Career in Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering is the key to many of the issues affecting our lives today. Civil engineers solve problems, design, build and maintain our living and working spaces. You might design a new stadium, work on a local by-pass or railway line, assess a damaged structure, provide immediate and safe drinking water to a refugee camp, or manage a multi-million pound construction project.

Civil engineering students like all other types of engineering students, study math and science extensively. The vast majority of what civil engineers do is a combination of materials science and physics. A civil engineering student studies to receive their Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Science degree.

Amongst all branches of engineering, the range and application of civil engineering is the broadest and the most visible. In fact, the entire infrastructural framework of a modern nation is the creation of civil engineers. Civil engineering is about the design and planning, construction, supervision, quality control and maintenance of physical structures, such as buildings, roads, bridges, dams, canals, sea ports, power plants and airports. Their role is central to ensuring the safe, timely and well-resourced completion of projects in many areas, including highway construction, waste management, coastal development and geotechnical engineering.

Consulting civil engineers liaise with clients to plan, manage, design and supervise the construction of projects. They work in a number of different settings and, with experience, can run projects as a project manager. Civil engineering offers many opportunities as well as the satisfaction of helping to improve and enhance public quality of life in many settings.

As a civil engineer, you will have to plan out, design and supervise the construction of different types of buildings. You need to posses good knowledge of mathematics and science. Also, you must also have good supervisory and administrative skills.

Civil engineers with an academic bent of mind can go on to obtain their Masters and PhD degrees and enter the world of research and teaching. Other civil graduates can find work at all levels of the economy. There are opportunities in small consulting firms including those specializing in structural, environmental, municipal and geotechnical engineering and some work in larger firms which encompass several branches of civil engineering. Civil engineers can also work at national, state and municipal levels of the government. They can also start their own business. Opportunities abound in varying aspects of engineering like Bioengineering, Coastal Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Water Resources Engineering. The most popular industries for getting employed are construction, engineering design, residential construction, heavy civil construction.

In India, things are looking up in the infrastructure sector. There is also great employment prospects for civil engineers in government and public sectors like the railways, municipal bodies, the Defense Forces, National Highway Authority of India, government development authorities like the DDA and government housing authority, BHEL and many more.

Eligibility

The minimum eligibility for doing undergraduate program i.e. BE/B.Tech in Civil Engineering is + 2 Science with Physics, Chemistry and Math’s. The selection is generally made on the basis of entrance tests (e.g. IITJEE, AIEEE, BITSAT etc.) conducted at both national and state level.
One can also continue his/her study further by joining ME/M.Tech programs offered by various engineering colleges/universities including the IITs and NITs. A GATE qualification can further make one’s admission process easier.

AMIE Associate Memberships of the Institution of Engineers also offers courses in civil engineering which is equivalent to BE/B.Tech provided by other institutes/universities.

Job Opportunity

There are job opportunities in civil engineering both in public and private sectors. The government departments like public health, irrigation or public works offer ample job opportunities to civil engineering graduates. However, the probability of finding jobs in private sector is more as compared to government sector. A fresh graduate of civil engineering one can also look for jobs in road projects, building work, consultancy firms, quality testing laboratories or housing societies.
According to experts, there is a high demand for experienced civil engineers in developed countries. Hundreds of civil engineers migrate from India to Canada, Australia and other countries for better career prospects.

According to an estimate, over 50,000 new jobs in the civil engineering sector are coming up every year across the country in the private sector. The Centre has announced to invest over Rs 50,000 Crore in the infrastructure sector in the next few years.

International Scope

Indian engineers are in high demand in Asia, Africa and the middle-east. Those graduating from IITs also manage jobs in developed countries. The employment opportunities abroad are very appealing but sometimes it also carries a certain amount of risk. For instance, Indian engineers involved in construction work in Afghanistan have been repeatedly targeted by terrorists. So the decision to go abroad should be taken after considering all the possible scenarios and your own priorities in life and career.

Cost of the course

A graduate course from a private college will cost you between Rs1,00,000 to Rs 2,00,000, annually. However, in a reputed government run establishment such as the Indian institute of Technology (IIT), you will have to pay an annual fee in the range of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000.

Remuneration

A fresh graduate in civil engineering can expect a salary between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 per month at the entry level. A diploma holder will get between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 on an average. After three or four years’ experience on good projects, one can earn up to Rs 30,000 per month. There is no ceiling for the right candidates to progress in this field.