Role of a Civil Engineer in the development of a country

Civil engineering is the most ancient field of engineering that humans have ever developed since it is dealing with the construction and the development of the infrastructure.

Broadly speaking, the civil engineering field is considered as an engineering field related only to the construction of buildings. However, it is a much diversified engineering area including a lot of specializations which gives to the civil engineer a wide range of roles.

 Firstly, the basic work of a civil engineer is to design structures. In fact, he has to deal with different types of structure such as houses, factories, bridges, dams, etc. Moreover, these structures could be either in reinforced concrete, in steel or in timber. In fact, there is no limitation since a civil engineer has good knowledge in mathematics, physics, modelling and material sciences. This is the most classical specialization of a civil engineer who should provide designs for structures that ensure both rigidity and safety.

For instance, bridge engineering has become nowadays an entire specialisation of civil engineering as bridges are considered very essential in the development of modern cities in order to strengthen their road network and enhance their aesthetic appearance too as shown in the photo below.

Furthermore, a civil engineer must design the foundation system of the buildings and take care of their interaction with the sub-grade. This is commonly called “Geotechnical engineering” which is a recent specialization on the civil engineering field and is keeping improving during these last years. Due to this discipline, we can deal with the interaction between structure and the soil, and in some cases improve the properties of the soil in order to enhance its bearing ratio. The tunnel engineering, as shown is also a good illustration of the geotechnical engineering and has allowed developing many railways and roads all over the world and as a result to promote the global economy. However, the geotechnical engineering is essential for the stability and durability of constructions.

Otherwise, a civil engineer has to come up with solutions to the problems related to the urban life. This is another area of specialisation called ^“Urban planning” which aims to organise the development of cities. This includes also the road and traffic engineering which consists on designing the roads, the railways, the highways and also managing the flow of traffic in cities.

In the other hand, the hydraulic field consists also another area of specialization for civil engineers. In fact, they have to design dams, to ensure the supply of drinkable water and install water treatment plants.  

Overall, the civil engineering job may be practiced in various ways and specializations that all aim to carry out the development of the city’s infrastructure and constructions. Without Civil Engineering no development can ever be done. It’s the root of all development.

Nowadays, it has become very developed due to the use of sophisticated tools and software and which facilitate the work and allow engineers to win new challenges. 

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Civil Engineering Graduates: Job opportunities, salary and the future

The wish of every graduate is to land a good job - one with a good pay, full of unique experiences and enriching. Well, the same idea even gets bolder during the final years of college, where one is looking to a few months in future to graduate and roll out into the job market. One of the most lucrative jobs around the planet has always been civil engineering, and this is just but a drop of water in the sea because engineering is too wide a discipline. Civil engineering is one of the major disciplines of engineering and many will remember it for the rigorous training that one has to undertake to master its ideals, but in the last few decades it has grown even more challenging, demanding and competitive. Well, for those in this field, you definitely need some clues on what you expect in the next few years, so let’s get down to it – the job opportunities, salary and future of civil engineering graduates.

We first get down to the job opportunities, because without a job we cannot really mention a salary. Civil engineering is at work almost every second of human life – because it forms the backbone of our economy – somehow true to say. The job opportunities here are numerous, and I should mention the first two direct ones before we get to its derivatives. Road construction and building construction have been the traditional absorbers of civil engineering and seems this will continue even in the future. While the government has been the major authority in constructing roads, many corporations are also taking up then challenge to improve lives wherever they operate. Airport constructions, bridges and all other structures that fall into these disciplines will definitely seek for civil engineers as their right hand men, so be prepared to take up a job with one of the renowned companies seeking tenders in these categories.

The private sector – which includes real estate for commercial and residential purposes, is fields that will not run dry any soon, not in the foreseeable future. Civil engineers are the backbone of this industry and so they will live to be. From construction of residential houses to offices of large Multinational Corporations, civil engineers have an increasing role to play.

I guess no one is going to ask where to find these jobs, because construction is continuous and uninterrupted in every economy. From government tenders to the private sector, construction has always formed a key component of the daily life. Look at Africa, Europe and The East – all have constructions, some still in incubation stages while others are already underway, so you can be sure the well will never run dry. As Asian countries and other developing nations rise up to develop their economies, only more and more job opportunities will come up!!

