Salary and Remuneration for a Civil Engineer

• The salaries for civil engineer professionals are excellent.
• The salaries of these professionals are based on factors like experience, work location, educational qualifications and the employer type.
• According to United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports civil engineers are paid the best salary packages and bonuses compared with other occupational professionals.
• Civil engineers with master’s degree in any sub discipline in civil engineering are paid very good salaries compared with candidate having bachelor’s degree.
• According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics the average median salary of civil engineer in United States is $76,590 per annum and $36.82 per hour.
• Salary ranges of civil engineers based on their experience levels
• Less than one year experience salary ranges between $38,425 -$59,932.
• Experience of one to four years salary ranges between $40,797- $67,426.
• Experience of five to nine years salary ranges between $50,020- $80,980.
• Experience of ten to nineteen years salary ranges between $54,273- $102,351.
• Experience of more than twenty years salary ranges between $59,176- $134,294.
• In addition to salaries for these professionals bonus and perks are paid by the employer to civil engineers.
• Bonuses and other allowances are paid based on many factors such as number of years of experience, employer type, work location, industry type, certification, skills and area of specialization.
• The scope of employment for civil engineers is very high these days.
• Salary based on industry type for civil engineers working in engineering construction the median salary is $101,330, oil and gas extraction companies offer median salary of $107,100 and pipeline transportation of natural gas get $96,690.

Duties and Responsibilities of a Civil Engineer

There are plenty of duties and responsibilities for a civil engineer during the project

Duties of a Civil Engineer

• Analyze the project and plan, design as per the requirement of the project.
• Study the project thoroughly.
• Need to perform survey of the allotted site and its surroundings before starting the plan of the project.
• Design the project as per the client requirement.
• Work closely with other civil and safety engineers during the plan and design of the project.
• Ensure whether the site is eligible for the project.
• Prepare reports, blue prints, drawings and maps of the project.
• Estimate the approximate cost of the project including all construction materials and labor.
• Must redesign, modify reports and drawings of the project as per the client requirement.
• Must not comprise in the quality of the construction materials.

Responsibilities of a Civil Engineer

• Must be sure and confident about the success of the project within the specified time given to the client.
• Execute the project as per the planned schedule.
• Maintain good relations with engineers, supervisors of the project.
• Able to handle and manage the project individually.
• Ensure that all the standards and principles are followed in the project.
• Follow up the construction progress regularly.
• Keep an eye on the usage and procurement of construction materials like bricks, cement, sand, iron and others.
• Take the guidance and work closely with senior civil engineers or with civil engineers with specialization in sub disciplines of civil engineering.
• Ensure that all rules, guidelines and regulations are followed and implemented as per the plan before handing over to the client.
• Make sure that construction supervisors submit reports on daily and weekly basis about the construction progress.
• Make all the precautions, arrangements and safety measures during construction of the project.
• Maximum utilize the available resources in the site.

Skills sets requirement for a Civil engineer

Many skills sets are required for civil engineer and few of them are as follows below

• Should be prepared to work in the field and the project site.
• High levels of patience are required for these professionals.
• Need to plan and design the project as per the client requirements.
• Execute and implement the planned schedule.
• Excellent written and communication skills are required.
• Ability to handle pressure.
• Work closely with all the project employees especially construction and materials supervisors.
• Maintain good relations with other engineers in the project.
• Follow all the standards, regulations and specifications of the construction.
• Keep an eye on the inventory moment of the materials.
• In case of any difficulty approach senior site engineers to resolve the issue.
• Oversee the construction progress daily and prepare a report of it.
• To be an excellent team leader and also team player during execution of the project.
• Ability to the head and lead the project individually.
• Ability to with stand unpleasant environmental conditions at the work site.
• Need to work in noisy and untidy environment.
• Excellent analytical and logical skills are mandatory.
• Ability to think innovatively and differently from other engineers.
• Implement new innovative techniques during the construction of the project to save money.
• Managing the available workers and supervisors efficiently and effectively to obtain best results.

