ECF 90 Civil Engineering Assignment 1: Global Learning and Career Path

This assignment explores the field of Civil Engineering, addressing the student's chosen major and the reasons behind it. It delves into the roles and responsibilities of civil engineers, highlighting primary areas of specialization such as structural, geotechnical, and environmental engineering. The assignment includes an analysis of a job posting, detailing salary, job duties, and required skills, along with a discussion of relevant technologies and software like AutoCAD and BIM. Furthermore, it examines professional organizations and societies related to civil engineering, and differentiates between interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary engineering approaches. The student reflects on their career choices, expressing a passion for designing structures and a determination to prevent structural failures, drawing inspiration from personal experiences and mentorship.

Civil Engineering 1
ECF - 90: ASSIGNMENT 1 – GLOBAL LEARNING/WRITTEN
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Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date

Civil Engineering 2
Engineering as an Umbrella
My chosen engineering major is Civil Engineering. The reason why I selected Civil Engineering
is that civil engineers not only design engineering marvels, but they also design things that are
built physically making them creative in their unique way. It is very interesting to know that civil
engineering surrounds the world we are living in, from flushing the toilet to walking on a bright,
looking at a dam, standing on top of a tall building, all are civil engineering1. As a civil engineer,
one gets to see the design come to life, from software or paper to real life. It is very fulfilling
knowing that I took part in the construction of something tangible that assists the society entirely
such as pipelines, seaports, airports, electric transmission lines, highways, tunnels, bridges,
railroads, sewage plants, canals, dams, and water systems.
Some of the roles of civil engineers in the industry include planning, designing, and overseeing
the maintenance and construction of facilities and building structures such as tunnels, railways,
roads, and bridges. They are designed and build large buildings and complicated structures such
as airports, hospitals, train stations, and multi-story building2. The primary areas of specialization
in the civil engineering field include Engineering Geosciences, Geoinformatics, Hydraulics and
water resources engineering, Structural Engineering, Construction Engineering, Coastal
Engineering, Materials Engineering, Urban Engineering, Transpiration Engineering,
Environmental Engineering, and Geotechnical Engineering.
According to the civil engineering job advert by Murphy Group, the starting salary is £30,000 a
year and the different job duties include using computer modeling software and data from maps,
tests, and surveys to create project blueprints. The technology and application references are
1 Anonymous, 2020. Research Guides: Civil Engineering: Professional Organizations. Guides.lib.umich.edu, p.
https://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=282899&p=1885112.
2 Kirschenman, M. & Brenner, B., 2010. Education for Civil Engineering: A Profession of Practice. Leadership and
Management in Engineering, Volume 10, pp. 54-56.

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known as indeed.com which is an online platform known for assisting graduates, graduate
trainees, and industrial placement for engineers across the country in job seeking. The experience
and skills required for the job can be acquired after graduation by applying for graduate trainee
civil engineering to attain the required experience and skills before applying for the actual job as
a qualified civil engineer3.
The major professional organizations related to civil engineering include ASM International,
Earthquake Engineers Research Institute (EERI), and American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE)4. The major design software the industry used in civil engineering include AutoCAD
and Building information modeling (BIM)5. Multidisciplinary engineering is for those who plan
to practice engineering as a career but whose particular goals cannot be accommodated within a
single engineering field hence providing flexibility program while interdisciplinary engineering
has subject boundaries and one is encouraged to apply the knowledge gained in a single
discipline for deeper understanding and learning experience that is meaningful6.
Reflecting on my Career Choices within Civil Engineering Fields
After learning about my personality ad different career opinions, is still strongly feel that I am
very passionate about my career in civil engineering without any regrets. During my free time, is
3 Russell, J., 2013. Shaping the Future of the Civil Engineering Profession. Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management, Volume 139, pp. 654-664.
4 Anonymous., 2020. What is the difference between interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research?.
ResearchGate, Volume SP27,
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_difference_between_interdisciplinary_and_multidisciplinary_re
search.
5 Jaehyun, C. & Han-Guk, R., 2015. Application and Effects Analysis of BIM(Building Information Modeling) for
Construction Management of a Construction Field. Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction, Volume
15, pp. 115-121.
6 Anonymous., 2020. What is the difference between interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research?.
ResearchGate, Volume SP27, p.
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_difference_between_interdisciplinary_and_multidisciplinary_re
search.

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like carrying of research on the net regarding the design and construction process of some of the
amazing structured that have been designed by civil engineers. These structures give me a lot of
passion to personally design a structure that has never been designed before using drawing
pencils or computer modeling software7. Majority of the structures I generally design using
computer software include high-rise buildings, different shaped building namely oval, circular,
and under-water road transport, and high-speed motorboats. Considering that the drawings are
not comprehensive enough due to lack of enough skills and knowledge in civil engineering, I still
believe that after acquiring the necessary skills, then I will design one of the designs of the
amazing structure that has ever been witnessed.
The motivation and urge to pursue civil engineering as my career has also been promoted by
structural failures that have claimed millions of lives due to mistakes by the structural and civil
engineers. I am very determined to correct mistakes in my profession to prevent further loss of
lives. I believe that these mistakes can be prevented by proper planning, designing, and
overseeing the construction of facilities and building structures8.
My choice of career has also been influenced by my surroundings since am related to a civil
engineer who has always offered me guidance that I need to develop my knowledge in the design
of structures. He has mentored me in the field and shaped me to understand what it entails to be a
successful and reputable civil engineer whose legacy will always be appreciated.
REFERENCES
Anonymous., 2020. What is the difference between interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research?.
ResearchGate, Volume SP27, p.
7 Russell, J., 2013. Shaping the Future of the Civil Engineering Profession. Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management, Volume 139, pp. 654-664.
8 Kirschenman, M. & Brenner, B., 2010. Education for Civil Engineering: A Profession of Practice. Leadership and
Management in Engineering, Volume 10, pp. 54-56.

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https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_difference_between_interdisciplinary_and_multidisci
plinary_research.
Anonymous, 2020. Research Guides: Civil Engineering: Professional Organizations. Guides.lib.umich.edu,
p. https://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=282899&p=1885112.
Jaehyun, C. & Han-Guk, R., 2015. Application and Effects Analysis of BIM(Building Information Modeling)
for Construction Management of a Construction Field. Journal of the Korea Institute of Building
Construction, Volume 15, pp. 115-121.
Kirschenman, M. & Brenner, B., 2010. Education for Civil Engineering: A Profession of Practice.
Leadership and Management in Engineering, Volume 10, pp. 54-56.
Nukulchai, W., 2017. A New Landscape of Civil Engineering Profession. MOJ Civil Engineering, Volume 2.
Russell, J., 2013. Shaping the Future of the Civil Engineering Profession. Journal of Construction
Engineering and Management, Volume 139, pp. 654-664.