4 answers
Magali
Student
Mendota, California
3
Questions
Asked
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What does a typical day for a civil engineer look, like about how many breaks (like lunch) does a civil engineer typically have??
Hi my name is Magali, a student at San Jose Job Corps and I'm interested in becoming in civil engineer. Thank you for your answers
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4 answers
Ray von Dohren
Retired sanitary engineer
11
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Ray’s Answer
After I was in the profession about five years, I only took a lunch break. Days moved very fast for me and breaks during the day were not necessary. When I was working for a small firm, some days would end at 2am and start again at 8am. This wasn’t often, but because the owners were good people and generous, we could take time off at a later date if we needed it. So, you see, from Nick’s answer and mine, work can be structured or not depending on where you are and what you are doing. One of my favorite projects was a six days a week job working 7 to 7 on the week days and four hours on Saturday. I loved it. I was resident engineer on this project. It was all over the place task-wise from record keeping to taking tricycles off manhole covers. We re-buried an ancient piece of Native American skull at one point with full ceremony. (During construction we ran into a Miwok burial site.) At one point I had to negotiate with the railroad and union to allow our workers to work during a strike.
Civil engineers do lots of neat stuff. I’ve had a rich rewarding career. Part of that was being able to do…lots of neat stuff.
Civil engineers do lots of neat stuff. I’ve had a rich rewarding career. Part of that was being able to do…lots of neat stuff.
Harry Kaszycki
Network Performance Engineer
8
Answers
Solomon, Kansas
Updated
Harry’s Answer
You may want to consider starting by working as a surveyor for a civil engineering firm
Nick Carlson
structural engineer
8
Answers
Rockaway, New Jersey
Updated
Nick’s Answer
Civil engineering is a varied field, and the kinds of day-to-day activities vary based on what kind of job they have.
These are the kinds of things you can expect to do at least sometimes as a civil engineer:
- Talking to clients or salespeople about what they want to build
- Making concept sketches and models to present your ideas
- Doing calculations to refine a design to make sure it works the way you expect it to and ensure it meets all requirements and standards
- Meeting with other engineers working on the same project and coordinating your ideas (for example, if you're designing a commercial building, you'll be talking to electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and architects as well as other civil engineers)
- Writing calculations and reports, and reviewing other engineers' calculations and reports
- Checking the work of technicians and contractors who are turning your designs into drawings and finished products
- Traveling to remote work sites and doing inspections
- Attending conferences and continuing education classes
- Taking care of paperwork that proves you're eligible to practice engineering
Most engineers work a typical 40-hour week, though this depends on the company and the position. Daily shifts tend to be earlier than other jobs to match construction schedules; some engineers work from 8 AM to 4 PM or 7 AM to 3 PM. They get all the usual breaks and lunches that full-time employees are required to receive.
These are the kinds of things you can expect to do at least sometimes as a civil engineer:
- Talking to clients or salespeople about what they want to build
- Making concept sketches and models to present your ideas
- Doing calculations to refine a design to make sure it works the way you expect it to and ensure it meets all requirements and standards
- Meeting with other engineers working on the same project and coordinating your ideas (for example, if you're designing a commercial building, you'll be talking to electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and architects as well as other civil engineers)
- Writing calculations and reports, and reviewing other engineers' calculations and reports
- Checking the work of technicians and contractors who are turning your designs into drawings and finished products
- Traveling to remote work sites and doing inspections
- Attending conferences and continuing education classes
- Taking care of paperwork that proves you're eligible to practice engineering
Most engineers work a typical 40-hour week, though this depends on the company and the position. Daily shifts tend to be earlier than other jobs to match construction schedules; some engineers work from 8 AM to 4 PM or 7 AM to 3 PM. They get all the usual breaks and lunches that full-time employees are required to receive.
Luke Garrett
M&A Consulting
46
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Luke’s Answer
I typically worked 40 hours per week. My clients were mainly government agencies (think departments of transportation, city governments, etc.).
I both managed and designed many of the projects I worked on. A typical day was something like this below:
-Review my own gameplan for the day. Typically I had left myself checkpoint notes the day before to remember what to focus on for the next day.
-Meet with my boss and other colleagues to discuss a path forward and split up work
-If it's a type of project that I've worked on before, then I'd have a good idea of where to do with the design and spend most of the rest of the day designing using civil drafting and design software as well as Excel.
-If it's a type of project that I haven't worked on before, then I'd check in more frequently with a senior engineer or my boss for their opinions. I'd also need to read relevant codes and standards to understand what each one dictates in my project situation.
-If I hit a roadblock then I'd jump to other projects so I'm continuously making progress.
-If it was a day where I had to do a field visit then I'd either do a full day in the field or partial and then work the rest in the office.
Most of what I learned was on the job. College will train your problem solving skills and teach you the basic theories and equations you might use in professional practice.
I both managed and designed many of the projects I worked on. A typical day was something like this below:
-Review my own gameplan for the day. Typically I had left myself checkpoint notes the day before to remember what to focus on for the next day.
-Meet with my boss and other colleagues to discuss a path forward and split up work
-If it's a type of project that I've worked on before, then I'd have a good idea of where to do with the design and spend most of the rest of the day designing using civil drafting and design software as well as Excel.
-If it's a type of project that I haven't worked on before, then I'd check in more frequently with a senior engineer or my boss for their opinions. I'd also need to read relevant codes and standards to understand what each one dictates in my project situation.
-If I hit a roadblock then I'd jump to other projects so I'm continuously making progress.
-If it was a day where I had to do a field visit then I'd either do a full day in the field or partial and then work the rest in the office.
Most of what I learned was on the job. College will train your problem solving skills and teach you the basic theories and equations you might use in professional practice.