Civil Engineers

Employers

Approximately 326,300 civil engineers work in the United States. Nearly half of all civil engineers work for companies involved in architectural and engineering consulting services. Twenty-five percent work for government agencies at the local, state, or federal level. About 3.5 percent are self-employed, running their own consulting businesses.

Starting Out

To establish a career as a civil engineer, one must first receive a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or civil engineering technology. Entry-level jobs usually involve routine work, often as a member of a supervised team. After a year or more (depending on job performance and qualifications), one becomes a junior engineer, then an assistant to perhaps one or more supervising engineers.