Civil Engineering: What You Need To Know

Throughout history, civil engineering played an essential role in the development and support of modern society. Despite that, many people wonder, “Exactly what is civil engineering, and what does a civil engineer do?” It’s an important job that broadly encompasses the design, construction, and ongoing operations required to create and maintain community infrastructure. The projects can be either private or public, and they have a lasting impact on the places we all live, learn, work, and play.

Civil engineers work together to support essential public functions in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Take a tour of the trade with one of the American Southeast’s most renowned civil engineering institutions and learn what a civil engineer does to keep our roads, waterways, utilities, bridges, and other essential components functioning.

A Civil Engineer’s To-Do List

So, what does a civil engineer do from day to day? Generally, civil engineering is what the Architectural/Engineering/Construction (A/E/C) field relies on for large-scale projects that require pulling together the design, construction, project management, and sometimes governmental resources required to build and maintain infrastructure.

This encompasses a wide range of tasks, including:

• Creating technical drawings, calculations, and specifications
• Estimating construction costs, including labor, materials, and other necessary resources
• Providing preliminary planning, design, and construction schedules
• Analyzing project sites, legal regulations, and other preliminary factors
• Planning projects, often by working with governmental bodies
• Managing the construction processes
• Evaluating and reporting the impact the project has on the community and the environment

Specialized Fields a Civil Engineer Can Enter

Civil engineering involves a wide range of specialized subfields based on a combination of the engineers’ skills and training and the market need for a given specialty. Some of the most heavily relied on civil engineering fields include:

• Civil Engineer — Tasked with designing, building, and maintaining physical infrastructure for the private or public sectors, including buildings, utilities, and roads. Outlines the necessary designs and procedures required to fulfill civil engineering projects, including creating documents to help construction firms carry plans forward.
• Environmental Engineer — Specializes in applying environmental sciences, such as geology and hydrology, to overcome ecological challenges to engineering goals or preserve or protect the environment.
• Structural Engineer – An expert in analyzing structures such as buildings, bridges, tunnels, and other infrastructure. They use their knowledge of physics, mathematics, and engineering principles to ensure that structures are safe, stable, and can withstand loads and forces.
• Transportation Engineer – Responsible for the planning, designing, and operating of infrastructure like roads and highways. They study a region’s or community’s needs and make improvements to address issues such as congestion, traffic flow, safety, and environmental impact.
• Water Resources Engineer – Water resources engineers focus on the design and planning of stormwater master planning, drainage and stormwater management design, hydrologic/hydraulic modeling, and stormwater quality.
• Surveyor — Trained in various scientific processes and engineering techniques for accurately measuring geographical features, collecting and sharing data that guides engineering projects in the most effective way of working with the terrain.
• Engineering Technicians — Engineering technicians use computer-aided drafting and design (CADD) software, mainly Civil 3D, to assist the design team in producing layouts, detail drawings, preliminary and final drawings, sketches, and diagrams as needed for permitting and construction. They create drawings and construction plans for civil engineering projects, including commercial, residential, and industrial projects.

Where Will You Work?

Depending on your exact role in the industry, a civil engineer could work on a construction site or in an office. The typical work location for a civil engineer depends on their skillset, their area of expertise, or the requirements of an individual project. Thomas & Hutton has served the Southeast’s civil engineering needs since 1946, and we frequently have new available positions as we serve this continually growing and exciting field.

Get Started in a Civil Engineering Career With Thomas & Hutton

How important are civil engineers to our communties? Quite simply, most of the modern amenities we enjoy wouldn’t be possible without highly trained civil engineers – and we’re here to fulfill those needs.

At Thomas & Hutton, we provide comprehensive civil engineering services for some of Southeast’s most complex design and engineering challenges. If you’re still wondering what a civil engineer does, or if you’re interested in starting a career in civil engineering, contact us, and tell our highly knowledgeable representatives about your vision for the future.

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