Career Opportunities

A civil engineer may find employment in a design and consulting firm with firsthand involvement in the design of structures and facilities, or work may be found with a contractor who is building or supervising the construction of a project. Many civil engineers work for local, regional and federal public works agencies. The civil engineer is also concerned with the major structures of manufacturing and processing plants, power generating stations and the maintenance of the quality of air.

In short, major recruiters of Civil Engineering Graduates include:

Consultants – who plan and design projects, with some supervision of the implementation of the plans. Some firms specialize in certain areas of Civil Engineering. Consultancy is mainly office-based.

Contractors – who organize the execution of the designs on sites, overseeing labor force and materials, considering time, cost and safety constraints. Work will move from site to site, so students must be prepared to be geographically mobile.
Local authorities – For instance Water, highways, and drainage. May act in both design and site management capacities.

Other large engineering industries for example Petroleum and mining, public transport, power generation and supply companies.