Page 7 - A Career in Civil Engineering

A civil engineer and
construction manager
discuss progress on
a bridge construction
project. One of
the most diverse
engineering fi elds,
civil engineering can
involve small projects,
such as park drainage,
and large projects,
such as roads, bridges,
pipelines, and tunnels.

Construction Engineers
Construction engineers are another common civil engineering
specialty. They design and oversee the construction of roads,
bridges, and buildings. Construction engineers have a hand in
the many phases of construction. They design the project and
estimate its budget, the time needed to complete it, the size and
type of construction crew needed for the job, and other aspects
of planning and permitting. Construction engineers must take into
consideration building materials and any water, sewer, electrical,
mechanical, transportation, and environmental concerns. They
are on-site for much of a project’s construction, working with the
project manager to make sure things stay on schedule and to
deal with any unexpected problems, such as weather delays or
work order changes.
Being a construction engineer means seeing a project through
to the fi nal inspection. For Steve Seymour, a construction engi-
neer for OMNNI Associates in Wisconsin, being involved with every
stage of a project is especially satisfying. He was the construction

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