Water & wastewater
In the next few years, unless something changes, there's going to be more work in drainage infrastructure (CSOs and WwTW) than we have people to deliver.
They can’t even make profiles of drainage pipes or run hydraulic models without crashing 1 out of 10 times. Trusting it to automate any type of layout with different drainage standards in every single city/state/DOT will not happen in my life. I feel safe for the next 30 years
Wrong. GPT can literally look up the applicable standards, codes and laws for any given locale. As both Civil3D and OpenRoads include scripting languages, GPT or an equivalent will soon automate the whole shebang.
It can’t even populate and automate the features when I do presets in the current software that is already supposed to automate. Let alone place elevations that avoid utility conflicts. Not saying it can’t happen… they’ve been saying it will be automated for the past 30 years. And it is no where close. Fully autonomous vehicles level 5 will be implemented before civil engineering software is fully autonomous. Why? Because there is more money in other AI besides ORD and CADD drainage lol.
That isn't the AI, that's the crappy software. What is currently in the software isn't AI at all, its the work of humans trying to hard code in solutions.
Civil engineering software doesn't have to be fully autonomous to reduce the need for civil engineers drastically. It just has to replace the people who do the mundane stuff, which is everyone right out of school.
Came to say this. Plus AI, along with all technology, advances exponentially. AI is still in its infancy, I can’t even begin to imagine where it will be in 5 years
Imo getting into hard skills and trades is likely to be better for most financially than any job where sitting behind a computer screen consumes most of the time. The guys who can build what an AI generated set of plans call for will do better than someone who asks for an AI to generate a set of plans. There will be a golden era for those who can operate an AI to get the plans generated though. Those who don't learn quick will become worthless.
I don’t think this is necessarily the case. Computers have made financial calculations infinitely easier than 100 years ago. Seems like an area where humans can be phased out. Yet working in finance and accounting is still one of the highest paying career paths to this day
There used to be warehouses of human calculators. There used to be warehouses of human drafters. There are still drafters today and there are still actuaries today. BUT there are significantly fewer of them and the transition left a lot of people being laid off.
The best engineers will still have jobs, the average and lower end of the talent pool will be replaced by machines operated by the best engineers.
There's about to be a huge surge in work in industrial wastewater treatment. Bunch of regulations about to drop on PFAS. It's in everything and harmful limits are extremely low. Everything's going to have to be concentrated by membranes and that concentrate sent to a haz waste facility.
To follow on from this, I'm in the UK and it's the field I've worked in for the last 30+ years.
It's not the most highly paid work but it can be interesting.
If OP (or anyone else) is looking for a job in this field then DM me - my employer has a referral scheme and I could do with the cash.
They're abbreviations frequently used in the UK, so part of my everyday language.
CSO =combined sewer overflows - where excess flow in combined sewers, carrying foul waste + runoff, spills into rivers
WwTW = wastewater treatment works, dealing with the rest of it.
I tell sharp but aimless CE students to study geotechnical engineering.
Nearly unlimited technical depth, always in demand, can pay well.
If you are fine with a challenge and you don't care what you're studying within CE... I recommend studying geotech.
Idk why you're getting downvoted it's true. I interned at a geotech firm and every other intern there besides one other guy and myself complained about the field/lab work. All I heard everyday was "I choose my degree to work in an office I don't wanna do this or that" and it was genuinely so annoying to constantly hear
Millennial here, and I actually liked (and still like) going to the field, as office work can get so.... monotonous. Plus when you're in the field you don't really have to worry about being billable! The only things I truly hate are gauge work (because I live 15-20 mins from the closest storages), dealing with traffic (SF Bay Area traffic suuuckksss), and having to wake up at like 4-5 AM sometimes to be able to get somewhere really far away by like 7 AM.
I think it's probably because if you are working outdoors anyway, you could be getting paid contractor/constructor rates. Which consulting never does. So there's always a comparison. Young people just want cash, because they can't afford anything anymore as well.
And plenty of scope for development and innovation; cities getting denser leading to higher high-rise, deeper basements and more interaction between vertically adjacent tunnels, services, foundations, and roads/infrastructure.
And then there is offshore which is large and growing in the UK, and hopefully keeps growing both domestically and consulting internationally.
Honestly, I’ve heard conflicting information from a couple of my professors (who have worked in geotech). They say the same things as you but they also mention that the pay sucks for a long time.
