First let’s answer the most important question: Who is a civil engineer?

A civil engineer is someone who is responsible for planning and designing a project, and also construction and maintenance of the product/project. A professional in this field not only requires a high standard of engineering knowledge and qualification but also supervisory and administrative skills. The planning part a civil engineer’s work includes - site investigation, feasibility studies, giving solutions to complications and the actual designing of structures. Their work has to abide by the guidelines given by the local government authority and get plans approved by the relevant authority. They also have to work on preparing cost estimates and set construction schedules. The construction work involves dealing with clients, architects, government officials, contactors and the supervision of work according to standards. Besides all this, their work also involves continuous maintenance and repairing of the project.

Specializations:

The specializations in civil engineering include structural, water resources, environmental, construction, transportation, geo-technical engineering etc. Civil engineers either work in teams or in coordination with other engineers on most of the projects. They can work as a supervisor of a construction site or in a managerial position or in design and research. They can also take up teaching in government services or private concerns. They can even become independent consultants.

Eligibility criteria to become a civil engineer and course areas: The minimum requirement to become a civil engineer is a bachelor’s degree in engineering.

Career Options and Job Prospects of a civil engineer: Civil Engineers can look for a job in Government departments, private and public sector industry.

Remuneration/Salary: The earnings of a civil engineer depend on the industry he/she has been employed into. Civil engineers can work under departments such as Central or State government departments or private concerns. The starting salary of a bachelor’s degree Civil Engineer in India is Rs.4000 up to Rs 7500 approximately.

Institutes: IIT's or Indian institute of Technology in New Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur are the top most engineering institutes of India. Besides that International Council for Management Studies and Hindustan College in Chennai, Jadavpur University and National Institute of Technology in Durgapur, Singhad Institute of Management and Maharashtra Institute of Technology in Pune, Dayanand Sagar Institutions and R.V. College of Engineering in Bangalore, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and Institute of Piping & Building Services in Hyderabad, Indira Gandhi International Open University (IGNOU) and Jamia Milia Islamia in Delhi, IMS Institute and National Institute of Mumbai in Mumbai are some of the other prestigious Engineering institutions in India.

From the pyramids in Egypt to the international space station, civil engineers have always overcome the challenges to ensure that we have a better future. They have been responsible for advancing civilization and building a better quality of our life.

The coming years will be the most creative, demanding, and rewarding of times for civil engineers, and now is the best time to decide what the right career path is for you. Civil engineers are definitely in the forefront of technology as they cannot only develop or create regular and ordinary things but also have the power to create wonders.

Civil engineers are the leading users of high-tech products – they apply the very latest concepts in computer-aided design (CAD) during design, construction, project scheduling, and cost control.

Civil engineering is mainly about community service, development, and improvement -- the planning, design, construction, and operation of facilities which is essential to modern life. These things range from transit systems to offshore structures to space satellites. Civil engineers can be simply described as problem solvers. They meet the challenges of pollution, traffic congestion, drinking water and energy needs, urban redevelopment, and community planning, making living comfortable for others.

The future of this world will be closely tied to space, energy and the environment. A civil engineer performs a vital role in linking these themes and improving quality of life for the 21st century.

Skills of a civil engineer will be needed as the technological revolution expands, as the world's population increases, and as environmental concerns mount. There is absolutely no limit to the personal satisfaction that one feels from helping to make the world a better place to live in and that’s what a civil engineer can do.