Civil engineers design and supervise the construction and maintenance of civil infrastructure roads, railways, traffic control systems, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and water supply and sewage systems. The things civil engineers design and build such as buildings and bridges have to be designed to last for a very long time, and endure the forces of nature such as earthquakes and hurricanes.
The things civil engineers design and construct are very important, because people people's life depend on them, for example, a building has to be designed to resist very fast winds and earthquakes so that the people within it are protected. Because the things that civil engineers design and construct are so important, there are many government regulations that guide the design and construction of such structures.
Civil engineering is so wide that it must be divided in several specialties that include:
- Structural engineering (buildings and bridges)
- Water resources engineering (dams, water channels)
- Construction engineering (building bridges, skyscrapers safely and efficiently)
- Environmental engineering (water purification plants, sewage treatment systems, and hazardous waste management)
- Transportation engineering (railroads, highways)
- Geotechnical engineering (design and monitoring of earthworks and structure foundations)
Many civil engineers hold supervisory or administrative positions, from supervisor of a construction site to city engineer. Others may work in design, construction, research, and teaching.
Civil engineering has the longest history of all engineering disciplines; a long time ago, engineering was divided just in two disciplines: military and civil. Civil engineers dealt with everything that wasn't military.
