Emmet Postma

Mrs. Robinson
Eng 101
8th November 2015
Civil Engineering

I chose Civil Engineering because I like the idea of building things and I like
math more than any other subject. Civil Engineers supervise, construct and design major
projects like buildings, bridges, roads, waterways, and many other things. Engineers
design a system to meet desired needs with realistic constraints such as economic,
environmental, social , political, ethical and safety (Bachelor of science in civil
engineering UNLV)

Most Engineers work inside in an office, however, occasionally they will work
out at the construction sites. A lot of their work is done on computers and blueprints.
Most Engineers work full time usually on a regular schedule. 1 in 4 engineers will work
over 40 hours to make sure the projects are going well and on schedule. (Occupational
Outlook Handbook)The median income for an engineer is $79,340 from a 2012 statistic.
(Bureau of Labor Statistics)

The Civil Engineering profession is growing really rapidly. It has a growth rate of
20% which is above average. There is always a need for engineers especially in repairing
bridges, roads and other structures that are old and need to be updated.

To become a civil engineer you need to have a bachelors degree in civil

engineering. One in five engineers have a masters degree which really helps. You need a
license to be a civil engineer. A degree in an ABET-accredited program in civil
engineering is usually required to obtain a license. After an engineer passes his
Fundamentals of Engineering exam he can become an intern and start getting experience.
There are a lot of traits that are needed to be an engineer. You need to be really good at
math. On top of that you need to have good organization, leadership and decision making
skills. Your project cant be completed without these traits.

Some benefits and drawbacks of being a civil engineer are, as a civil engineer you
can work in an office which means that you are able to work even when you are injured,
mildly ill, or too old to be doing things with your hands. An engineer can get paid up to
$122,000 a year, but with a median pay of $79,340. By the year 2022 there will be an
estimated 20% more jobs in the civil engineering field, which is about 326,000 total jobs.
A civil engineer gets to work on a project as it is designed, built and finished. I can only
imagine how great it would feel to see your first project finished and see how it gets used
on a daily basis. Their work has the capability of helping thousands of people. The field
has the possibility of advancement, its possible to move to senior positions like project
managers. On the other side, civil engineers have to do well in college and get a
bachelors degree. The fundamentals of engineering (FE) exam must be passed. After the
exam and meeting state requirements you can become a civil engineering (CE) Intern or
an Engineer-in-Training (EIT). Engineers have to have a minimum amount of experience
in training before becoming a CE professional. If they want to do public projects, they

have to get a professional engineering (PE) license. They have to be smart and good with
math, also there will be problems that they will have to solve. As a civil engineer there is
the possibility of having to work more than 40 hours a week.

I found out that there is a lot of school work and internships that have to be
finished before you can be a professional engineer. I also learned that engineers have
the capability of advancement in position and in salary.
My next steps to becoming an engineer would be getting my general classes
done, then getting into my major which would involve a lot of math and science. I
know UNLV has a good engineering program. The UNLV website says that the
bachelors degree will teach you how to use calculus-based physics, chemistry, and
engineering to get an engineering project finished. Then I would pass all my exams
and do my internship.
Most Engineering jobs are found in an Engineering firm. A firm is a group of
engineers that work together on projects. They ether get hired from the government or
private companies to assist in the work that goes on with a project. They often work
with architects, and construction managers to get the work done. Some smaller
engineering firms will just work in one aspect of engineering whereas larger firms
would include all types such as civil, mechanical, electrical, and structural. The
benefit of hiring one of these large firms is that they can do the whole job by
themselves whereas if you had multiple firms doing different jobs they would have to
communicate and coordinate more which may be difficult. (Wisegeek.com) The

Nevada professional society of engineers is an organization for engineers to join if

they need help finding a job or for students trying to get into the profession.
Civil Engineering would be a good career for me because I think it would be
rewarding to see a big project get finished and it involves a lot of math which I enjoy.
I found out that there is a lot of school work and internships that have to be finished
before you can be a professional engineer. I also learned that engineers have the
capability of advancement in position and in salary.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook
Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Civil Engineers,visited October 18, 2015
Turner, B., and Bronwyn Harris. "What Is an Engineering Firm?" WiseGeek.
Conjecture. N.d Web. 7 Nov. 2015.
"Academics." Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. UNLV.edu n.d. Web. 7 Nov.
2015.
"About Us." Nevada Society of Professional Engineers. About Us. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.