by Katie Rowland
for Mrs. Gwinn
Honors English III
15 November 1999
I love anything that has to do with math, science, or logic. After, some careful thought and consideration, I have decided to pursue a career in engineering, and more specially Civil Engineering. I think that with my interests and abilities that I would be perfectly suited to be a Civil Engineer. As stated in The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Civil Engineers design and supervise the construction of roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, bridges, and water supply and sewage systems" (JIST 116), and sounds like it would be interesting to me.
Special skills involved in Civil Engineering, according to SCOIS, are: "performing scientific and technical work, problem solving, supervising others, accepting responsibility, performing mathematics quickly and accurately, performing detailed and accurate work, making judgments based on verifiable information, and communicating effectively" ("Civil Engineer" np).
According to Hopke, " To prepare for college, students should focus on mathematics (algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus), the sciences (physics and chemistry), computer science, and english and the humanities (history, economics, and sociology)" (309). As stated in The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Offices, labs, factories, and actual sites are typical environments for engineers" (JIST 3ll).
As mentioned in The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Bachelor's degrees can be achieved through a number of programs: a four or five-year accredited college or university; two years in a community college engineering program plus two or three years in a college or university; five or six years in a co-op program (attending classes for part of the year and working in a engineering-related job for the rest of the year); or eight to ten years of part-time evening engineering courses" (JIST 309). As I found out from SCOIS, some logic colleges that offer majors in Civil Engineering are: "The Citadel, Clemson University, Claflin College, and South Carolina University" ("Civil Engineer" np). As printed in The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook, "As with all occupations, salaries are higher for those with more experience. The average salary for those in mid-level positions is $46,000 in private industry and $42,000 in government jobs others earn as much ad $88,000 a year" (JIST). According to SCOIS, "Entry-level Civil Engineers with a bachelor's degree earn approximately $28,000 per year in private industry; those with a master's degree, about $35,00; and those with a doctorate, about $47,00" ("Civil Engineer" np).
Other occupations related to Civil Engineering, according to SCOIS, are: "Architect, Construction and Building Inspector, Environmental Analyst, Mechanical Engineer, Surveyor and Mapping Scientist, Urban and Regional Planner" (SCIOS). As stated by The Enhanced Occupational Outlook handbook, "Many Civil Engineers work regular 40-hour weeks" (JIST 311). Civil Engineers must be able, according to SCOIS, "communicate effectively in writing" ("Civil Engineer" np), which, I may find that I won't like. According to SCOIS, "There were approximately 196,000 Civil Engineers employed nationally in 1996, employment of Civil Engineers is expected to grow as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2006, and a growing economy is expected to result in a demand for manufacturing plants, transportation systems, generating plants, off shore drilling facilities, and environmental pollution control" ("Civil Engineer" np).
According to The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook, "professional engineers with many years experience often join with partners to establish their own firms, and also, there are those who return to academia to teach high school or college students" (JIST 311). According to The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook, "as population continues to grow and communities become more complex, structures that Civil Engineers must pay attention to have to be remodeled and repaired" (JIST 308).
WORKS CITED
"Civil Engineer." SCOIS: South Carolina 2000 Career Guidance System. CD-ROM.
Hopke, William E. The Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance. United States of America. Ferguson Publishing
Company, 1993.
JIST. The Enhanced Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Indianapolis, IN: JIST Work, Inc. 1998.
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