Civil Engineers

Description

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.

Tasks

Manage and direct staff members and the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
Provide technical advice regarding design, construction, or program modifications and structural repairs to industrial and managerial personnel.
Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility.
Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel.
Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems and structures, following construction and government standards, using design software and drawing tools.
Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, and other topographical or geologic data to plan projects.
Prepare or present public reports on topics such as bid proposals, deeds, environmental impact statements, or property and right-of-way descriptions.
Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.
Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact.
Analyze manufacturing processes or byproducts to identify engineering solutions to minimize the output of carbon or other pollutants.
Design energy efficient or environmentally sound civil structures.
Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes.
Develop or implement engineering solutions to clean up industrial accidents or other contaminated sites.
Direct engineering activities ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects.

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology: Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Design: Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Building and Construction: Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Physics: Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Operations Analysis: Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
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.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities

Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

Work Activities

Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Work Context

Telephone: How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Electronic Mail: How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Face-to-Face Discussions: How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled: How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate: How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Work With Work Group or Team: How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Freedom to Make Decisions: How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
Frequency of Decision Making: How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Contact With Others: How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety: How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?

Interests

Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Work Style

Attention to Detail: Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Analytical Thinking: Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Integrity: Job requires being honest and ethical.
Dependability: Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Initiative: Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Achievement/Effort: Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Persistence: Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Stress Tolerance: Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Adaptability/Flexibility: Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Leadership: Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

Work Values

Independence: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Working Conditions: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Achievement: Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Support: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Relationships: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Related Occupations

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Industrial Safety and Health Engineers

Marine Architects

Materials Engineers

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

Petroleum Engineers

Electrical Drafters

Mechanical Drafters

Civil Engineering Technicians

Lay Titles

Airport Engineer

Architectural Engineer

Asphalt Engineer

Automation Engineer

Base Engineer

Bridge Design Engineer

Bridge Engineer

Building Construction Engineer

Building Engineer

Cadastral Engineer

Cartographic Engineer

City Engineer

Civil Engineer

Civil Engineering Manager

Concrete Engineer

Condemnation Engineer

Construction Engineer

Contracting Engineer

County Engineer

Demolition Engineer

Design Engineer

District Engineer

Drainage Design Coordinator

Drainage Engineer

Engineer

Erecting Engineer

Facilities Engineer

Forest Engineer

Forestry Engineer

Foundation Engineer

Geodetic Engineer

Geological Engineer

Geotechnical Engineer

Highway Design Engineer

Highway Engineer

Highway Research Engineer

Highway Safety Engineer

Hydraulic Engineer

Hydrographic Engineer

Irrigation Engineer

Maintenance Engineer

Mapping Engineer

Material Engineer

Municipal Engineer

Plans Examiner

Process Engineer

Project Engineer

Project Manager

Railroad Design Consultant

Railroad Engineer

Reclamation Engineer

Research Hydraulic Engineer

Reservoir Engineer

Resident Engineer

Resource Recovery Engineer

Road Design Engineer

Road Engineer

Sanitary Engineer

Street Engineer

Stress Engineer

Structural Designer

Structural Engineer

Structural Steel Engineer

Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE)

Topographical Engineer

Track Production Engineer

Traffic Engineer

Transportation Analyst

Transportation Consultant

Transportation Engineer

Traveling Engineer

Utility Engineer

Validation Engineer

Validation Specialist

Zoning Engineer

National Wages and Employment Info

Median Wages (2008):: $38.14 hourly, $79,340 annual.

Employment (2008):: 258,100 employees