Expert: Arshad Khan - 12/6/2010

Question
Hello, I am currently a freshman at Virginia Tech enrolled in general engineering.  I am hoping to pursue a career in Civil Engineering, but would like to know more about it.  Can you please answer the following questions.

1.  First and last name, work phone number, and work e-mail address?


2.  What degrees do you have, and where did you earn them from?

3.  What is your current job title and employer?


4.  Can you please give me a brief description of your current job?


5.  What were some key steps along your career path?


6.  Do you have any advice you want to share with me, being a first-year engineering student?


7.  What is your daily schedule like?


8.  What types of projects have you worked on?


9.  What's your favorite part about your job?


10.  How often do you get to travel, and do you like traveling?

Answer
Hi Chelsea,

I have answered these types of questions before, so if you do not mind, I will cut/paste th Q&A for these below:

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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.nce.co.uk/SearchResults.aspx?qsearch=1&qkeyword=career&x=54&y=13

http://www.ice.org.uk/

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.

Q. How often do you get to travel, and do you like traveling?

A. I end up travelling often (when in the Middle East I was flying almost every week), and I love that as part of seeing different countries and cultures.