Civil Engineers
Perform engineering duties in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Engineering and Technology
- Design
- Building and Construction
- Mathematics
- Physics
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Law and Government
A day in the life
You start your morning in the office reviewing structural calculations, AutoCAD drawings, and permit applications, then head out to a construction site wearing a hard hat and safety vest to inspect progress on a bridge, road, or building project. On site, you meet with contractors, surveyors, and inspectors, verifying that work conforms to blueprints and building codes while troubleshooting drainage, soil, or structural issues in real time. Back at your desk, you update project models in Civil 3D, prepare cost estimates, and attend planning meetings with city officials or environmental consultants about upcoming infrastructure projects. The satisfaction of driving past a highway interchange or water-treatment plant that you helped design and build is lasting, but the work demands patience with bureaucratic approvals, weather delays, and the heavy responsibility of public safety.
Is Civil Engineers right for you?
Take the Holland test + Big-5 to see how well this career matches your profile.
Get personalised fit →