What Is a Civil Designer and How to Become One
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What Does a Civil Designer Do?
A civil designer creates plans for the construction of municipal infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges. In this career, your duties and responsibilities revolve around using computer-aided design (CAD) software to create maps for these construction projects. You draft and scale the drawings to provide a basic outline and plan for the construction. Civil designers can operate in both commercial and residential areas, so you must be aware of municipal laws and regulations as they relate to these areas. Additionally, you work with the managers of the construction projects you design to determine the costs of the projects. You work on many different infrastructure projects, from basic road and traffic management to wastewater facilities and erosion control systems.
How to Become a Civil Designer
The minimum qualifications for a civil designer include an associate’s degree in architecture or an engineering program that teaches the basics of drafting software and CAD programs for the creation of blueprints and project plans. These courses of study often have a specific emphasis for different civil engineering specialties, so it is important to be aware of the specifics of the degree program you are pursuing. For some jobs, a degree is satisfactory to obtain a job as a civil engineer. However, many employers require additional experience in civil design, such as an internship, to develop the requisite skills for the job. There are also certification programs for becoming a Certified Drafter or Certified Design Drafter. These are not required, but they can help expand your employment opportunities.
