Civil engineer profession

Europeans began to systematically train professional civil engineers only from the 18th century, although throughout their history over thousands of years people have erected all kinds of structures – mainly thanks to the talents of self-taught. What construction engineers do in the modern world, how much they get for it and where they study, read the material about the profession.

Average salary: 45,000 rubles per month

Profession rating

Demand 45% Payability 48% Competition 66% Entry barrier 65% Perspectives 42% Construction engineering as a branch covers all stages of construction projects, from planning to facility operation. And at each of them, the key figure becomes a professional who is able to design an object, draw up a plan and schedule of work, calculate the amount of resources, determine their composition, and so on – all this is exactly what a civil engineer does. ContentHistory of the professionDescription of the professionWhat specialties to studyBest universities for studyResponsibilities at workWho suitsHow much getHow to build a careerProfession prospectsRelated VideosComments

History of the profession

People performing the functions of modern civil engineers worked even during the construction of mausoleums, temples, palaces – all the 7 wonders of the world known today, no doubt, were built with the participation and under the guidance of those who possessed technical knowledge and talent that was remarkable even by today’s standards. But in ancient times, engineers as such were considered exclusively the creators of military vehicles, and only in Holland in the 16th century they began to call civil builders of roads and bridges that way. Later, the term as the name of the profession took root in the Russian Empire.

And in Russia of the 5th-6th centuries, civil engineers in the modern sense of the word were called „rozmysla“. It was they who chose the location of the future city, planned the system of defensive structures – the era was warlike, and the inhabitants had to constantly defend themselves against the raids of nomads and unfriendly visits from western and northern neighbors. The old Russian name surprisingly accurately conveys the essence of the profession of a civil engineer – to reflect on the tasks set and offer the most effective solution to them.

Practical professional skills Russian architects passed from master to apprentices and apprentices. The first engineering and technical educational institution in Russia to provide systemic education in 1701 was the Navigation School founded by Peter I, in which, again, they taught military, not civilian engineers. But already in 1712, special classes were opened under her, especially talented graduates of which became representatives of the lower and middle management of construction work.

It has become possible to get a higher education in the field of transport and hydraulic engineering in our country since 1809 at the St. Petersburg State University of Railways. A little later, in 1832, the School of Civil Engineers was founded, now known as the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (SPbGASU).

Description of the profession

What does a civil engineer do? He develops a plan and project for the construction of an object (or its infrastructure systems), draws up a schedule, determines the sequence of processes, the amount of necessary resources in the form of labor and materials, as well as their quality and composition. In addition, a construction engineer provides documentary support for the process at different stages of the project: concludes contracts with suppliers and contractors, draws up executive acts, obtains permits from government services, etc.

Representatives of the profession receive training in various specialized areas and become engineers:

for the construction of highways, bridges, transport tunnels, subways;airfields;unique buildings (including large-span and high-rise buildings, stadiums);hydraulic structures;or for the development and installation of individual communication systems: heat, gas, refrigeration, water supply and drainage, ventilation.

Engineers representing each of these areas have both a general professional set of knowledge and skills and competencies that their fellow construction workers may not have. So, for example, specialists working on the construction of tunnels and bridges should understand better than others:

in the technology of factory production of tunnel structures and bridge spans;in methods of research and analysis of rocks and physical and mechanical characteristics of soils;in the specifics of the geological and hydrogeological conditions of construction.

At the same time, the competencies that are universal for civil engineers of different specializations include:

the ability to use modern means of communication, computers, computer-aided design systems and related software, digital and analog techniques for project management and life cycle management;knowledge of the technical drawing procedure and the basics of computer graphics;the ability to assess and calculate the stability, strength and rigidity of structures and foundations, depending on their types;professional reading of topographic maps and indications of geodetic instruments;awareness of the properties of building materials, technologies for their application.

The most common place of work for engineers of such profiles is construction companies, but their knowledge and skills are in demand in audit organizations, state control services, repair firms, architectural bureaus and other enterprises.

What specialties to study

The choice of the direction of study depends on personal preferences, and the specializations of civil engineers (according to the Federal State Educational Standard) may be different:

construction;construction of unique buildings and structures;construction of railways, bridges and transport tunnels;construction, operation, restoration and technical cover of highways, bridges and tunnels.

In the specialty „Mining“ universities train civil engineers for mining and underground work. In all cases, upon admission, you will need the USE results in profile mathematics, physics and the Russian language.

Best universities for study

The oldest specialized educational institution of a construction profile in the Russian Federation is the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (SPbGASU). However, the largest university in Russia, which has trained more than 90 thousand civil engineers over the years of its existence, is called the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (NRU MGSU). Now it includes 7 institutes with 62 departments, 2 research institutes, 30 scientific laboratories, as well as 10 expert centers. The university graduates engineers in 21 specialties.

Although NRU MGSU is the largest specialized educational institution, it is not the only one in the country. Each area of ​​construction is represented by a range of educational programs in a variety of universities throughout Russia.

