Civil Engineering Careers
- Material Science Engineering
- Earthquake Engineering
- Coastal Engineering
- Project Engineer
- Structural Engineering
Civil engineering is a vast field with many fields and subfields, which results in there being many high paying civil engineering careers. We can see and reap the benefits of civil engineering in almost every place we visit or see, whether we're walking down roads, crossing bridges, entering buildings or drinking from a public water system. Civil engineers design, operate, build, supervise, and maintain infrastructure projects and systems for both the private and public sector. They also design the software needed for many of the projects, manage costs and handles the necessary repairs. Within the main field lies may high paying civil engineering careers.
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1. Material Science Engineering
Material science engineering, also known as material science and engineering, is an engineering field that studies the basic characteristics of materials like concrete, thermosetting polymers, ceramics, asphalt, steel, aluminum, carbon fibers and similar heavy metals. Material science engineering also involves the prevention and protection of material properties and methods of combining two or more metals to produce a different metal with good properties. Graduates of material science engineering programs may find work as materials engineers, design engineers, metallurgists, research scientists, process development scientists and technical sales engineers.
2. Earthquake Engineering
Earthquake engineering, another high paying civil engineering career, focuses on designing structures strong enough to withstand damage from hazardous incidents. Earthquake engineers study what components are used in certain structures built on unstable land, and they try to determine what effect earthquakes would have on those structures. They're typically the workers responsible for the construction, design, and maintenance of structures. Earthquake engineers may work as geotechnical engineers, property claims adjusters, physical science technicians, chief engineers and structural engineers.
3. Coastal Engineering
Coastal engineering is a field of civil engineering that deals with managing coastal areas as well as providing defense and protection against flooding and erosion that occurs from the floods. Like most engineers who solve problems, coastal engineers work on problems and help solve problems with the oceans and coastline. With more and more people moving and building on the coastline, coastal engineers are very much in demand to keep the coastlines clear and safe from erosion. Jobs for coastal engineers include coastal marine engineer, marine structures engineer, structural engineer and civil engineer.
4. Project Engineering
Project Engineering is a field of engineering involving the design and development of products used for various purposes and needs. They work on the project from the beginning to the finished project. They provide technical leadership, assist with project maintenance and development, track construction progress, and collaborate with other engineers on the final project. The project engineer is the one who prepares, reviews and submits the proposals for each project.
5. Structural Engineering
Structural engineers can almost be considered the backbone of any structure built today because they're involved in almost every step of the development process of a structure or building from inception to the finished product. They work with various professional people, collaborating on the design, testing and building processes. Structural engineers also perform analyses and tests throughout the building process to determine the structure's durability and may offer feedback and recommendations when necessary.
Civil engineering is a growing field and one that's predicted to see an 11 percent increase in jobs by 2026 as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). U.S. News & World Report ranks civil engineering No. 2 in Best Engineering Jobs; No. 9 in Best STEM Jobs and No. 39 in 100 Best Jobs. Civil engineers earned wages ranging from $53,470 to $132,880, according to a May 2017 report by the bureau. Earning a degree can open many doors for workers and help them find many high paying civil engineering careers.