What are the subjects needed for civil engineering?

Question

I know that I need Maths and Physics but what else do I need? What exactly do civil engineers do? What does it require? How much money do they make a year? I like to build stuff, take things apart and then rebuild them... Is this the right job for me? Or what about a pilot.. I love flying and I would like to be paid to do it.. I don't want to be a stewardess and I dunno about the flight engineering... what does that require? what do they do? so my only option is to become a pilot..but I don't know... all those plane crashes are scaring me...

Answer 1

Wow, so many questions for just one entry.

First flying is the safest method of travel.  Yes, most airline crashes have a high death toll, but there are far more train and car crashes and more loss of life in them.

You don't sound like you would be a good fit for a civil engineer; you have to work with abstract and written ideas and rarely get to put things together; not like a mechanical engineer would.

All engineers need Chemistry and Calculus, usually advanced calculus, then the other courses are determined by the specialty.  If you are building anything they you need structures and material science, if you are going to put it into the ground then you need geology, if you are going to be a flight engineer you need fluid dynamics (aerodynamics).  If you want to be an electronics engineer you need electronics courses.  Petrochemical engineers need fluid dynamics and structures, Industrial engineers usually work on constructing assembly lines; designing and improving them.  Automobile engineers need fluid dynamics and materials science.

Almost all the calculations will be done with computers so for all engineer fields you will also need to know how to operate and program a computer, typing would also help a lot.  All plans for government work must be submitted in an AutoCAD format so learning the AutoCAD computer drawing program will also be a big help.  Computers also come in handy when you are running simulations.

If you like flight then I suggest becoming an aircraft engineer, and enter the military service as a pilot; that would give you valuable experience on some expensive hardware and free flight training.

If you like to put things together and take them apart then a mechanical engineer sounds like the best field for you.  You can design replaceable parts, devices like DVD players, iPods, and anything else that you have in the home that can be taken apart; from your clock radio to your bed, to your light fixtures.

Physics is the key course because the formulas from geology, fluid dynamics, structures and so on are all based on one physics formula; F=ma (Force = mass X acceleration).  The problem with physics is you need calculus to use most of it and to derive the formulas that are used in other field and sciences.

My father was a mechanical engineer, with that degree he became a safety engineer for the Boeing corporation.  He started working on planes and then moved into space flight working on every mission from the Apollo program to the Space Shuttle and Space Station.

Determining you pay grade would be extremely complex, it depends on the job, the type of engineer, if you work for the government, the specialty you take and the size of the company you work for.  Engineering is a hard course so the good ones can make as much as doctors, more than nurses and pilots or flight attendants (much more than the latter).  They pay you get is usually a direct factor of how much education you need to be able to handle the job.

You can become a flight attendant with only a high school or an associates school degree; however engineers have to have at least a bachelor's degree and some areas require advanced degrees and courses.  To be a military pilot you have to have a bachelor's degree and one in aerodynamics would help, but isn't required.  Most commercial airline pilots started off in the military, it is a lot cheaper than paying for flight school yourself.

In the meantime you should invest in Microsoft Flight Simulator and see if you like it.  You can simulate any aircraft from a single engine Cessna to a 747 or an SST.

Aerodynamic engineers, Petrochemical engineers, and biochemical engineers take some pretty hard college courses.  Industrial engineers tend to take a lighter load.  Civil and Mechanical engineers take a tough course load, but not as tough as some.