Civil Engineering is an engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction and maintenance of the physical and naturally-built environment. This includes works like roads, bridges, canals, dams and buildings.
This career usually pays quite well, due to the level of skills and expertise required as well as the ongoing responsibilities to ensure safe, accurate and enduring engineering outcomes.
Experience strongly influences income within this industry. The more experience you have, the higher income you’ll earn.
Additional factors that influence the income you earn as a civil engineer include the ability to handle high levels of responsibility and good communication skills.
Popular skills required for this job also include:
- Project management
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Auto CAD
- Engineering Design
In South Africa, civil engineers can expect to earn an average salary of R307 752 per year.
The industry has a demand for skilled individuals, which is currently lacking in South Africa. Engineers with vast amount of skills can expect to earn in excess of R700 000 annually, while entry-level engineers can expect to earn at least R25 000 per month.
Individuals working as civil engineers need to have a unique skill set that includes the ability to come up with creative solutions to engineering dilemmas as well as the capacity to apply technical knowledge to create solutions for construction needs and various design.
To qualify as a civil engineer, individuals need to obtain a 4 year bachelor’s degree. They may also need to gain some real work experience while studying, in order to fully grasp the concepts within the field.
Work opportunities are available for civil engineers due to the demand for skilled individuals within this profession. Engineering is a field that will always require skills due to a need for design and maintenance of systems, so civil engineers will always have a place within the industry.