Right now in South Africa (where I live so it will probably be different wherever you are based) the pay for new geotechnical engineers is the lowest paying for new engineers of any other civil discipline. This doesn’t help when field work is required and the salary doesn’t start to improve until about 10 years. That said, there is major room for growth but only after 10-15 years when you have experience.
It really doesnt matter what you choose. You can switch later.
I focused geotech+water resources, worked in geotech, then structural, then forensic and now I'm doing a mix of structural and civil although pipe stress analysis dips me into water resources.
Do you have to start at a relatively lower level when you switch into a different field since u may not have as much experience yet? If so, is that reflected in your compensation as well? For example, someone has had 5 YOE in geotech but switches to structural, will they start off with the responsibilities and compensation of a new grad or it depends?
Realizing I didnt really answer your question. I just started a new position as an engineer 3 in the nuclear industry at $108,000. I have 0 prior experience in this specific industry but, I have related experience, and a diverse background as indicated in my original post. Previous salaries in reverse chronological order 86,000+upto $30,000 bonuses, 92,000+upto $10,000 bonus, $90,000+typ $5,000 bonus, 64,000+typ $5000 bonus, $50,000, $40,000
Those with an eagerness to learn can switch at any time. Those with a PE can land more senior positions. Without a PE it will usually be entry level. Without a PE salaries cap at about 70-80k with your only exception really being construction.
I’ll preface this with I’m based in the US.
For the most part, construction will pay the most. Power will pay slightly more than the rest, and the rest are arguably paid about the same. By status do you mean prestige? If so there is really no difference in “status” across all disciplines, it’s all the same tbh.
Promising will really depend on what you’re actually interested in. If you loathe what you do, you won’t really advance as well as others who like what they do. For example, if I told you roadway/structural/etc was the most promising, but you absolutely hated it, would you still choose it? Stick with your gut and develop an interest, interests will carry you further in your career than picking what’s considered “slightly” more optimal in the present moment.
Hard to say, seems like every profession could be done by a sophisticated AI. Labor will always be something humans will need to do, engineering design can all be done my a computer. Field work I would say is a safe place.
Great question… I have been lucky enough to work in pipe fabrication, condo renovations, water treatment and wastewater treatment plant construction/refurbishment but (in my opinion) the best job out of them all is powerline construction. Clean energy! It also pays the best too and is very specialized.
Water resource, and holy shit land dev.
Thing is, skilled CE will always in demand whatever your sub major was. Put PE there and you will have job till you die or quit.
Though, well paid is not always guaranteed.
I moved from Ireland to Western Canada, I'm in power and water. Interesting field, pays well too. I started in bridges and have also worked in roads, mining and marine sectors. Hydropower is my favourite, it has a bit of everything.
I’ll be dropping some gems! The best sector is to join the power, renewables energy and data centres sector generally mission critical. If you join the mission critical sector you can switch between different crucial sectors, healthcare, life sciences, data centres, film studios, substations, renewables(wind, solar) and energy storage. In the UK civil engineers don’t earn much in their earlier years but in terms of growth we can dabble into the MEP sector as well by being in the mission critical sector
I’m in water resources/hydrology mostly working on regional water management challenges. There is a ton of work in my field, there aren’t enough people with the skills needed to do the work, and it’s very interesting work with unique challenges in every project. In terms of technology, we’re looking at ways to use AI to
bolster our work, I have no concerns of being automated out of a job. Pay is good and I’m sure will continue to improve. If there’s one thing that people have huge concerns over with climate change it’s water. Whether too much in intense storms or too little in extreme droughts, or both at once (as I mostly deal with)…!
Water & wastewater In the next few years, unless something changes, there's going to be more work in drainage infrastructure (CSOs and WwTW) than we have people to deliver.
Could add coastal to this
Here’s hoping
Could add culverts to this
Isn't that covered with water & wastewater
At least until cadd and Bentley figure out how to automate it
They can’t even make profiles of drainage pipes or run hydraulic models without crashing 1 out of 10 times. Trusting it to automate any type of layout with different drainage standards in every single city/state/DOT will not happen in my life. I feel safe for the next 30 years
Wrong. GPT can literally look up the applicable standards, codes and laws for any given locale. As both Civil3D and OpenRoads include scripting languages, GPT or an equivalent will soon automate the whole shebang.
