Show Me the Money
New candidates for civil engineering jobs rarely envision themselves as accountants. Still, the construction of dams, drilling platforms and multi-level parking facilities require massive funding. Engineers on design teams determine an accurate estimate of the monies needed to complete these projects. Labor, raw materials and conformance to local ordinances are a few of the many costs involved in civil engineering endeavors. In fact, accounting software is available and updated for civil engineers to crunch numbers relative to infrastructure projects.
Trading Spaces
When contemplating a career in civil engineering, some imagine themselves wearing a hardhat while standing 30 stories in the air amid a construct of beams and girders. In fact, some engineers do find themselves supervising and consulting on site. More often than not—however—most of the design work gets done on drawing boards, and at a desk with a computer. In addition to the financial analyses mentioned above, civil engineers research construction codes and federal regulations; examine soil from structural foundations; fill out applications for permits and variances; and examine surveys and maps to determine geographic placement. Those with office phobias need not apply.
Lend Me Your Ears
Civil engineering students who plan to spend their working lives calculating wind loads are in for a surprise. They may just have to explain wind loads to a municipal planning board or a corporate board of directors. Possessing specialized knowledge that government officials and real estate developers need when investing in capital projects, engineers do well to sharpen their communication skills and cultivate their eloquence. A great idea poorly explained is no idea at all. In some instances, as with bid proposals or environmental impact statements, engineers may have to speak to a large gathering of concerned citizens. In these cases, engineering competency is not enough. Persuasiveness and poise are also indispensible to the civil engineer.
Be Prepared
Engineers are often of a scientific bent, disliking extraneous tasks and unwilling to suffer fools. Like any other professionals, however, they are most successful when they keep an open mind and a tolerant disposition. Explaining scientific principles to financiers requires patience. Haggling with city hall officials can be vexing. Figuring out how to save money without sacrificing health and safety is tedious. The ability to step out of the scientific comfort zone and bow to practical realities is an invisible, but mandatory, job requirement for the civil engineer.