So, for example, the construction of unique buildings and structures is taught:

in Moscow: Moscow Poly, MADI;in St. Petersburg: Mining University, Peter the Great SPbPU;in the regions: NNGASU (Nizhny Novgorod), FEFU (Vladivostok), MSTU im. G. Nosova (Magnitogorsk), SibGIU (Novokuznetsk), SUSU (Chelyabinsk), NGASU-Sibstrin (Novosibirsk), UrFU im. B. Yeltsin (Yekaterinburg), USNTU (Ufa), DGTU (Makhachkala), BGITU (Bryansk), VSTU (Voronezh), KubGTU (Krasnodar), DSTU (Rostov-on-Don), TSUAS (Tomsk), MADI branch in Makhachkala , FESTU (Khabarovsk) and dozens of other universities.

But there are many more universities that train construction engineers. In addition to the listed universities, academies and institutes, specialists for work in the field of industrial and civil construction are taught:

in the capital: MIIT, RUDN, Institute of Land Reclamation, Water Management and Construction named after A. Kostyakova, a member of the RSAU-Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K. Timiryazeva;in St. Petersburg: SPbGASU, SPbGAU;as well as throughout Russia: at the Moscow State Technical University (Murmansk), KalmGU im. B. Gorodovikov (Elista), VolgGTU (Volgograd), SamGUPS, SamSTU (Samara), BSTU im. V. Shukhov (Belgorod), KBSU named after H. Berbekova (Nalchik), KubSAU (Krasnodar), Siberian Federal University (Krasnoyarsk), PNU (Khabarovsk), TSU (Togliatti), NCFU (Stavropol), KuzGTU (Kemerovo), YaGTU (Yaroslavl), KSTU (Kaliningrad), YuGU (Khanty -Mansiysk), UrGUPS (Yekaterinburg), KGASU (Kazan), SGUPS (Novosibirsk), CHIPS UrGUPS (Chelyabinsk), SGTU (Saratov), ​​VyatSU (Kirov), ChGU im. I. Ulyanov (Cheboksary), OSU im. I. Turgenev and GAU (Orel), SSU (Sochi), etc.

Responsibilities at work

The professional duties of a civil engineer largely depend on his specialization, and the universal list includes:

Development of technical and methodological materials and regulatory documents for the project, as well as construction process schedules.Conducting the work provided for by the construction plan.Finding ways to optimize resources and justifying decisions made.Analysis of the technical and economic characteristics of the facility and participation in expert research work on the use of materials, equipment, systems, and as a result – preparation of reports and conclusions.Providing all construction departments with the required technical information, materials, documents, equipment and standardization of technical means.The use of modern automated and computerized systems that give a greater economic effect both in engineering calculations and in organizing the life cycle of a construction project.Drawing up applications, orders, explanatory instructions, diagrams, maps, established reporting and other materials in compliance with the requirements for the form and time of submission.Providing both methodical and practical assistance to colleagues, encouraging innovation initiatives.Examination of processes and documentation, control of work.

In general, the duties of a civil engineer range from research activities to budget documentation.

Who suits

The profession of a civil engineer suits people who are organized and responsible, able to plan and carry out their actions in full, without attributing failures to external circumstances and the sluggishness of others. Scrupulousness and curiosity – a natural interest in the world around, in objects of „second nature“ and in their arrangement (for example, in the history of architecture and in „how it was done“) will help the future civil engineer in mastering the knowledge necessary for work.

The collective nature of work requires a civil engineer to have https://123helpme.me/hero-essay-example/ developed communication skills – the ability and desire to find a common language with different people. You will have to interact with workers, and with colleagues in the shop, and with representatives of regulatory authorities, so you need good skills to communicate information clearly and defend your point of view.

How much get

Approximately 40–45% of vacancies contain offers with salaries of 30–60 thousand rubles. 10-15% of ads indicate a rate of 60-90 thousand. Another 35-40% of employers offer salaries of up to 30 thousand. In the remaining vacancies, the amounts exceed 90 and even 120 thousand rubles. The national average salary for a civil engineer is 45–55 thousand.

How to build a career

The advancement of a civil engineer up the career ladder corresponds to a step-by-step professional development, and certain requirements are imposed on each level.

3 category. In this status, to „enter the profession“ without experience, you need to graduate from a specialized university. However, a secondary technical education is enough to start work, if it is supported by 3 years of experience in the position of a technician of the first category (in other specialized positions – at least 5 years).Category 2. To move to this stage, in addition to higher education, you will need 3 years of experience in engineering and technical positions.1 category. To obtain this status, you need to work for another 3 years as an engineer of the 2nd category.

Further, the specialist can count on the place of the chief engineer with the right to sign when drawing up acceptance certificates and assuming personal responsibility. But at the same time, at least once every 5 years, it will be necessary to undergo advanced training.

Profession prospects

The prospects for the profession of a civil engineer are associated with the emergence of new technologies that will require special competencies from a specialist. So, for example, when creating buildings and structures using a 3D printer, the structure is no longer assembled from universal elements, as before, but „grown“ according to individual settings.

The change of generations of materials in classical construction is happening no less rapidly, and this poses new challenges to engineers, the demand for which always increases with each next round of industry evolution. All this can potentially lead to the division of the profession into several specific areas with a narrower set of functions.

Author: Alexey Kuznetsov