and subsequently work on projects to build houses, dams, buildings, canals, bridges and other structures, it is said that there is no single typical career path for civil engineers as such.
Most engineering graduates start with jobs involving low responsibility, and as they prove their competence, they are given more and more responsible tasks. Yet, the details of a career path vary within each subfield of civil engineering, and even within different segments of each branch. In some cases, entry-level engineers may be asked to monitor construction in the field, serving as the “eyes and ears” of more senior design engineers.
In other cases, entry-level engineers may be required to perform the more routine tasks involved in analysis or design. As they gain seniority, the engineers move into doing more complex analysis or design, manage more complexly designed projects, manage other engineers, or perform specialized consulting. However, there are many unique opportunities that students fail to explore.
If your contemporary graduate course does not include an industrial training or placement, look for relevant work experience and placements. Any kind of role in a construction or civil engineering setting will allow you to build your understanding of issues related to the planning and execution of projects. Casual, hands-on construction work and administrative jobs may be available, but many employers offer structured work experience opportunities.
Requirements to step into the construction sector as a fresh civil engineer graduate
Academic Requirements: Education, Experience, Internship, Additional Courses, Software applications, Certifications, Licensure, and Associations.
Employers or companies hiring civil engineers basically require candidates with a bachelors or diploma in civil engineering depending upon their requirement, preference will be given to the candidates with experience if not fresh graduates with specialization in the same field as the company, additional courses will help engineers crack interviews based upon learning, basic software applications like AutoCAD and MS office are required, as the career path grows engineers are required to learn software’s related to the stream that the company is dealing with, for example if it’s a structural company, they need to learn STAAD, Etabs etc.
Certifications like PMP (Project Management Professional) increase the scope of growth to managerial level on career front, licensures from local municipalities will help in incorporating own company or becoming a licensed engineer for approving plans or drawings of private firms with standards of local governing authorities or public projects, associations with different organizations can provide platform for distinguished practitioners to collaborate, work together and solve the challenges faced by the profession.
Required Skills: Technical, Visualization, Communication, Reasoning, Decision Making, Leadership and Management Skills.
I analyzed some general specializations for fresh civil engineering graduates to explore job opportunities.
Disciplines in Civil Engineering: Construction Engineering, Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Water Resource Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Surveying and Remote Sensing, Seismic / Earthquake, Marine, Pre Fab, Materials, etc.
Technical Career
- Site Engineering
- Structural Engineering
- Planning Engineering
- Land Surveying and GIS
- QA/QC
- Estimation and Billing
- Interiors and Fit out
- Pre Fabrication
- Facilities Management
- Safety Engineering
- Building Information Modeling
- Materials Engineering
Non-Technical Careers
- Sales or Marketing
- Procurement
- Claims or Arbitration
- Documentation or Administration
- Teaching
Employment of civil engineers is projected to grow 11 percent over the next ten years, faster than the average for all occupations. As current Indian infrastructure experiences growing obsolescence, civil engineers will be needed to manage projects to rebuild, repair, and upgrade bridges, roads, levees, dams, airports, buildings, and other structures, Civil engineers will continue to play a key part in all of this work.
Although state and local governments continue to face financial challenges and may have difficulty funding projects, some delayed projects will have to be completed to build and maintain critical infrastructure, as well as to protect the public and the environment.
Candidates who gain experience by doing internship programs while in college will have the best opportunities. In addition, Engineers equipped with technical knowledge, skills and latest software developments are in ample demand for construction sector. Therefore those who enter the occupation not just with a graduate degree but with skills, technical ability and desired software’s will likely have better prospect.
Shoeb Ahmed Siddiqi holds a Masters Degree in Construction Management. He is Manager (Projects) at a leading Pre-Fabrication firm in Hyderabad which executed the Inauguration Works of Hyderabad Metro Rail, he has also worked at projects like World’s Tallest Air Traffic Control Tower at New Jeddah Airport and City Land Mall – Dubai. He is also an Educational Trainer at Indo-Tech Institute of Quantity Surveying, Hyderabad – India.
