Civil engineers not only design large construction projects like tunnels, dams, bridges, roads, and airports among others, but they are also involved with all aspects of these major projects from start to finish. Since their job requires them to have a hands-on approach in construction, as well as supervisory and administration duties, they have to possess a wide range of skills, from geology through to cost accounting. Anyone interested in having a career in civil engineering, will need to study appropriate subjects to acquire the following skills:
Project Management
Qualified civil engineers have to be able to assess the work of others involved in a project, and ensure that they are complying with the standards, rules, and laws applicable to the job. The civil engineer is the only one allowed to sign the plans for large infrastructure projects, so his reputation and success is extremely reliant on his skills for estimating costs, materials and resources, as well as the time too, that it will take to complete each stage of the project. Visit cochraneng.com for more project management tips.
Leadership
A career in civil engineering carries enormous responsibilities, because the success of the design and implementation of the entire project rests squarely on the shoulders of the civil engineer. These large projects have many professionals involved, including construction managers, surveyors, contractors, technicians, architects, transport engineers, town planners and others, and the civil engineer must be able to lead this entire team of professionals. He must also at the same time, be sufficiently confident and knowledgeable to inspire confidence in the government planning authorities. It is these leadership qualities and how effective they are, that will be the deciding factor in maintaining the time and budget allotted to the project.
Ability to visualize the finished project
One of the most important skills the civil engineer must have, is to be able to "see" the completed project, and visualize how each complicated section of the project will come together. These skills must be sufficiently flexible to allow him to identify potential problems and resolve them before they become big issues.
Communication
Since the civil engineer is required to interact with such a diverse group of professionals, he has to be able to communicate effectively and with confidence, with people from a wide range of professions and expertise. Apart from having excellent communication skills, he should also possess exceptional listening skills too, to get the full advantage of the suggestions and ideas of others, even from those not in the engineering profession. Visit us here.
Technical
Civil engineering requires a tremendous amount of technical skills too, including:
• Advanced level mathematics comprising of geometry, algebra, calculus, trigonometry, as well as statistics
• Since budgets and costs are an important part of civil engineering, the ability to read and interpret financial spreadsheets is crucial to the profession
• Physics, practical science, design principles, soil analysis, construction methods and materials, and many environmentally-related factors are also skills that are absolutely vital to the civil engineer
Besides all the above important skills though, it is also imperative that the civil engineer is knowledgeable in various architect design techniques, working with maps, drawings, models and blueprints, as well as the different computer programs used in the profession.