Becoming Civil Engineer?

Civil engineers plan, design and supervise the construction of infrastructure and facilities such as buildings, airports, infrastructure facilities, dams highways, tunnels, water supply system, harbour offshore structures that are essential to human life. A civil engineer is required to design the project and construct the project and maintain it. Apart from this, the civil engineer also helps in preserving the environment by planning different ways to reduce future pollution of air, water and land.

There are two types of civil engineers. The first one s are more consultants who focus on design work and generally spend more time in the office or working with clients, and other types of civil engineers are contractors who are more involved with keeping an eye on the physical construction and are usually based on-site. Both challenging environments, and all civil engineers are required to be innovative and logical individuals.

Eligibility to become Civil Engineer

Candidate must have passed class 12th or equivalent examination from a recognised board with a minimum aggregate of 75% . However, the minimum aggregate rules vary from category to category.

Must have a valid engineering entrance exam (JEE/ BITSAT/ VITEEE and other state-level entrance exams like ECET for lateral entry and EMCET for +2 students ) score. 

SPECIALIZED AREAS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

Civil engineers can take on a variety of roles within specific branches of the civil engineering field. These branches include:

• Structural Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Transportation Engineering
• Water Resource Engineering
• Surveying Construction Engineering
• Municipal Engineering

Types of Job Roles Civil Engineer

After attaining the required academic qualification to become a civil engineer, there is an ample number of job profiles that you can target as per your interest. Listed below are some of the popular job profiles for civil engineers:

Construction Engineers: Their job role is to manage construction projects and to ensure that the construction is completed within time. Construction engineers are typically responsible for the design and safety of temporary structure during construction.

Transportation Engineers: They plan, design, operate and maintain everyday systems such as airports, highways, ship ports, harbours etc. Geotechnical Engineers: Their responsibility is to make sure that the foundations of the buildings, streets, runways, dams etc. They focus on how structures built by civil engineers, such as buildings and tunnels, interact with the earth (including soil and rock).

Structural Engineers: Their job is to design and assess major projects, such as buildings, bridges, or dams, to ensure their strength and durability.

Civil Engineers: They deal with critical problems such as disaster mitigation and management

Highway Engineers: They are responsible for planning and designing road network, one way systems, parking spaces. Highway engineers are concerned with road building and traffic management.

Water Management Engineers: They specialize in water supply and sewerage systems.

Employment Opportunities for Civil Engineer

Civil engineers can find a variety of employment opportunities in different sectors. Some of the top sectors that hire civil engineers are listed below:

MNCs, Construction Companies, PSUs, Transportation Companies, Infrastructure Management Companies, Government Agencies, Geotechnical Companies, Municipal Corporations, NHAI, PWDs, Indian Railways, Armed Forces, Top Recruiting Companies for Computer Engineers,

Some of the leading MNCs and companies that recruit computer engineers are as follows: Hindustan Construction Company, L&T, DLF, Tata Projects, Sadbhav Engineering, Gammon India, Sobha Developers Ltd., Shapoorji Pallonji & Company, Unitech, Nagarjuna Construction Company, Punj Lloyd, Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, Tata Projects, MARG Limited, Metro Tunneling Group, Gannon Dunkerley & Company, 

Civil engineers in diverse sectors earn a satisfactory salary. Most companies pay more for highly skilled and experienced civil engineers and contractors. The average salary structure of a civil engineer is : Starting Salary per annum (in INR) Rs.3,50,000- Rs. 6,00,000, (not accurate may vary from company to company and situation, skill and demand for the project) Mid-Level Salary per annum (in INR) Rs. 6,00,000- Rs. 10,00,000 Senior- Level Salary per annum (in INR) Rs. 10,00,000 and above Books & Study Material to Become Civil Engineer

Students can take help of the following books to prepare for competitive exams and enhance knowledge in the field of civil engineering:

Structural Analysis by Russell C. Hibbeler

Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down by J.E. Gordon

Why Buildings Fall Down: Why Structures Fail by Matthys Levy,

Principles of Foundation Engineering by Braja M. DasMario Salvador

Pros of becoming a Civil Engineer

Skilled and qualified civil engineers are offered great salary packages. The quality of the college from which one pursues the course plays an important role in determining one's salary package. Civil engineering is a core branch of engineering and most of the core branches have better job options and opportunities as compared to others.

Civil engineers have access to a wide variety of government job posts such as Armed forces, Indian Railways, PWDs, NHAI, Municipal corporations, Housing boards and others. It is a profession where you may express your creativity, problem-solving skills and technical expertise which is not offered by all the jobs.

Most of the civil engineers have access to site and fieldwork, unlike the typical cubicle work setup.

Disadvantages of Becoming a Civil Engineer

Most civil engineering jobs have long hours and deadlines. Projects can be testing and challenging. Deadlines can be hard to meet. Working outdoors could be fun for some. However, civil engineers may end up working at some remote and hostile areas. While it could be fun for some while for others it can cause stress and other health-related problems.

A project site hosts huge construction machinery, vehicles, building materials etc. Dust, sharp tools, pollution, fire and work accidents etc are common occurrences at many work sites.