How to become a Construction Engineer

Construction Engineering is a distinct branch of engineering that aims to provide aspirants with informed knowledge and understanding required in the planning, designing, construction, maintenance and supervision of schools, buildings, highways, hospitals, bridges, tunnels, airports, sewage systems and water treatment facilities. A construction engineer is a civil engineer who develops, manages, and supervises construction projects, ensuring that they are finished on schedule and to the standards specified in the blueprints and technical specifications. Being so closely associated with the environment, besides engineering infrastructure, it also addresses the need to protect public and environmental health and improve existing infrastructure.

Therefore, the curriculum is extensive and focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of construction engineering disciplines such as solid mechanics, water resources engineering, steel structure design, information technology and computer-aided design, engineering drawing and graphics, and so on. Construction engineering jobs need employees to work in a variety of circumstances and places. Building engineers typically operate from an office; however, they are sometimes seen overseeing construction sites. Therefore, construction engineering firms want qualified employees with a bachelor's degree in civil or construction engineering, the necessary aptitude, and considerable industry experience.

Being one of the key members of building projects, the role of a construction engineer is multifaceted. Generally,  it comprises of the following tasks:

• Manage the repair, maintenance, and replacement of infrastructure
• Compile and submit permit applications to local, state, and federal institutions to verify that projects comply with the regulations
• Consider potential environmental hazards, construction costs, and government regulations, during the planning and risk-analysis stages of a project
• Ensure that safety standards and practices are diligently being followed at construction sites.
• Consider costs associated with materials, equipment, labour costs, inspections, consult colleagues and estimate the final project budget

Construction engineers are expected to often deal with multiple conflicting objectives that are highly critical with regard to financial costs and safety concerns. Aspirants must thus possess superior decision-making ability, communication skills, a quick, analytic mind, and problem-solving talents. In addition, construction engineering jobs may require a full-time presence on-site, managing and supervising a team of workers, technicians, and trainees, which requires endurance, organisational skills, leadership abilities, the ability to adapt to one's immediate environment, and the ability to work well under pressure. Construction engineers must also have a passion for building, physics and mathematics. Finally, construction engineer jobs require an eye for detail, innovation and dexterous application of logical concepts, and thus, aspirants must exhibit these traits to at least some extent.

In order to enrol into a Bachelor’s program at an esteemed university, aspirants are expected to clear the JEE main and subsequently, the JEE Advance exam which makes the aspirant eligible to apply at any university in India. It is a challenging exam to crack that requires hard work as well as rigorous and consistent preparation. Some states have their own entrance exams that are admissible in their respective universities. Many educational institutes conduct their own entrance tests. 

Depending on one’s educational background, experience, and skillsets, aspirants may apply for the following manufacturing engineering jobs:

• Planning Engineer
• Site Engineer
• Project Engineer
• Quality Control Engineer
• Site Supervisor
• Project Manager
• Project Estimation Head