Career as Civil Engineer

Last Updated On 17 Oct, 2018

How to Become a Civil Engineer

About Civil Engineer

Civil engineers plan, design and supervise the construction of infrastructure and facilities such as buildings, airports, infrastructure facilities, dams highways, tunnels, water supply system, harbour offshore structures that are essential to human life. A civil engineer is required to design the project and construct the project and maintain it. Apart from this, the civil engineer also helps in preserving the environment by planning different ways to reduce future pollution of air, water and land.

There are two types of civil engineers. First one' s are more of consultants who focus on design work and generally spend more time in the office or working with clients, and other types of civil engineers are contractors who are more involved with keeping an eye on the physical construction and are usually based on-site. Both challenging environments, and all civil engineers are required to be innovative and logical individuals. 

Eligibility to become Civil Engineer

  • Candidate must have passed class 12th or equivalent examination from a recognised board with a minimum aggregate of 75% . However, the minimum aggregate rules vary from category to category.

  • Must have a valid engineering entrance exam (JEE/ BITSAT/ VITEEE and other state-level entrance exams) score.

  • Few engineering colleges also follow the minimum and maximum age criteria.

Types of Job Roles Civil Engineer

After attaining the required academic qualification to become a civil engineer, there is an ample number of job profiles that you can target as per your interest. Listed below are some of the popular job profiles for civil engineers:

  • Construction Engineers: Their job role is to manage construction projects and to ensure that the construction is completed within time. Construction engineers are typically responsible for the design and safety of temporary structure during construction.

  • Transportation Engineers: They plan, design, operate and maintain everyday systems such as airports, highways, ship ports, harbours etc.

  • Geotechnical Engineers: Their responsibility is to make sure that the foundations of the buildings, streets, runways, dams etc. They focus on how structures built by civil engineers, such as buildings and tunnels, interact with the earth (including soil and rock).

  • Structural Engineers:  Their job is to design and assess major projects, such as buildings, bridges, or dams, to ensure their strength and durability.

  • Civil Engineers: They deal with critical problems such as disaster mitigation and management

  • Highway Engineers: They are responsible for planning and designing road network, one way systems, parking spaces. Highway engineers are concerned with road building and traffic management.

  • Water Management Engineers: They specialize in water supply and sewerage systems.

Employment Opportunities for Civil Engineer

Civil engineers can find a variety of employment opportunities in different sectors. Some of the top sectors that hire civil engineers are listed below:

  • MNCs
  • Construction Companies
  • PSUs
  • Transportation Companies
  • Infrastructure Management Companies
  • Government Agencies
  • Geotechnical Companies
  • Municipal Corporations
  • NHAI
  • PWDs
  • Indian Railways
  • Armed Forces

Top Recruiting Companies for Computer Engineers

Some of the leading MNCs and companies that recruit computer engineers are as follows:

  • Hindustan Construction Company
  • L&T
  • DLF
  • Tata Projects
  • Sadbhav Engineering
  • Gammon India
  • Sobha Developers Ltd.
  • Shapoorji Pallonji & Company
  • Unitech
  • Nagarjuna Construction Company
  • Punj Lloyd
  • Aga Khan Planning and Building Services
  • Tata Projects
  • MARG Limited
  • Metro Tunneling Group
  • Gannon Dunkerley & Company

 

Planning to choose Civil Engineer as your career?

Pay Scale/Salary of Civil Engineer

Civil engineers in diverse sectors earn a satisfactory salary. Most companies pay more for highly skilled and experienced civil engineers and contractors. The average salary structure of a civil engineer is given below:

Job Profile

Starting Salary per annum (in INR)

Mid-Level Salary per annum (in INR)

Senior- Level Salary per annum (in INR) 

Civil Engineering

Rs.3,50,000- Rs. 6,00,000

Rs. 6,00,000- Rs. 10,00,000

Rs. 10,00,00 and above 

Note: The above salary figures are an estimate and may vary from an individual to individual and company to company.