Certification and Licensure requirements for becoming Civil Engineer

Certification and licensure is required for civil engineers. Only certified civil engineers are recruited by the employers.

Some of the certification programs are as follows:

• A fresh civil engineer professional must pass the certification examination conducted by the state where the candidate desires to work.
• One of the major certifications in civil engineering is Civil Engineering Certification Inc. (CEC) which was started in the year of 2004 and is led by the board of directors.
• A civil engineer with CEC certification is recognized to work independently.
• Certification is very important than licensure for civil engineers.
• Certification is as essential as qualification.
• Civil engineering certification board is partnered with many other organizations which include Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) and Coastal Ocean Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI).
• Certified candidates have proven and given excellent benefits to clients, participants and pubic.
• Every state has specified laws which govern the practice of engineering called as engineering practice acts.
• The main purpose of these laws is to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the people of the state.
• Some of the requirements to get civil engineering license are as follows
• Candidate must complete four year degree in civil engineering from an accredited college or university.
• Pass the fundamentals of engineering exam and also pass principles and practice examinations.
• Licensure of the civil engineer must be recognized by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) society.

Educational Requirements to become a Civil Engineer

Becoming a civil engineer is not an easy task. The civil engineer aspirant must be very passionate about the study and work, since the job profile involves working in the project site.

• The candidate must complete four year bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from accredited college or university.
• The civil engineer aspirant must be strong in academics especially mathematical subjects and must pass a certificate exam.
• Most of the candidates prefer to choose civil engineering discipline among the various available engineering branches because of its uniqueness and recognition everywhere.
• The career growth of a civil engineer is excellent all the time he/she after completion of graduation in civil engineering can pursue master’s in civil engineering based on his/her area of interest.
• There are plenty of sub disciplines available in the branch of civil engineering.
• Most of the employers prefer candidate’s with master’s degree in civil engineering.
• The main criterion for the aspirant is to have excellent creativity thoughts and management techniques to handle and complete the project.
• Once after obtaining a degree in civil engineering the candidate must pass a licensing test conducted by the state where the candidate desires to work for.
• To attain higher heights in this profession it is recommended that the candidate must do master’s in one of the sub disciplines of civil engineering.
• For civil engineers after gaining good experience as site engineer can also work as guest lecturer for teach engineering students in the universities and colleges?
• Civil engineers after completion of their master’s degree in civil engineering also pursue doctorate in this field.
• Ninety percent of civil engineers do master’s degree in structural engineering which is one of the major sub disciplines in civil engineering discipline.

Civil Engineering Definition:

Civil Engineering is the oldest discipline in engineering. It deals with the design, construction and maintenance of mega structures which includes like buildings, roads, canals, dams and bridges. Civil engineering discipline can be classified into many sub disciplines like materials engineering, environmental engineering, transportation engineering, structural engineering, geo technical engineering, coastal engineering, water resources engineering, surveying, construction engineering and municipal or urban engineering.

Role of Civil Engineer

The person who studies civil engineering is designated as civil engineer. The roles and responsibilities of this professional are very challenging compared with other engineering discipline professionals.  He/she must be well trained and experienced in handling major projects.

The job profile of civil engineer involves planning, designing, surveying the site, field testing and efficiently managing the project.  He/she must analyze surrounding terrain conditions, soil composition, hydrological conditions and other geographical characteristics before starting the project. Take up different projects like designing and construction of roads, bridges, mega structures, buildings, dams, airports, irrigation systems, pipelines, harbors, channels and power plants. The engineer must be sure and confident about the implementation of plan and also completion of the project as per the set time following all the norms and conditions as per the specifications of the project.

Compared with other engineering occupation professionals the job of civil engineer involves working in the field, interacting with the project members like construction supervisors, material stores supervisor, workers and also follow up the construction progress of the project. Able to complete the project following all the construction standards, preparing and analyzing reports, drawings, blueprints, maps and drawings of the project. Take up new innovative projects to get recognition in the society as the best civil engineer.