Graduate Careers in Civil Engineering
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Graduate careers in civil engineering offer a flexible, well-rewarded and diverse career with the chance to work and travel all over the world. Our society would not work without civil engineering. Infrastructure supports our daily life – roads and harbours, railways and airports, hospitals, sports stadiums and schools, access to drinking water and shelter from the weather. There has never been a better time to pursue a graduate career in civil engineering; today, civilisation relies more than ever on teams of inventive people to design, build and maintain the sophisticated environment that surrounds us. A graduate career in civil engineering suits those who want a challenge, self-expression, achievement and personal reward through their work. If you would like to combine your technical knowledge and creative flair to solve problems, civil engineering is an excellent career choice.
Still Interested? Read on…
Have a say in what the world will look like
How many jobs affect how our environment looks and works? For many civil engineers, it is the way they can change our surroundings and improve the lives of millions of people that draws them to the profession. They see whole projects through each stage from feasibility to design and implementation.
Help the developing world
For civil engineers, solving infrastructure problems in the developing world is just as demanding – and rewarding – as solving problems in the developed world. They are needed after earthquakes, during droughts and at times of war, to help the local population rebuild or maintain the conditions that will keep them alive. If you have a real sense of adventure and a commitment to help those in the greatest need, you could join RedR, an organisation that sends volunteers to disaster areas all over the world. www.redr.org
International opportunities
Civil engineering offers unparalleled opportunities to work overseas. By becoming professionally qualified, you will be able to enter the international workplace and work abroad for the short or long term.
Job satisfaction
The major highlight for most civil engineers is the satisfaction of seeing tangible results of their hard work, from designing and constructing Heathrow Terminal 5 to rebuilding bridges in war torn Iraq. The infrastructure civil engineers create benefits society for many years to come.
In a recent Graduate Satisfaction Report commissioned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Graduate Civil Engineers came top in the UK’s Top 10 Most Satisfied Graduate Professions.
The Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) 2004/05 salary survey found that over 75% of the 2,781 Civil Engineers surveyed said they found their roles either satisfying or very satisfying.
Ongoing opportunities
Civil engineering is a growing industry. Increasing population and the need for better and more secure infrastructure means more civil engineers are needed. Civil engineering attracts a broad range of people because it draws on many different artistic and scientific talents. The opportunities and roles within the profession are diverse. There is no shortage of work for those with the right skills, knowledge and attitude.
The Association of Graduate Recruiters “ AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey 2005” predicts that Engineering vacancies will rise by up to 12.8%, on top of an already considerable increase in civil engineering graduate vacancies in 2004.
ETB (Engineering and Technology Board) recently discovered that more than three quarters of Engineering graduates find employment in their preferred career area, whereas fewer than half of other graduates make it into their chosen field within six months of graduation.
More engineers than any other profession break through the “glass ceiling” and into the boardroom. Becoming an engineer will not mean that your career is pigeon-holed, in fact a recent Engineering Council (ECUK) study discovered that 25% of FTSE100 companies are headed by qualified engineers.
Know your industry
Civil engineering employers come in all shapes and sizes, from small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to multinational organisations. It is important to make sure you choose the right company for you.
Civil engineering companies are involved with the planning, design, construction and maintenance of:
transport systems - roads, railways, airports, canals, harbours, jetties, bridges and tunnels to transport people and goods in safety
public health services - water supplies, dams, reservoirs, pipelines to provide safe water and hydroelectric power, sewers, sewage treatment works, sewage outfalls to prevent pollution and disease, irrigation and drainage schemes to increase arable land
structures - bridges, viaducts, oil platforms, electricity distribution grids and foundations and structural frameworks for buildings of all types from housing and schools to offices and factories, sports stadia and hospitals; flood and coastal protection - land drainage, river embankment, breakwaters, sea walls
Broadly speaking there are three types of civil engineering employer.
Clients
The client is the engineering buyer the organisation that is purchasing or requiring the engineering project. For example, the client may be a local authority wishing to replace their drainage system. Some clients do not have engineers on their staff full time so they bring in external consultants. But others – like the Highways Agency, Environment Agency, Network Rail, water companies and property developers – are responsible for building, running and managing assets that require full time input from engineers. You could get involved in feasibility studies and outline designs, detailed design, project management and – ultimately – managing the finished asset. Usually, once a project has been planned and financed, the client hands it over to consultants and contractors to do the detailed design and to build it.
Consultancy firms
Consultants get involved with planning and designing projects. They translate the client’s ideas into something that can be built. Consulting engineers may be brought in right at the start of a project to help with feasibility or costing, or may be called in later, when the client wants detailed design carried out. Work includes preparing tenders, technical design, preparing design calculations, site surveys and detailed drawings. Much of a consultant’s work is office-based, but they also supervise work on site
Contractors
Contractors build the projects, employing the labour and bringing in equipment and materials to translate the designer’s plans into reality. Contractors employ engineers to implement the designs and manage the work on site.
All three of these types of employer employ graduate engineers, often offering a training programme such as those approved by ICE. It is possible to move between these types of employer for example, some consultants will second staff to a contractor for six months site experience, or take in engineers who work on site most of the time to give them a few months high quality design experience.
Work outdoors or in the office
You may be involved in visiting sites, overseeing construction or leading design teams. At other times you could be discussing the nature and impact of engineering work with local residents, liaising with the client, solving problems and literally being "hands-on".
What could you earn?
Civil Engineering pay is on the up. ICE Salary Survey 2004/2005 showed that:
- Average total income for under 25’s is £23,428
- Starting salaries have increased at double the rate inflation over the last five years.
- ICE graduate members (those members studying to become chartered) command average total income of £30,863
- ICE Members earn an average total income of £43,000
- ICE Fellows earn an average total income of £70,569
Graduate careers in civil engineering offer you the opportunity to build upon the skills and knowledge acquired in your degree. If you are interested in graduate career in civil engineering then find out more by consulting professional bodies such as ICE.
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