Civil engineering has a future, just like all other disciplines of engineering. I can simply say the future of these graduates is challenging and interesting, because man is getting naughtier and designing even prettier stuff, so you will have to wake to new challenges to solve. From construction of airports at the sea, civil engineers will have to think globally and provide solutions to the many different problems that face mankind.

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Civil Engineering Branches to Choose Your Career and be the Expert

Design, implementation and maintenance of public works are commonly termed as Civil Engineering. This involves facilities and structures such as large scale monuments, government buildings, transportation routes, hydraulic structures, as well as other structures. Civil Engineers work for the government or for a public company or by himself to construct such structures or any work related to civil engineering. Civil engineers may also be hired either by a city, a city employed private firm or an independent company. Even a civil engineer can perform personally and can earn a great amount. Besides job opportunity for the civil engineer is noticeable. There are many branches of civil engineering; one can be an expert in one branch or on all branches. So, knowledge of branches of civil engineering will help one to choose one’s branch of interest. The branches of civil engineering are discussed below:

Construction Engineering:

Construction engineering is a branch of civil engineering that focuses on the planning, construction and maintenance of the structures. Its name reflects its purposes mainly. You will learn about the construction of any structures, its maintenance and safety measures required during the construction process. As a construction engineer you can play an important role in the development of infrastructures. This includes the construction of all structures from building to road. A civil engineer works as part of a team with other engineers that supervise the entire construction project and meet the specifications required. A construction engineer must be present during field work and must supervise the project from beginning to end, solving any problems that may arise. Due to the wide range of responsibilities, a construction engineer’s role is somewhat similar to the role of a project manager.

Structural Engineering:

Structural engineering incorporates design and structural analysis. A structural engineer has the role of analyzing structures, ensuring they are in accordance with safety regulations and designing structures that meet given specifications while safely tolerating any possible stresses and forces without causing damage to the structure. A structural engineer must take into account natural disasters and climate change when designing or inspecting structures.

Geotechnical Engineering:

Geotechnical engineering focuses on foundation capacities which are determined by the behavior of earth materials. A geotechnical engineer must pre-evaluate all planned construction sites to ensure that the foundation can withstand the foreseen structure and determine any possible earth material problems for already existing structures.

Transportation Engineering:

A civil engineer that has specialized in transport engineering must plan, design and manage the construction of transportation infrastructures that provide a safe and comfortable mode of transportation, while being economic and environmentally friendly. Transportation engineering can be divided into six sub-divisions: highway, air, waterway, aerospace, costal and oceanic and urban transportation.

Surveying:

This branch of civil engineering inspects and contours terrain sites. Engineers must use a number of different instruments to perform tasks such as locating and measuring property lines, building layouts, bridges, channels, highways and pipelines for foreseen constructions. There are two divisions of survey engineers: plane surveying engineers and geodetic surveying engineers.

Water Resource Engineering:

Water resource engineers are responsible for the design, construction and implementation of hydraulic structures. Hydraulic structures generally include dams, water canals and water distribution systems. The engineer must closely adhere to safety precautions in all aspects while undertaking such projects.

Environmental Engineering:

Environmental engineers are concerned with designing environmentally friendly solutions and sewage management. They aim to decrease pollution and better manage sewage in new and inventive ways.

Municipal Engineering:

This branch of engineering is responsible for planning, managing and maintaining urban areas. These engineers work in co-operation with government officials to ensure that the structures within the city are running as planned.

Coastal Engineering:

Coastal engineers are responsible for coastal and marine structures. They must construct and maintain such structures, ensuring safety while minimizing the disturbance of coastal regions.

Tunnel Engineering:

Tunnel engineers are civil engineers that plan, design, construct and maintain tunnels, while ensuring that all safety specifications are strictly being adhered to.

Earthquake Engineering:

An earthquake engineer must use knowledge of seismic forces in order to design and construct structures that will be resistant to such forces.

Material Engineering:

Material engineering focuses on the properties of materials that are to be used in construction and ceramics. Properties such as strength must be taken into account to best determine the most suitable materials for each structure. These properties in conjunction with the projects specifications aid the engineer make such a determination.  

 

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