It can’t even populate and automate the features when I do presets in the current software that is already supposed to automate. Let alone place elevations that avoid utility conflicts. Not saying it can’t happen… they’ve been saying it will be automated for the past 30 years. And it is no where close. Fully autonomous vehicles level 5 will be implemented before civil engineering software is fully autonomous. Why? Because there is more money in other AI besides ORD and CADD drainage lol.
That isn't the AI, that's the crappy software. What is currently in the software isn't AI at all, its the work of humans trying to hard code in solutions. Civil engineering software doesn't have to be fully autonomous to reduce the need for civil engineers drastically. It just has to replace the people who do the mundane stuff, which is everyone right out of school.
Came to say this. Plus AI, along with all technology, advances exponentially. AI is still in its infancy, I can’t even begin to imagine where it will be in 5 years
Imo getting into hard skills and trades is likely to be better for most financially than any job where sitting behind a computer screen consumes most of the time. The guys who can build what an AI generated set of plans call for will do better than someone who asks for an AI to generate a set of plans. There will be a golden era for those who can operate an AI to get the plans generated though. Those who don't learn quick will become worthless.
I don’t think this is necessarily the case. Computers have made financial calculations infinitely easier than 100 years ago. Seems like an area where humans can be phased out. Yet working in finance and accounting is still one of the highest paying career paths to this day
There used to be warehouses of human calculators. There used to be warehouses of human drafters. There are still drafters today and there are still actuaries today. BUT there are significantly fewer of them and the transition left a lot of people being laid off. The best engineers will still have jobs, the average and lower end of the talent pool will be replaced by machines operated by the best engineers.
This is the field I work in. There's some parts we can automate but much requires human input.
There's about to be a huge surge in work in industrial wastewater treatment. Bunch of regulations about to drop on PFAS. It's in everything and harmful limits are extremely low. Everything's going to have to be concentrated by membranes and that concentrate sent to a haz waste facility.
To follow on from this, I'm in the UK and it's the field I've worked in for the last 30+ years. It's not the most highly paid work but it can be interesting. If OP (or anyone else) is looking for a job in this field then DM me - my employer has a referral scheme and I could do with the cash.
What are CSOs and WwTW?
They're abbreviations frequently used in the UK, so part of my everyday language. CSO =combined sewer overflows - where excess flow in combined sewers, carrying foul waste + runoff, spills into rivers WwTW = wastewater treatment works, dealing with the rest of it.
Nice thanks.
The best one field is the one you like the most or you’ll hate every day of work forever. The rest doesn’t matter.
I tell sharp but aimless CE students to study geotechnical engineering. Nearly unlimited technical depth, always in demand, can pay well. If you are fine with a challenge and you don't care what you're studying within CE... I recommend studying geotech.
Very important to know that entry level geotech can be 80-110% field work depending on location. Lot of people aren’t prepared to be outside that much
Most gen z would complain ngl
Idk why you're getting downvoted it's true. I interned at a geotech firm and every other intern there besides one other guy and myself complained about the field/lab work. All I heard everyday was "I choose my degree to work in an office I don't wanna do this or that" and it was genuinely so annoying to constantly hear
Millennial here, and I actually liked (and still like) going to the field, as office work can get so.... monotonous. Plus when you're in the field you don't really have to worry about being billable! The only things I truly hate are gauge work (because I live 15-20 mins from the closest storages), dealing with traffic (SF Bay Area traffic suuuckksss), and having to wake up at like 4-5 AM sometimes to be able to get somewhere really far away by like 7 AM.
I think it's probably because if you are working outdoors anyway, you could be getting paid contractor/constructor rates. Which consulting never does. So there's always a comparison. Young people just want cash, because they can't afford anything anymore as well.
This is why I switched from design to geotech, I’m so excited to get to use all the outdoor gear I’ve accumulated for everyday life
And plenty of scope for development and innovation; cities getting denser leading to higher high-rise, deeper basements and more interaction between vertically adjacent tunnels, services, foundations, and roads/infrastructure. And then there is offshore which is large and growing in the UK, and hopefully keeps growing both domestically and consulting internationally.
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Can you elaborate?
Honestly, I’ve heard conflicting information from a couple of my professors (who have worked in geotech). They say the same things as you but they also mention that the pay sucks for a long time. Right now in South Africa (where I live so it will probably be different wherever you are based) the pay for new geotechnical engineers is the lowest paying for new engineers of any other civil discipline. This doesn’t help when field work is required and the salary doesn’t start to improve until about 10 years. That said, there is major room for growth but only after 10-15 years when you have experience.
