11/10/2016
Important Qualities for Civil Engineers:
Decision making skills:- Civil engineers often balance
multiple and frequently conflicting objectives, such as
determining the feasibility of plans with regard to
financial costs and safety concerns. Urban and regional
planners often look to civil engineers for advice on
these issues. Civil engineers must be able to make good
decisions based on best practices, their own technical
knowledge, and their own experience.
Leadership skills:- Civil engineers take ultimate
responsibility for the projects that they manage or
research that they perform. Therefore, they must be
able to lead planners, surveyors, construction
managers, civil engineering technicians, civil engineering
technologists, and others in implementing their project
plan.
Math skills:- Civil engineers use the principles of
calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in
mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting
in their work.
Organizational skills:- Only licensed civil engineers can
sign the design documents for infrastructure projects.
This requirement makes it imperative that civil engineers
be able to monitor and evaluate the work at the job site
as a project progresses. That way, they can ensure
compliance with the design documents. Civil engineers
also often manage several projects at the same time,
and thus must be able to balance time needs and to
effectively allocate resources.
Problem-solving skills:- Civil engineers work at the
highest level of the planning, design, construction, and
operation of multifaceted projects or research. The
many variables involved require that they possess the
ability to identify and evaluate complex problems. They
must be able to then utilize their skill and training to
develop cost-effective, safe, and efficient solutions.
Speaking skills:- Civil engineers must present reports and
plans to audiences of people with a wide range of
backgrounds and technical knowledge. This requires the
ability to speak clearly and to converse with people in
various settings, and to translate engineering and
scientific information into easy to understand concepts.
Writing skills:- Civil engineers must be able to
communicate with others, such as architects, landscape
architects, and urban and regional planners. They also
must be able to explain projects to elected officials and
citizens. This means that civil engineers must be able to
write reports that are clear, concise, and understandable
to those with little or no technical or scientific
background.