What Does It Mean To Be A Civil Engineer?

ell, for those who are after amassing wealth, I’m sorry but this is not for you. For those who want peace of mind, again, this is not for you. civil engineering is for the bold, the kind-hearted, and those who are dedicated to giving back to society.

Let’s start with the meaning, what is civil engineering? Well, most people view it as the construction of buildings, roads, and dams. What I can say is that is just the tip of the iceberg. There is more to it. Let me take you to step by step.

Essentially, there are two forms of engineering, one is military engineering that deals with the defense of the people, then there is civil engineering that means serving the people as a civil servant. Therefore, other courses that include medicine, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and any other forms that create convenience to the people are just branches of this wide niche.

This means that we regard the branches that are often pegged to be our responsibility such as roads and construction.

Then what do we do?

We are aware that the world is dynamic, and with the introduction of machine learning as well as artificial intelligence, we have managed to consecrate repetitive duties through software. Therefore, we are unwilling to work like machines. We are the creators. As a civil engineer, I’ve been dedicated to finding new ideas and exploring new techniques that can benefit the world. That is what I believe to be my key responsibility. 

Being that the housing sector, water resource sector, transportation sector, and the irrigation & drainage sector forms part of the key skills that we embody. Ensuring that there is plenty, affordable and convenient amenities within this sector is generally my key duty. As civil engineers, we do our part and step back to pursue what else can benefit humanity.

Are civil engineers wealthy

Talking of wealth, well, that is just a consequence of our great work, not what we are in for. We believe that, provided you are giving something that is of great value to society, then counting the money is needless. Essentially, having wealth is a consequence of being useful to society. What we generally pride ourselves on is that civil engineering opens vast opportunities, which means, you have the whole world in the your palms, giving it shape and value through the great skills that we, civil engineers, posses.

Is civil engineering a white-collar job?

Deciding on either doing white-collar or hard labor is always upon you when you join the world of civil engineering. However, with the new machines and the introduction of robotics, handling the physical work has been considered unnecessary. The current role of civil engineers is to conceptualize situations and find alternatives to it, thereafter, machines can be trained and left to do the work. This means that embracing the white-collar aspect of civil engineering is becoming quite inevitable.

Is civil engineering the hardest course?

"I can confidently say that hard is always a mental situation. Whatever venture that you will immerse yourself into, you will have to face several challenges, this means that the way you react to them matters most." - Tonny Oketch

The problems within civil engineering often appear scary and unfathomable, however, what most people don’t see is the bright side and how interesting learning new skills can be. Also the feeling of satisfaction you gain after hard toil. What often makes us glad is when people appreciate the amazing work that we do.

What would I tell anyone intending to join the profession?

Civil engineering is not for the small or the genius, it is a profession that is open to those who do little things within their reach to give value to society. 

However, you should be good at math, it doesn’t mean you should know everything in math, it only means that you should have a good attitude towards the subject because you’ll need it the most.