Expert: Arshad Khan - 9/23/2009

Question
Hi! I need to interview a civil engineer for my high school class, because it might be a field of work that I am interested in. The problem is that I do not know any civil engineers directly, so I need to interview someone over the web. Here are the instructions and questions I was given:
: Find someone who has a job/career position that you want and conduct a brief interview. Use the information from your interview to write an essay about the job/career position and the interview you conducted. Be sure to include the name of the person being interviewed, their job/career position title, where they work, and the date and time of the interview. Questions that should be included:

· Why did you choose this job/career position?

· How did you get to be here? What schooling, training and/or job experience did you need?

· Is there anything else you’ve done besides the required schooling; training and/or job experience that you feel has prepared you for your job/career position?

· How long have you been in this job/career position?

· How long have you been in this career field?

· What is required to maintain this job/career position?

· Do you plan on staying in this position? If not, what other job/career positions are possible in your particular situation?

· What is it about that job/career position that no one tells you about during the schooling, training and/or job experience. What is it that you only learn once you are on the job?

I would really appreciate it if you would please answer these questions. Thank You!


Answer
Hi Ryan,

These are far too many questions for me to answer in detail, but
I have been asked similar questions before, so if you do not mind I will cut-and-paste the Q & A, from which you can get most of the answers:

*****************
Q. What skills are required to become a successful civil engineer, and what courses did you take in high school in preparation for civil
engineer training in University?

A. The main subjects at school are maths, physics and chemistry. At
University the student will learn many different subjects depending on
which field of civil engineering one follows. Drawing and 3-dimensional
visual skills also are very important, especially for structural
engineering. Try visiting the following 3 websites for more info:

http://www.nceplus.co.uk/careers/?ChannelID=69

http://www.eng.ucalgary.ca/csce-students/civil1.htm

www.ice.org

These should help you with further info.

Q. Why do you think you need a good fundamental knowledge from High School and University to become successful in civil engineer?

A. Because without that you will not be able to do all the calculations and have an appreciation of the tasks.

Q. Why did you choose this field of study?

A. I had an interest in models, drawing and woodwork- all very useful for this career.

Q. What inspired you into this field and what do you like most about the subject?

A. The fact that you help to make life better for humans and that whatever you design or build will be there for all to see and use for anything between 50-150 years.

Q.Would you like to achieve or learn more in this field of civil engineer? If so, what would you like to learn?

A. More on the environmental protection aspects and also in sustainable engineering.

Q. What are the challenges to your career and does it affect your
occupation?

A. Many projects require innovative and lateral thinking- not all projects are routine. Sometimes one is working at the edge of technology, and hence there are risks and worries- can be a stressful job!! Also, one is constantly aware that any mistakes can lead to large scale injury or death to users.

Q. Other than civil engineer, what other fields of studies did you want to go into as a kid to now?

A. Architecture and Aeronautical engineering.

Q. How much do you enjoy your occupational career and did you ever regret of selecting such a path?

A. Very much, and no. I have designed buildings of up to 100-stories which I can proudly show my children and friends.

Q. What do you value most about you and your occupation?

A. The fact that I have contributed to a nation's development and that people daily use facilities I have designed.

Q. What is a typical day for your occupation?

A. This varies depending on whether you are on site (construction), or in the office (design). The former involves long hours supervising construction in sometimes harsh environments. The latter involves more calculations, meetings, liaison, presentations, brief site inspections, etc.

Q. Do you have anything that you find bothersome or disturbing in your occupation?

A. Yes- the pay is not commensurate with the responsibilities (c.f. lawyers, doctors, accountants, etc)

Q. Can you describe what is generally happening in this industry?

A. There are ups and downs, but these vary country by country depending on the economy. After a war (e.g. Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, etc), there is lots of work!!

Q.  What do you think the needs of civil engineer in the future would be?

A. The needs will continue in pace with population growth and development of under-developed countries, especially in Africa and Central/East Europe and the Middle/Far East.

Q. Is there any personal advice that you can give to an interested student in this field?

A. Do not choose a field that you do not have an interest in or talents to suit (e.g. for structural engineering, if you cannot visualise in 3-D, forget it!- go for water or sewerage or roads). Also you need to be good at maths and drawing, and have excellent communication and inter-personal
skills.

************************


A few other answers:

1. I have been in my job for over 30 years.

2. I could change to being a Project Manager or a Design Manager.

3. The most important thing is to make notes of all experiences you have (especially on site) and to continuously learn new things- I am doing that even now after a 30 year career.