Within the larger category of engineering, civil engineering is one of the most popular specialties. The job of a civil engineer is to help communities develop essential infrastructure.
This includes structures like roads and bridges as well as systems that are responsible for providing the communities with power, water, and other essential services.
These engineers have excellent income potential and play a key role in the development of communities of all sizes. Working as a civil engineer is not all fun and games.
However. Not only do they often work long hours but they also have to deal with stressful situations on a regular basis.
An Opportunity To Earn An Excellent Living
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From a pay standpoint, civil engineering is far superior to many other jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics published information in 2012 showing that civil engineers earned an average of approximately $85,000 a year.
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At the upper end of the spectrum, pay rates were much higher, with engineers in the top 10% earning over $120,000 annually. The highest earners, however, were those who were self-employed.
Within the broad field of civil engineering, architectural engineers make up the largest group. These professionals average just under $87,000 a year in pay.
Having An Impact On Communities
Civil engineering is a great field to go into if you like the idea of being able to use your scientific skills to help communities thrive. These engineers play a key role in developing and implementing infrastructure projects for communities of all sizes.
Oftentimes, they are tasked with meeting strict environmental standards – especially when working on water systems and roadways. If you are concerned about the environment, going into this field is a great way to have a positive impact on the planet.
High-Pressure Projects
One of the drawbacks to working on important projects is that they usually come with a lot of pressure. Typically, civil engineers handle large-scale projects with gigantic budgets. If things don\’t go according to plan, it can wind up costing a lot of money. It also may cause the cost of your business insurance to increase.
Any failures in the systems that you design can have catastrophic effects. From roadways to water systems, the projects that you work on are critical to everyday life for people in the community. If something goes wrong and they fail, it can have a huge negative impact on people\’s lives and on your company\’s reputation. As is clear from this post from PSR the industry moves by quickly.
Working Conditions
Although civil engineers are usually only supposed to work a 40-hour week, many of these professionals wind up working far more hours than that.
The position also requires a lot of travel. Unlike other types of engineering where you may spend a lot of your time in the office, with civil engineering, most of your time is spent out on job sites, working in a supervisory role and keeping track of projects.
