Design the drainage
Use survey heights to work out water flow, then lay out the drainage in computer design software.
Career profile
Civil Engineer
Civil engineers design bridges, roads and water systems, then help get them built right.
When a new road goes in, where does the rain go? You answer questions like that with math, plans and decisions about how to build.
A day in the life
Match the foundation to soil
In ground-focused work, read soil test results and choose a foundation the soil can support.
Price out the project
Add up materials in a spreadsheet and estimate equipment and labor costs against the budget.
Check the build on site
Check the work against the plans and bring any mismatch, with a fix, to the construction manager.
Quick facts
Bachelor’s degree
United States
$100,840/year
United States · May 2025
6% growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor’s degreeUsually civil engineering or a related field.
Pay
$100,840/yearNational median; $48.48 per hour.
Outlook
6% growthProjected employment growth over the decade.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy using math to answer a physical question, such as how much water a channel can carry.
- You like checking how a drawing relates to an actual place.
- You are willing to explain your reasoning and revise it when someone spots a problem.
Things to weigh
- Project deadlines can push some weeks beyond 40 hours.
- Checking rules and correcting drawings take patience; an appealing design still has to meet the requirements.
Where AI may help
On highway projects, shared three-dimensional models let designers and construction crews use the same project information instead of exchanging separate drawing files.
What people still lead
You still decide whether the inputs describe the site correctly and whether the proposed design meets its requirements.
What we can’t predict yet
How far model data can drive construction automatically depends on data quality and the project. The balance between preparing models and checking automated results may keep shifting.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median describes the middle of the occupation, not a starting offer.
The middle and the spread
Median pay was $100,840 a year, or $48.48 an hour. The 10th and 90th percentile thresholds were $68,240 and $163,220 annually. These describe the wage distribution, not beginner and senior salaries.
Workplace type matters
Annual medians were $117,790 in federal government, $113,640 in local government, $100,620 in engineering services, and $82,400 in nonresidential building construction. Federal figures exclude postal service; local figures exclude education and hospitals.
Openings include replacement hiring
About 22,700 openings are projected annually, including replacements for people leaving the occupation. Public-project funding can affect employment.
Getting started
Complete a civil engineering degree
- What the route involves
- Study calculus and physics, test materials in labs, and complete design projects involving structures, soil, transportation, and water.
- What it can lead to
- Build the usual educational foundation for applying to entry-level civil engineering jobs.
Combine the degree with cooperative education
- What the route involves
- Choose a civil engineering program with cooperative education, often called a co-op, and apply classroom learning during work placements before graduation.
- What it can lead to
- Graduate with practical work experience and a clearer sense of which civil engineering work interests you.
A degree is the usual starting point. Entry-level civil engineers do not need a professional license.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Make your work easy to check
Learn to trace a calculation back to its survey data and record how you arrived at a drawing detail.
Develop a specialty
In geotechnical work, deepen your understanding of soil behavior so you can tackle foundation choices, unstable slopes, and water moving through the ground.
Lead projects or solve harder problems
In transportation engineering, senior roles can involve supervising engineers or becoming the specialist who handles complex designs and technical reviews.
Where you can work
Design offices
Your main workspace is a desk with drawings and design software. Site visits connect the plans to actual conditions.
- Office
- Field work
Construction sites
You work close to the build, checking progress and resolving problems. A temporary site office may be your base.
- Outdoors
- Field work
- Office
Federal water projects
At the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, projects include dams and levees. Geotechnical work connects foundation design and seepage control with monitoring how structures perform.
- Office
- Field work
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
From a public sidewalk, sketch a short stretch of street. Mark slopes, drains, and where you think rainwater would collect. List the measurements you would need before proposing a change. Notice whether figuring out the missing information interests you.
Stay safe: Stay out of traffic and construction areas; observe without opening drains or entering waterways.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Civil Engineers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Civil Engineers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine. Civil Engineers — 17-2051.00. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Career Fields. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Highway Administration. Building Information Modeling for Infrastructure. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Federal Highway Administration. 3D Engineered Models. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Temple University. Civil Engineering BSCE with Cooperative Education Program Concentration. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- California Department of Transportation. Explore Careers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Licensure. Accessed 2026-10-03.