Civil engineer (Civiel ingenieur)
Information on this skill...
A civil engineer is responsible for designing, elaborating, realizing and maintaining objects that are stuck to the ground. Think of bridges, tunnels, pipes and foundations on land and in the sea. In short, we can best describe the work of a civil engineer as the design and elaboration of construction projects in civil engineering. A civil engineer is a highly educated technician who works in the engineering department. As an engineer, there are different specializations that may require different training. As a civil engineer, you are involved in the preparation process of a project or involved in the implementation phase of the project, depending on the organization where you work. In addition, a civil engineer can also specialize in complex renovation work. The work of a civil engineer can be regarded as very important work because no mistakes may be made with regard to construction works. It is the civil engineers who calculate everything in such a way that structures can be used safely for a long time after delivery. Calculating supporting structures such as that of a bridge is a complex matter in which a civil engineer will adjust the design until the supporting structure meets all requirements. Not only safety will play a role, but also sustainability, for example. Of course, it should not happen that a modern bridge needs major maintenance after a few years. Obviously, a civil engineer can specialize in a variety of fields. Designing a new bridge cannot simply be compared to designing tunnels. In addition, a civil engineer may, for example, have to deal with the design of flood defences.
Civil engineering is a broad field that also relates to road engineering and hydraulic engineering. Building roads and structures in the water may sound easy, but it certainly isn't. For example, a civil engineer will first calculate whether the ground under the structure can support the structure without it sinking with all the possible problems that this entails. The work of a civil engineer goes beyond just making calculations. A civil engineer will also be involved in planning, design, construction, management and maintenance when necessary. Without civil engineers, contractors would not be able to work safely because it is the civil engineers who come up with all the schedules and constructions. In many cases, these are extremely complex projects that require a lot of preparations. Just think of closing a highway or airport because they need to be maintained. Of course, you can't just close off a highway and an airport.
CIVIL ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES
Civil engineering involves many different activities such as the design and construction of sewers, highways, airports, railways, bridges, ports, canals, dams, locks and the design of tunnels. It is not the case that civil engineering only has to do with buildings. Environmental science also plays an important role in civil engineering. Think, for example, of the remediation of soil contamination or the application of techniques to purify drinking water. A researcher and/or scientist who specializes in water is called a hydrologist. A hydrologist specializes in hydrology. Hydrology refers to all the water on the earth and the cycle of water.
Civil engineering should therefore be seen more broadly as just the design and construction of architectural structures. A civil engineer is responsible for designing structural structures. Another important field of civil engineers today is renewable energy. The profession of civil engineer occurs in practice at hbo level and at university level.
WHAT DOES A CIVIL ENGINEER DO:
TRAINING AS A CIVIL ENGINEER
There are various training opportunities for the profession of civil engineer, at different levels, such as the Hbo-education Civil Engineering of four years and the university course civil engineering at TU Delft of four years. During the civil engineering programme, attention is paid to the following subjects: mathematics, Dutch, applied mechanics, technical drawing, civil constructions, infrastructure, calculation and budgeting. After the second year, you will usually have to choose a specialisation within the programme, such as hydraulic engineering or civil constructions. The profession of civil engineer has common ground with the construction world, but is different because it concerns civil work. During the civil engineering course, you will also do an internship, which can even take you abroad as a student. To be admitted to the Hbo programme in civil engineering, it is important that you are at least twenty-one years old and have an MBO diploma level four or higher. The difference between the hbo programmes and the university programme is that the hbo programme is more practice-oriented. The university education is more theoretical. The civil engineering programme is not a light course, and there are many science subjects in it. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A CIVIL ENGINEER MAY BE EMPLOYED
As a civil engineer, you can work for various types of companies in civil engineering, such as civil contractors, consultancies, engineering firms, government, provinces, municipalities and water boards. As a civil engineer, there are also various positions that you can perform within civil engineering, such as the position of executor, constructor, designer, supervisor, work planner and the position of project manager. If a civil engineer works for an engineering firm or other types of consultancy firm, it is also possible that the civil engineer can be regarded as a consultant, who works for different clients. In fact, a civil engineer can work for many different companies and governments that deal with civil engineering. If a civil engineer has a university degree in civil engineering, he may also be regarded as a non-destructive researcher and/or destructive researcher. In that case, a civil engineer will usually work for a research institution.
COMPETENCES CIVIL ENGINEER
As a civil engineer, you must have quite a few different competencies, which are given a lot of attention during the training. Generally important competencies of a civil engineer are the technical knowledge and your research skills. Because building is never done alone, you will have to consult a lot within your work, such as with colleagues, municipalities, water boards, provinces and suppliers. Your communication skills as a civil engineer must therefore be good, as well as being able to work in a team. But creativity also plays an important role within this profession so that you know how to come up with the right solutions for complicated constructions or designs. In this respect, innovation can also be regarded as an important competence. Technology and innovation are two words that cannot really be seen in isolation. In addition, it is important that you know how to work accurately, according to the specified specifications. Generally important words are passion, professional knowledge, performance, stress resistance, monitoring, vigilance, planning and organizing.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A CIVIL ENGINEER
As a civil engineer with the right training, it will usually not be a problem to find work. There are many companies active in the Civil Sector within the Netherlands, which even operate internationally because civil engineering is well regarded worldwide in the Netherlands. In addition, civil engineering also has many different disciplines within the field. The career opportunities of a civil engineer should be seen in obtaining more responsibilities. Think, for example, of the position of lead engineer. A lead engineer is a project leader, with the important difference that a lead engineer is only responsible for technical projects. If you have a university degree as a civil engineer, obtaining a PhD can also be seen as growing within your career. Further career opportunities are not easy to indicate because a civil engineer can work for various companies and governments.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY CIVIL ENGINEER
There are no specific employment conditions for this profession because you can work for very different types of employers or governments. However, it is true that you will usually work for the larger companies, which usually have arranged their employment conditions well. A civil engineer will typically earn a salary between 2500 and 5000 euros gross per month, depending on age, education and responsibilities. A top civil engineer with major project responsibilities can also earn much more.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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