A person looking for a career in civil engineering will need at minimum a bachelor’s degree in this field to work. To practice in the public sector requires licensing from the State Department, but the more common license is the Professional Engineer Registration issued by the Board of Engineers. While there are accredited programs there has been a significant decline in them recently. Similar careers include aerospace engineering work with the military.
Students looking to have a career in civil engineering should possess a strong grasp of both the math and science fields. Necessary traits to possess are:
- the ability to problem solve
- thinking critically, ability to make good/educated decisions
- good people skills
- ability to be a team player
In Rhode Island, a bachelor’s degree is required to practice in the overwhelming majority of jobs. Coursework generally focuses on architectural design/drafting and the usage of accompanying software. There has recently been a dramatic decrease in accredited programs within the state of Rhode Island.
The average American civil engineer can expect an hourly wage of $38.14 with a resulting annual salary of $79,000. Rhode Island pays roughly 9 percent more than the national average with an hourly rate of $41.65 resulting in an annual salary of $86,000. The projected growth rate for the next ten years is 13 percent, only 3 percent less than the national projection.
Studying civil engineering opens related paths in architectural and structural engineering. The most common area of work will be found in the public sector, but there is a rising demand in the private sector due to new fields such as Green Energy. Those interested in the planning, creation, and maintenance of large scale projects such as bridges and roads should consider this field.
Similar careers are:
- civil engineering technicians
- landscape architects
- Marine engineers/Naval architects