1 Brandon Williams Professor Delores Rauscher WRA 125, Sec.

005 April 1, 2014 The Structural Architect The world in which we live is a complicated one. Different people handle different aspects of life that makes it continue on the way it does. We have people who diagnosis us when we are sick, educate us, entertain us and protect us. All of us at some point have interacted with these people, but what about the people who operate more in the background? A civil engineer is someone who operates more behind the scenes, but has an impact on everyones everyday life. He or she makes sure the buildings we live in wont fall down on us, the bridges we drive on wont collapse or the water surrounding our homes is taken away safely. Even though we may not interact with a civil engineer on a regular basis, the work they do has a great impact on our lives.

Figure 1.1 This bridge was designed and made possible by civil engineers.

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In Vincent Kuos article, Civil Engineer the Peoples Engineer he describes the literal interpretation of the career. The word engineer derives from a Latin word ingenium meaning talent or clever device. The word civil is a Latin derivative of the adjective civilis or the noun civis meaning citizen or people of the public (Kuo, 2012, p. 8). When the two words are put together we get something like talent of the people or a citizens clever device. Therefore civil engineers are engineers

2 for the everyday people, they are engineers that strive toward making the world a better place for the people in it. Kuo goes on to say that civil engineers are basically responsible for everything you see in the built environment (Kuo, 2012, p. 8). They design roads, bridges, harbors, dams and water treatment facilities along with countless other things. Without civil engineers, the huge skyscrapers that tower over cities would not stand, the highway system would not exist and the world would be a much different place. Civil engineering is one of, if not, the broadest field of engineering. In the article, Social Capital on Civil Engineer Career Success, Dr. Tomas Ucol-Ganiron Jr explains some of the paths available. The two that he chooses to talk about are industry and construction. In industry, a person could work with manufacturing, technology or services to the public. If an engineer picked to go down the construction path, they may work for a contractor to create the built environment, transforming engineering and architectural design drawings from paper to reality (Ganiron, 2012, p. 723). This side of Civil engineering is most appealing to those who love architectural design, but also like to understand how this design is physically possible. I am one of those people. Whichever path an engineer chooses, they usually start out in the same way. As an entry level engineer, their tasks will include basic analysis and design, monitoring of a construction site, and other low level responsibilities. As an engineer gains more experience in the field, they will be given tougher and higher responsibility tasks. By this time, an engineer is usually given a distinct title. Ganiron goes on to explain what possible titles one might receive, The positions of Civil engineers are: Construction Manager (28.2%), Project Engineer (29.1%), Project Manager (27.3%) and Vice President (15.5%) (Ganiron, 2012, p. 721). Clearly being an engineer goes hand in hand with managing people and being responsible for projects. No matter what level engineer a person is though, the main objective stays relatively the same. Ganiron explains, A civil engineer is involved in seeing through a project from design stage to construction and completion (Ganiron, 2012, p. 720). This may seem like the job could

3 get a little repetitive, working on one project and once that one is completed moving onto another, but actually a civil engineers everyday task switches almost every single day. One day he/she may be in the office working on a computer, in a design meeting, or talking to the client. The next day they may be out in the field supervising the work site, answering questions and solving problems, or actually doing hands on work. When interviewing Paul Forton, a Professional Engineer at Spicer Group (a civil engineering firm in my hometown), he told me one of his favorite parts of being an engineer is being able to go out into the field. I enjoy getting away from the office and being able to go outdoors for a while, even if Im still working he told me. With this constant switching of tasks, it keeps the job from getting boring or tedious.
Figure 2.1 Civil engineers will spend a lot of time out in the field, reviewing plans, making changes and ensuring the job is going smoothly.

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To excel as a civil engineer, a person must be prepared to put in the work. This type of engineering is very hands on and it will take time to completely understand. Trying to do this task on ones own is almost an impossibility. According to Forton (2014), In this profession, teamwork is essential, especially to a young engineer. You cant be afraid to ask questions. One of the best ways to succeed, is to talk to more and more engineers and keep in contact with people. Networking is a vital component if someone wants to excel in civil engineering. The more connections an engineer can have, the more opportunities will come their way. Another advantage of networking is it will improve an engineers overall understanding of the profession. By collaborating with other engineers, more technical skills will be gained. Ganirons article explains six technical skills learned

4 from networks and professional linkages. These are: creativity and an innovative approach to solving problems; ability to analyze and interpret complex data; ability to evaluate designs, plans, and projects; effective assessment and management of risk, resources and time; highly developed numeracy and computer literacy; and clear written and oral communication skills (Ganiron, 2012, p. 719). Clearly interacting with other professionals in the field is worthwhile. These interactions dont always have to be in the office or even that formal. Going out to dinner to casually discuss business or inviting a colleague to go fishing or to some other event, is also a good way to keep relationships strong. By moving the interaction away from the office and placing it in a more recreational setting, everyone can feel more relaxed and will be more comfortable to talk. Besides networking, having a role model is also important for civil engineers. Much like a child looks up to someone they idolize, civil engineers should look up to someone who they want their professional careers to model after. Usually this person is someone in a higher position and is experienced in the profession. By having a mentor in the profession many things can be learned. Some of the things learned include: flexibility, self-motivation, communication and managing long term projects. Having these attributes will ensure that an engineer will move up the corporate ladder. According to Ganiron, Civil engineers are promoted because of their personality traits (33.6%), work experiences (32.7%), hard work (24.5%) and performance history (9.1%) (Ganiron, 2012, p. 721). So as long as an engineer shows up to work with a positive attitude and works hard, they should be promoted rather quickly. The road to becoming a Civil engineer is not an easy one. A bachelors degree is the minimal requirement to become a Civil engineer. Like most careers though, the more education a person has, the higher the pay. Masters degrees are encouraged in the profession. Students studying Civil engineering will need to be ready for math and science. Here at Michigan State, a Civil engineering

5 student must complete up to Calculus IV. Also a variety of chemistry, environmental sciences, physics, and dynamics classes must be taken.

Civil Engineering Students Responces

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Do you find the math Do you feel you need Is the workload Have you ever to be overwhelming to love science to manageable for your considered switching in your major? enjoy engineering? major? majors? Yes No Overall, are you happy with Civil engineering?

The chart above shows how Civil engineering students responded to certain questions proposed to them. From the data, the hardest part of being a Civil engineering student is the math courses. The level of commitment to do well in these courses is very high. Homework is a nightly routine and repetition of practice problems is a must. When I asked Mr. Forton about how he got through all the math in school he responded, You have to treat math like a foreign language. Learn it for the classroom even though you may never apply it again. When asked how often calculus is used in his everyday job Protasiewicz answered Not at all. I never sit down and have to figure out a math problem in complicated terms. Calculus can be used to explain things, but most times, we already know whats going on. Even with the math being so difficult, 6 out of 10 students say that the workload is still manageable. Of course excellent time management skills are needed to balance all of a students classes, and in the long run, this will benefit a student once he/she enters the professional workplace.

6 Even though this major is full of challenges, 80% of the students surveyed said that they still enjoy their major. If something is challenging, it is usually worthwhile. The last aspect, but perhaps the most important of a civil engineering career is job satisfaction. In my discussion with Mr. Forton he told me that he loves his job. Being a Project manager, the job can get a little hectic, but overall Im very happy with where Im at in my career. Mr. Forton is not the only engineer to be happy with his job. According to an article written by Paul Beck in Consulting-specifying engineer, the vast majority of engineers are happy in their field. In the article a survey was conducted to current engineers and one of the questions posed was If you had a chance to start over, would you choose a career in engineering? (Beck, 1997, p.67). The response he got was very reassuring, 87% percent of the engineers responded yes. With this many people still wanting to be in the career, it shows that these people are very happy in their current job. One of the main factors in keeping civil engineers happy is the money. According to Beck, engineering salaries have risen at about three percent per year since 1990. Also 73% of engineers said they received raises in the past year. When you put it all together, the average engineer makes about $70,000 per year. However money isnt the most important thing. In Becks survey he found that nearly 42.7 percent of the engineers responding say a feeling of accomplishment is the most important reward they receive (Beck, 1997, p. 69). Mr. Protasiewicz couldnt agree more, Being able to see a project completed and know that the project has a direct impact on people, is a good feeling. I know that every project that we work on is important. By feeling good about a project they just completed, and feeling like their job is making a difference, engineers can continue to do their jobs in a positive manner.

Figure 3.1 A civil engineers work is important to communities and is recognized.

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Clearly civil engineering is an important career. The broadness of the field offers multiple opportunities, many different job duties and a pretty good paycheck. The schooling required may not be the easiest, but in the long run, it will be well worth it. Being able to drive by a building or over a bridge and thinking this couldnt have been done without me would be reward enough. Civil engineering may not be for everyone, but for a person who wants to make a direct impact on human life civil engineering is the perfect career.

References

Beck, P. E. (1997). Are you happy in your job? Consulting - Specifying Engineer, 22(4), 67-72. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/220592354?accountid= 12598

Jr, T. U., & Malvecino-Ganiron, T. (2012). Social capital on civil engineer career success. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, 3(6), 718. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1441454684?accountid=12598

Kuo, V. (2012). Civil engineer - the 'people's engineer'. Civil Engineering : Magazine of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, 20(8), 8-9. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1243050071?accountid=12598