Books & Study Material to Become Civil Engineer

Students can take help of the following books to prepare for competitive exams and enhance knowledge in the field of civil engineering:

  • Structural Analysis by Russell C. Hibbeler
  • Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down by J.E. Gordon

  • Why Buildings Fall Down: Why Structures Fail by Matthys Levy,
  • Principles of Foundation Engineering by Braja M. DasMario Salvador

Pros of becoming a Civil Engineer

  • Skilled and qualified civil engineers are offered great salary packages. The quality of the college from which one pursues the course plays an important role in determining one's salary package.

  • Civil engineering is a core branch of engineering and most of the core branches have better job options and opportunities as compared to others.

  • Civil engineers have access to a wide variety of government job posts such as  Armed forces, Indian Railways, PWDs, NHAI, Municipal corporations, Housing boards and others.

  • It is a profession where you may express your creativity, problem solving skills and technical expertise which is not offered by all the jobs.

  •  Most of the civil engineers have access to site  and field work work unlike the typical cubicle work setup.

Cons of becoming a Civil Engineer

  • Most of the civil engineering jobs have long hours and deadlines.Projects can be testing and challenging. Deadlines can be hard to meet.

  • Working outdoors could be fun for some. However, civil engineers may end up working at some remote and hostile areas. While it could be fun for some while for others it can cause stress and other health-related problems.

  • A project site hosts huge construction machinery, vehicles, building materials etc. Dust, sharp tools, pollution, fire and work accidents etc are common occurrences at many work sites.

Career path for Civil Engineer

To become a civil engineer, candidates are required to follow a certain academic/career path. Candidate must have passed class 12th with a set of subjects and must have appeared in an entrance exam with a valid score of the same

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FAQs about Civil Engineer

Can I become a civil engineer even if I hate math?

No, you cannot become a civil engineer if you hate math.

What kind of challenges do civil engineers face?

Civil engineers face challenges like improving construction productivity, managing groundwater, improving building energy efficiency, estimating sea levels etc.

Is the life of a civil engineer a challenging one?

Yes, the life of a civil engineer is a challenging one as most of the times, a civil engineer is associated with fieldwork.

Is civil engineering the easiest branch in engineering stream?

Yes, civil engineering is the easiest branch in engineering stream.

Is civil engineering a good career option for girls?

Yes, civil engineering is a good career option for girls too.

What is the average salary of a civil engineer in India?

The average salary of a civil engineer in India lay in the range of INR 3.5 LPA and INR 10 LPA.

Is it mandatory that civil engineers should be good at drawing?

Civil engineers should have good drawing skills, not as good what might be required of architects.

Who is the first civil engineer of India?

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya is considered the first civil engineer of India.

Which skills does a civil engineer require most?

A civil engineer must possess skills such as decision making skills, problem solving skills, mathematical skills, organisational skills and leadership skills mostly to become successful.

Who is known as the first Civil Engineer?

Eddystone Lighthouse constructor John Smeaton is the first self-proclaimed Civil Engineer.

I am pursuing M.Tech. (Master of Technology) to become a Civil Engineer. What other career options do I have ?

You could become a Geologist , an Automobile Engineer , an Electronics Engineer , a Communication Engineer , a Food Technologist after studying M.Tech. (Master of Technology).

I am pursuing B.Tech+M.Tech Dual Degree to become a Civil Engineer. What other career options do I have ?

You could become a Software Engineer , an Automobile Engineer , an Electrical Engineer , a Mechanical Engineer , an Electronics and Computer Engineer after studying B.Tech+M.Tech Dual Degree.

I am pursuing B.Tech. (Bachelor of Technology) to become a Civil Engineer. What other career options do I have ?

You could become an Automobile Engineer , an Electronics Engineer , a Petroleum Engineer , an Architect , an Instrumentation Engineer after studying B.Tech. (Bachelor of Technology).

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