Career Opportunities in Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering is considered as one of the oldest branches of engineering. Civil Engineers happen to be the central figure in building the infrastructure of a nation. The beauty of civil engineering is that it gives you an opportunity to plant wings to your dreams. Each project comes with its own set of challenges which require meticulous planning, creativity, adaptability and problem solving skills to develop infrastructure.
Civil engineers will always remain in demand as development of infrastructure i.e. construction of buildings, skyscrapers, roads, highways, dams, bridges, water treatment plants, sewage treatment plants etc to name a few, rely on their expertise and talent.

Is Civil Engineering in Demand?

Civil engineers conceive, plan, design, construct, operate and maintain infrastructure projects and systems in public as well as in the private sector. Equal opportunities are available if you want to work from the comfort of your office or at site. Civil Engineering can be termed as a broad field encompassing a diverse collection of specializations and projects.
The journey from creating living spaces to transforming them into mega structures, tall buildings, resilient communities, smart cities, creating smart buildings, using smart materials etc to name a few will be possible only with a degree in Civil engineering.
The versatility of this branch is not limited to ground. Whether you are working under the ground or above the ground…. Civil Engineering is everywhere. The last couple of decades have been witnessing occurrences of different types of disasters. Every time a disaster hits, the infrastructure is hit…..whether it is a building, roads, bridge, highway, this calls for developing inclusive and sustainable structures, which requires skilled Civil Engineers.

Civil Engineering Career in Government Sector

Working in the government sector not just comes with stability and good salary but also with the factor of job security. Indian Engineering Services is one of the sought after field as it provides almost equal benefits as offered to IAS officers and Civil Servants. Pay Scale for Civil Engineers in Govt. jobs starts from INR 45,000 to INR 50,000.

The versatility of the civil engineering branch exists in the fact that it has ample opportunities for all. Equal numbers of opportunities are available for Civil engineers both in government as well as in the private sector. Various fields in government sector offer jobs for civil engineers: Municipal Corporations, Jal Boards, Delhi Development Authority, New Delhi Municipal Corporation, Metro Rail, National Highway Authority of India, Indian Oil Corporation, Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation, Public Works Department, Central Public Works Department, Border Roads Organization, Military Engineering Services, Airport Authority of India, Indian Air Force, Railways, Irrigation & Flood control department, Public Health Engineering department, National Hydro-electric Power Corporation, National Thermal Power Corporation, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, Defence Research and Development Organisation, RITES, DRDO, Pollution Control Boards, Building and Construction department of organizations and the list is endless.

The profiles in the government sector include Assistant Engineer, Assistant Executive Engineer, Executive Engineer, Chief Engineer etc, and starts from Trainee Engineer to Chief Executive Officer in the private sector.

Civil Engineering Career in Private Sector

In private sector, jobs for civil engineers are offered in construction and design. A civil engineer with a good knowledge of CAD Software, Finite Element Analysis, and along with other skill-set fits perfectly in an organization. Average Salary Package of a civil engineer in private sector ranges from 2.5 LPA to 3.5 LPA.

A large number of players are available to hire civil engineers in private sector i.e L&T, Tata Projects Limited, Gammon India, Gammon Infrastructure Projects Limited, Omaxe, Supertech, Shapoorji & Pallonji Group, GMR Group, Infrastructure Lease & Financial Services, Hindustan Construction Company, Afcons Infrastructure Limited, Gammon India Limited, Reliance Infrastructure, Ashoka Buildcon, B L Kashyap & Sons Ltd, Consolidated Construction Consortium Ltd, Essar Group, IRCON International Ltd, Jaypee Group, Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd, National Building Construction Corporation Limited, Punj Lloyd etc to name a few.

Civil engineers thus play a pivotal role in shaping the economy of a country. A civil engineer has an upper edge over engineers from other branches as they have equal opportunities in government as well as in the private sector. They can start their own ventures of consulting or construction at career commencement or after gaining a few years of professional experience.

Written By:- Dr. Sadiqa Abbas, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering