Civil Engineers

What They Do

Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities, such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, harbors, channels, dams, irrigation projects, pipelines, power plants, and water and sewage systems.

Typical Tasks

• Direct engineering activities, ensuring compliance with environmental, safety, or other governmental regulations.
• Manage and direct the construction, operations, or maintenance activities at project site.
• Inspect project sites to monitor progress and ensure conformance to design specifications and safety or sanitation standards.
• Compute load and grade requirements, water flow rates, or material stress factors to determine design specifications.
• Plan and design transportation or hydraulic systems or structures, using computer-assisted design or drawing tools.

Key Skills

Work Activities

• Getting Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards