Skills That Make Civil Engineers More Marketable

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In today’s globalized economy, the job market can be very competitive. Luckily, civil engineers who possess the right training, education, and skillsets will often have many professional opportunities come their way throughout their careers. For civil engineers who have just graduated from college or are early on in their careers, it is particularly important to understand what skills will help in finding a great job. However, it can be difficult to understand what hiring managers are looking for unless you have a family member or friend who works in the civil engineering industry. When I graduated from college, I personally had a hard time understanding what engineering firms wanted in a candidate because my advisors were professors rather than practitioners. To help those in a similar situation, I created a list of some of the top skills that will make you more marketable as a civil engineer. When looking through this list, I recommend making sure that you not only have these skills, but you figure out a way to showcase them on your resume and cover letter. It should be noted that I picked these skills on this list based on my own experience as a civil engineer who specializes in water resources/land development. Civil engineering is a broad field, and those who work in transportation or structural engineering may find other skills more important than what is listed below.

GIS

Geographic information systems (GIS) technology allows civil engineers to perform a variety of geospatial analyses and to prepare maps/exhibits for reports and presentations. Of the civil engineering disciplines, GIS is most frequently used in the water resources and environmental space. GIS software can be used to delineate drainage areas, assess traffic capacity, map infrastructure assets, and floodplain mapping. Having GIS skills early in my career helped me find my first job. There are many civil engineers who can use GIS. However, there are few who have more intermediate or advanced GIS skills such as scripting or web mapping.

The most common GIS software program used in engineering consulting is ESRI ArcGIS. There are whole graduate certificate programs that focus on ArcGIS. Yes, there is that much to learn! Personally, I do not think this amount of GIS education is necessary for the vast majority of civil engineers. There are several affordable online courses that will equip civil engineers with the GIS skills they need to be more marketable. For example, Pennsylvania State University’s Repository of Open and Affordable Materials (ROAM) contains the course materials for several GIS classes. In addition, there are a variety of video-based courses available on Udemy and free tutorials on YouTube. Unfortunately, an ArcGIS license is quite expensive. Luckily, ESRI does sell a Personal license, which cannot be used for commercial purposes, for $100 per year. All of the tools available in the Advanced license are available to those who hold a Personal license. This license is great for those who want to sharpen their GIS skills.

Although most people associate the term “GIS” with the ESRI ArcGIS program, there are open-source GIS programs available. The most widely-used open-source GIS program available is QGIS. I use QGIS to create the maps in my Etsy shop (Maps By Paige) because it is freely available, even for commercial use. If you would like to learn more about the differences between ArcGIS and QGIS, check out this blog post:

ArcGIS versus QGIS

Hydraulic Modeling

Engineers with hydraulic modeling skills are qualified to be involved in a variety of water resources planning and design projects, water and wastewater projects, and stormwater design. Civil engineers use a variety of hydraulic modeling tools for slightly different purposes. Some of the most common software programs I know of are HEC-RAS, XPSWMM, Tuflow, MIKE, and WSPG.

In the United States, HEC-RAS is the most widely used hydraulic modeling software program. Young engineers increase their chances of finding an engineering consulting job if they are skilled at using the HEC-RAS program, especially if they can build 1D and 2D models. This is good news because you can download it for free on the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Hydrologic Engineering Center’s (HEC) website. USACE has published a thorough User’s Manual and Technical Reference Manual for HEC-RAS. In addition, there are tutorials available on YouTube and a few online courses that cover HEC-RAS modeling. If you want to learn more about HEC-RAS modeling, check out some of the HEC-RAS articles I have posted on my blog. I also recommend checking out the Australian Water School YouTube channel.

Technical Writing

The ability to put your ideas into writing is a great predictor of success. Effective writing skills improve efficiency because ideas and workflows are more easily understood when written well. Most engineers will write many reports throughout their careers. Well-written reports make the writer seem more competent and trustworthy than a poorly written report. In addition, good writing skills can help engineers write better proposals that win more work for their firm. Many engineers do not enjoy writing. However, writing is more enjoyable once you get better at it. Ideas will flow more easily and wordsmithing will not be as frustrating.

Communicating Complex Ideas Well

Communication is on almost every list of important skills for work. That is because it is important! However, being a communicator is more than being able to give an effective presentation on stage. The ability to articulate your technical knowledge in a way that a client understands is extremely important. When you are working on a project or have a meeting coming up with a client, take some time to think about how you will explain your piece of the project. If possible, practice explaining your work to a friend or coworker. You do not have to memorize a speech, but being prepared to explain your work will make you come across as more competent and confident. If you are really motivated to improve your ability to speak well/communicate, starting a YouTube channel or Podcast is a good way to practice. Toastmasters is another great organization to help you build your communication skills.

AutoCAD

AutoCAD skills are extremely important, especially for young engineers. Most civil engineers will spend a significant amount of time on design and drafting early in their careers. For this reason, candidates with AutoCAD drafting skills are more appealing to engineering consulting firms. If possible, try to learn as much AutoCAD as you can in school and during internships. If that is not possible, consider taking a class to sharpen those skills. There are many AutoCAD classes available on Udemy and other places on the internet. It may also be worth looking into some community college courses for drafting. Depending on where you are, these classes could be less expensive than some online courses.

Being skilled at AutoCAD also makes work as a civil engineer much easier and more enjoyable. Struggling with a software program is always frustrating, especially when you are under a tight deadline schedule, and project budgets are an issue.

An Understanding of Regulations

As a civil engineer, it is important to understand regulations that impact your work. For example, hydraulic modelers and floodplain mappers should be familiar with FEMA floodplain mapping regulations. Civil engineers working on land development projects should understand local and state requirements. Stormwater engineers should understand the National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) permit program and the state permit structure. An understanding of the regulatory framework associated with your work will show employers that you are interested in applying the knowledge you learned in school to real projects.

An Interest in Business Development and Networking

Until fairly recently, I thought that business development was only for senior engineers and marketers. After working as a civil engineer for almost 10 years, I realized that this is not the case. It is true that business development will look different for those who are in management positions. However, every engineer, especially those in consulting, needs to think about business development. This is because our job as an engineer is to sell our skills and services to our clients, whether those clients are internal or external to the organization in which we are employed. As an entry-level engineer, business development probably involves building relationships with people in your organization. You can do this by discussing projects with coworkers, sharing new skills you have learned, or simply making an effort to check in with coworkers you have not seen in a while. Make a goal to check in with one coworker or client each day. This may seem overly simple. However, as an engineer, it can be easy to go for several days without talking to anybody, especially if you are working on a project with an approaching deadline.

It is also important to build relationships with other professionals outside of your organization. These relationships are valuable when you are looking for a new job. Joining professional organizations such as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA), or the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFM) is a great way to network and build professional relationships. However, it is important to remember that simply joining an organization will not build your network. You actually have to participate in the organization. A good way to do this is by attending conferences and joining sub-committees that align with your interests. Even if your employer will not pay for you to attend conferences, I recommend attending at least one conference per year. If you prepare for these conferences properly, this will open up great opportunities.

Remember that business development is relationship driven. It is important to remember that business development is a skill that takes time. Practicing the process of building business/work relationships when you are a young engineer will equip you to be a more effective project manager later in your career.

Sediment Transport and Scour Analysis

Sediment transport modeling and bridge scour are somewhat niche skills within civil engineering. There are not many firms that have people super knowledgeable in these fields. Yet, sediment transport and scour are important considerations in flood control, bridge design, stream restoration, drop structure design, and fish passage. If you are still a student, I recommend taking a class in sediment transport or river mechanics. If you are out of school and wish to learn more about sediment transport modeling, here are some resources to get you started: