Work on challenging projects all over the World

Job Description: Civil/Electrical Engineer

•The purpose of this job is to construct things such as dams, highways, bridges, airports, communication systems, computer networks, and navigation systems. These are just a few of the things that engineers construct.

•The job involves working on many different kinds of projects all over the world. For example the civil/electrical engineer I spoke with is currently working on a nation-wide project aimed at upgrading the communication lines of the nations airports and air-traffic control towers. A few weeks ago he was in New Mexico at a US Air Force base doing this. He has also worked in South America setting up a GPS navigation system for shipping in the area.

Qualifications:

•A strong background in physics and math is required.

•You need a degree in civil or electrical engineering from a four-year college to work in this field.

•You can advance in this field by going back to school to get a Masters in a field such as Computer Science.

•There are many opportunities for advancement in this field, especially electrical engineering. You have a better chance of moving up in electrical engineering because there are not many major civil engineering projects anymore. Most projects are now technology or electrically based.

Nature of the Work:

•Civil/Electrical Engineers work both in the office and out in the field at the construction projects. These projects could be located anywhere in the world depending upon whom you work for.

•When working in the office the workday is usually the standard M-F 9-5 day. However, certain projects may take extra time such as weekends or nights. Also when in the field the engineers may have to work all through the night to finish a project.

•Civil/Electrical Engineers working for the Federal Government have about 4 weeks of vacation time a year.

•The social environment is good at work, but this really depends on if you like who your colleagues are.

•There are regular meetings to go over the progress of projects and to address any problems if they come up.

Salary:

•The entry-level salary for a civil/electrical engineer working for the government starts at $50,000 a year.

•Salaries can range up to $120,000 a year for engineers who have specialties in certain fields.

•Management positions make around $200,00 a year.

Reflection:

•I chose to investigate this career because my neighbor works for the federal government as a Civil/Electrical engineer. I do not know many people who have jobs that relate to physics and science. My aunt and uncle who are doctors were both away.

•No, I would not consider going into this career because I don’t have much interest in this field. I am much more interested in military history and politics.

•I think it is neat that you have a chance to travel to many different places around the world to work on projects.

•I don’t like the fact that you would have to spend many hours in an office building. I like to work outdoors.

Sources:

•Interview with Civil/Electrical engineer Hector M.

•Discover Engineering Online. “Civil Engineering”. [Online] Available: http://www.discoverengineering.org/eweek/Engineers/civil_engineering.htm

•Civil & Structural Engineering Resource Web. [Online] Available:

http://web.singnet.com.sg/~icyh1955/civil.html [3/24/02]