Civil Engineer | Career Planet

OFO No: 214201

Other names for Civil Engineer:

Biosystems Engineer
Construction Engineer
Geotechnical Engineer
GIS and Landuse Management Engineer
Hydraulics Engineer
Site Design Engineer
Structural Engineer
Transport Engineer
Transportation and Urban Planning Engineer
Water and Wastewater Engineer

Youtube clip – Meet 3 American Civil Engineers and see some of their amazing projects

For training options in South Africa – scroll down

What is a Civil Engineer?

Civil Engineering is a term used to describe a large variety of activities which encompass the manufacturing and construction of things which include: the designing, planning, maintenance/servicing and management of usually very large projects/developments etc.

Civil Engineers are extremely skilled and can be found working on buildings, harbours, bridges, water supplies, roads, airports, sewerage systems, tunnels, dams, large scale housing developments, land reclamation etc etc.

Depending on the type of work, Civil Engineers may work from quiet modern offices to remote areas in rugged terrain. The latter option may require lots of traveling from one site to another.

Here is a list of different areas Civil Engineers can work or specialise in:

Structural: bridges, roads, towers, tunnels
Transportation: roads, traffic control, airports
Water: dams, pipelines, purification, sewerage systems
Geotechnical: foundations, excavations, fills, mining and land reclamation
Construction: large scale construction
Urban: municipal services, housing & town development, maintenance
Railway and Harbour: railway networks, harbour facilities
Environmental: impact studies, social and natural environments
Informatics: data capturing, computers for enhancing civil engineering activities

Young Civil Engineers usually work under the supervision of an experienced engineer and will be gradually given more responsibilities as they gain experience.

What does a Civil Engineer do?

meets with clients, government officials, architects, urban planners, environmentalists etc
works with a team – planning and designing the project
manages the project and the workforce
travels between sites
makes sure everything is going according to plan
handles unforeseen problems and making quick decisions
services, manages and repairs sites/roads/dams etc
captures data on the computer
keeps officials up to date with progress
reads impact studies, plans, and other documentation
keeps up to date of local and national building regulations
is constantly aware of safety issues

Are you . . . ?

interested in large-scale construction?
interested in engineering?
able to see and imagine things in 3d?
good at mathematics and science?
accurate?
able to deal with stress?
methodical and organised?
able to make good decisions?
creative and determined?
able to work well with others?
able to communicate clearly?
healthy?
a bit thinker?
able to manage staff?
prepared to work strange and long hours sometimes?

How do I become an Civil Engineer?

PATH 1:

Complete a National Diploma or BTech in Civil Engineering at a University of Technology and then enter the job market.

PATH 2:

Complete a minimum 4 year Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at a recognised SA university. Depending on the university, you can either do a Bachelor of Engineering BEng (Civ) or (BIng Civ) or Bachelor of Science (BSc Eng).

University of Cape Town
University of Johannesburg
University of KZN
Universit of Pretoria
University of Stellenbosch
University of Witwatersrand

PATH 3:

After completing your Civil Engineering DEGREE and 3 years work experience, register with the ECSA to become a Professional Engineer. This registration is extremely important if you want to perform critically important civil engineering work that has direct impact on public safety etc.

Compulsory Subjects:

Mathematics, Physical Science

Recommended Subjects:

Information Technology, Geography, Engineering and Technology

TRAINING:

CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education. CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions.