Civil Engineers
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, chemists, art directors, and cost estimators.
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.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $56K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $69K
Median Salary: $88K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $115K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $144K
Demand
Core Tasks
Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel.
Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools.
Provide technical advice to industrial or managerial personnel regarding design, construction, program modifications, or structural repairs.
Analyze survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, aerial photography, or other topographical or geologic data.
Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations or establish reference points, grades, or elevations to guide construction.
Identify environmental risks and develop risk management strategies for civil engineering projects.
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.
Conduct studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify engineering problems and assess potential project impact.
Analyze manufacturing processes or byproducts to identify engineering solutions to minimize the output of carbon or other pollutants.
Design energy-efficient or environmentally sound civil structures.
Develop or implement engineering solutions to clean up industrial accidents or other contaminated sites.
Design or engineer systems to efficiently dispose of chemical, biological, or other toxic wastes.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Design
94%
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Engineering and Technology
94%
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Building and Construction
91%
Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Mathematics
90%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
English Language
80%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Physics
75%
Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Administration and Management
73%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Customer and Personal Service
69%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Law and Government
65%
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Public Safety and Security
65%
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Top 10 Skills
Active Listening
80%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving
78%
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Critical Thinking
78%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Mathematics
78%
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Reading Comprehension
78%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking
78%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Science
75%
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Systems Analysis
75%
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Time Management
75%
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Operations Analysis
73%
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Top 10 Abilities
Deductive Reasoning
80%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning
80%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Oral Comprehension
80%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity
80%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Written Comprehension
80%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Information Ordering
78%
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Mathematical Reasoning
78%
The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Category Flexibility
75%
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Top 10 Work Activities
Getting Information
92%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
89%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
86%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
83%
Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
83%
Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
83%
Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
82%
Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
Interacting With Computers
82%
Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
81%
Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
81%
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Detailed Work Activities
Coordinate safety or regulatory compliance activities.
Direct construction activities.
Inspect facilities or sites to determine if they meet specifications or standards.
Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.
Create graphical representations of civil structures.
Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
Evaluate technical data to determine effect on designs or plans.
Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features.
Estimate operational costs.
Prepare proposal documents.
Explain project details to the general public.
Incorporate green features into the design of structures or facilities.
Test characteristics of materials or structures.
Investigate the environmental impact of projects.
Develop technical methods or processes.
Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.
Implement design or process improvements.
Design systems to reduce harmful emissions.
Work Context
Electronic Mail
How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Consequence of Error
How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not readily correctable?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Frequency of Decision Making
How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
Education
Interests
Realistic
96%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Investigative
86%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Conventional
62%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Artistic
39%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Enterprising
39%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Social
19%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Top 10 Work Styles
Integrity
92%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Dependability
90%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Analytical Thinking
88%
Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attention to Detail
88%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Initiative
81%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Self Control
77%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Achievement/Effort
76%
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Stress Tolerance
76%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Cooperation
75%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Persistence
75%
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Work Values
Independence
86%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Working Conditions
79%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Achievement
77%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition
77%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Support
67%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Relationships
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