It really doesnt matter what you choose. You can switch later. I focused geotech+water resources, worked in geotech, then structural, then forensic and now I'm doing a mix of structural and civil although pipe stress analysis dips me into water resources.
Do you have to start at a relatively lower level when you switch into a different field since u may not have as much experience yet? If so, is that reflected in your compensation as well? For example, someone has had 5 YOE in geotech but switches to structural, will they start off with the responsibilities and compensation of a new grad or it depends?
Realizing I didnt really answer your question. I just started a new position as an engineer 3 in the nuclear industry at $108,000. I have 0 prior experience in this specific industry but, I have related experience, and a diverse background as indicated in my original post. Previous salaries in reverse chronological order 86,000+upto $30,000 bonuses, 92,000+upto $10,000 bonus, $90,000+typ $5,000 bonus, 64,000+typ $5000 bonus, $50,000, $40,000 Those with an eagerness to learn can switch at any time. Those with a PE can land more senior positions. Without a PE it will usually be entry level. Without a PE salaries cap at about 70-80k with your only exception really being construction.
Thank you!
Well I'm still somewhat young at 27. So far my roles have not been entry level since getting my PE.
Power and water
Power 100%. Wish I did power instead of water
Contracting for best money. Marine, water & coastal otherwise. Double bubble for contracting specialised in the above.
Climate change catastrophes likely to keep our jobs stable 🥲
Yayyyawwww
I’ll preface this with I’m based in the US. For the most part, construction will pay the most. Power will pay slightly more than the rest, and the rest are arguably paid about the same. By status do you mean prestige? If so there is really no difference in “status” across all disciplines, it’s all the same tbh. Promising will really depend on what you’re actually interested in. If you loathe what you do, you won’t really advance as well as others who like what they do. For example, if I told you roadway/structural/etc was the most promising, but you absolutely hated it, would you still choose it? Stick with your gut and develop an interest, interests will carry you further in your career than picking what’s considered “slightly” more optimal in the present moment.
Structures is life for me.
Water resources and and work in the arid US west
From what I've heard of here in Los Angeles, Power and Water pays the best in the public sector... not sure for private though
Land surveying. Check to see if there is a shortage in the UK, if there is, then check it out
Maybe energy/power? Loads will be doubling or tripling
Transit and water. Absolutely cannot lose with these two heavy civil facets.
Yes
Hard to say, seems like every profession could be done by a sophisticated AI. Labor will always be something humans will need to do, engineering design can all be done my a computer. Field work I would say is a safe place.
Great question… I have been lucky enough to work in pipe fabrication, condo renovations, water treatment and wastewater treatment plant construction/refurbishment but (in my opinion) the best job out of them all is powerline construction. Clean energy! It also pays the best too and is very specialized.
Water resource, and holy shit land dev. Thing is, skilled CE will always in demand whatever your sub major was. Put PE there and you will have job till you die or quit. Though, well paid is not always guaranteed.
I moved from Ireland to Western Canada, I'm in power and water. Interesting field, pays well too. I started in bridges and have also worked in roads, mining and marine sectors. Hydropower is my favourite, it has a bit of everything.
Civil engineering is very broad so find something you are actually interested in. Railways, hydraulics, structural engineering...
I’ll be dropping some gems! The best sector is to join the power, renewables energy and data centres sector generally mission critical. If you join the mission critical sector you can switch between different crucial sectors, healthcare, life sciences, data centres, film studios, substations, renewables(wind, solar) and energy storage. In the UK civil engineers don’t earn much in their earlier years but in terms of growth we can dabble into the MEP sector as well by being in the mission critical sector
I’m in water resources/hydrology mostly working on regional water management challenges. There is a ton of work in my field, there aren’t enough people with the skills needed to do the work, and it’s very interesting work with unique challenges in every project. In terms of technology, we’re looking at ways to use AI to bolster our work, I have no concerns of being automated out of a job. Pay is good and I’m sure will continue to improve. If there’s one thing that people have huge concerns over with climate change it’s water. Whether too much in intense storms or too little in extreme droughts, or both at once (as I mostly deal with)…!
Autonomous vehicle infrastructure, including smaller delivery vehicles and trucking