Civil Engineers
Also known as: Airport Engineer, Architectural Engineer, Asphalt Engineer (+70 more)
Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.
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What You'll Do
- Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
- Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
- Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.
- Estimate quantities and cost of materials, equipment, or labor to determine project feasibility.
- Prepare or present public reports on topics such as bid proposals, deeds, environmental impact statements, or property and right-of-way descriptions.
- Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel.
- Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact.
- Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures.
- Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes.
- Develop or implement engineering solutions to clean up industrial accidents or other contaminated sites.
Essential Skills
Career Fit Overview
Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.
Top passions
- Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
- Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
- Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
Common styles
Dependability, Attention to Detail, Cautiousness, Integrity, Intellectual Curiosity
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Key Abilities
This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:
Technologies & Tools
Work Environment & Strengths
Common Strengths for This Career
- Dependability (High importance: 4.77/5)
- Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.71/5)
- Cautiousness (High importance: 4.59/5)
- Integrity (High importance: 4.47/5)
- Intellectual Curiosity (High importance: 4.44/5)
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Most employers require a bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Some positions may also require experience through internships, co-ops, or entry-level work to strengthen your candidacy.
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Also Known As
This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:
Career Fit FAQs
Is this career a good fit for me
This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.
Can this help if I want to stay in my field
Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.
What should I compare first
Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.
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