If you are a recent graduate in the field of civil engineering, you might be trying to figure out which pathway you could take to develop your skills in an incredibly diverse profession. You might be looking for the perfect role that suits your personality, or are searching for a position that allows you to advocate your own personal values and lead people into the future. The good news is that civil engineering is a rewarding career that spans across different contexts and projects. There are many different avenues you can get into with a career in civil engineering, but let’s have a look at 3 roles that allow you to use your skills and knowledge in specialised ways and in different contexts:
1.Sustainability Consultant
Are you environmentally conscious and find yourself wanting to encourage others to adopt a lifestyle that’s more intentional and sustainable? Passionate about preserving the built environment just as much as the natural environment? Then this is a career avenue you can pursue that requires the kind of knowledge and skills learnt in the civil engineering field. Sustainability consultants liaise with clients scaling from large companies to small businesses and individuals. This position requires someone who has refined their soft skills in leadership, as you could be giving presentations to companies, or just having simple one-on-one communication to brainstorm ideas with an environmental engineer. If you wouldn’t call yourself a leader yet but want to enhance your skills, then have no fear - internship opportunities in engineering can give you that extra boost in confidence in real life work situations. Either way, if you are someone who wants to share your passion for the environment and living for the big-picture in mind, then a sustainability consultant role could be for you to consider with your experience in civil engineering.
2.Risk Assessment
People involved in this role are responsible for calculating the potential risks that may come with any project, occupation, or task. An example of this role in action includes undertaking fire assessment, where a trained professional in civil engineering will consult with clients or other co-workers on how to put into practice principles of civil engineering, such as taking into account details related to structural integrity, to make an informed evaluation of the safety of buildings, events, and many more contexts. If you are passionate about workplace health and safety and like anything to do with complying to procedures and policies, then a specialisation in risk assessment could be the avenue you get into with a career in civil engineering.
3.Quantity Surveyor
In any construction site, there needs to be someone who can discern how to best distribute the funds within the project. This role requires specialised knowledge that incorporates a robust understanding of civil engineering principles and concepts. The people who do this are known as Quantity Surveyors, and they are responsible for allocating the funding in construction projects. Quantity Surveyors work on infrastructure ranging in size from smaller construction sites to massive roads, hospitals, and stadiums. Overseeing the completion of a project through organising the funding of each stage in the construction cycle gives you a very unique perspective on the logistics that go into feats of civil engineering. This role is for people with meticulous attention to detail and people who are team players.
There are many avenues you can explore as a prospective civil engineer, and the future opportunities are limitless. If you’re unsure of what area might spark your interest, then engineering internships are a great way for you to try out these roles and gain insight into their daily responsibilities before you enter the industry. Three examples of the avenues you can get into with a career in civil engineering include working with clients as a Sustainability Consultant, giving an informed analysis about how to best utilise sustainable technology and infrastructure to preserve the built and natural environment. Risk Assessors are vital for the safety and accessibility of infrastructure, events, and systems; and Quantity Surveyors allocate the funding for each stage in the cycle of a construction project, such as incorporating state of the art design and groundwork. Each of these roles take the fundamentals of civil engineering to unique and personalised levels and are concerned with building toward a big-picture vision. With a career in civil engineering and the related avenues you can get into, living out your own personal values such as sustainability, safety, and collaboration are traits that make you a stand out candidate for each job.Want to know more about how you can become a civil engineer and explore all of the options available in the industry? Premium Graduate Placements has a range of personalised and structured internship programs available for you.
