Importance of civil engineering

According to my research, civil engineering started between 4000 – 2000 BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. When humans decided to build their permanent houses, the construction of shelter began. Therefore, civil engineering considered as one of the oldest field in engineering and is the broadest of the all engineering professions. Civil engineer works to enhance the infrastructures around us like roads, sewage, bridges, dams, aqueducts, large building constructions, canals, railway lines, airports, water supply systems, harbors, transportation, tunnels, and other engineering constructions.

They are the best in designing, constructing, buildings, creating, improving, maintaining, and repairing facilities and industries. Being a civil engineer you have to know the basic knowledge of the other engineering since most in the field are connected to civil engineering. Like the electrical engineering, when we have buildings without electricity or roads without stoplights, then the two engineers will be able to work with each other. In mechanical engineering, we cannot have a train without its railway or a machine without its factory. Therefore, civil engineering said to be the mother of all branches since it has a very wide field.

Civil engineers develop our society, they design and build an infrastructure that ensures safeness and enhances the life of people. Also, they provide reliable and safe structures which resists the effect of natural calamities like floods, earthquake etc. The safety of the people is in the hand of a civil engineer. According to Engr. Frederick A. Dolorical, an alumnus of TUP-Manila and now a civil engineer at Geotechnical and Building Assessment Department Services Pte Ltd Singapore, once the engineer did not conduct a test or did not monitor the ongoing construction, it may cause such a serious accident. Safety is the main priority. They can save lives by just conducting an inspections and tests to make sure that the structures are safe enough to use. Proper planning is also important. Validation of design basis is also a job that will avoid any unwanted occurrences. By making this accurately, we can save peoples life. That is way civil engineering is important. We can also save life. (Engr. Frederick Dolorical, personal communication, July 8, 2014)

Civil engineering is also important in our modern society. We can witness in our country the development of roads, buildings and other structures. The main intention behind this is not only to make the lives of people easy, safe and secure, but also to make our surroundings beautiful in a stronger and better way. Nowadays, many structure and buildings are very unique in designs. As we look towards the future and picture a world with high rise skyscrapers, flying cars and cities in the clouds, we need to take a minute to appreciate the importance of those with civil engineering jobs.

We take for granted how our cities are always upgrading, growing to keep up with the fast increasing numbers of people. We curse and get frustrated as we sit through traffic as the result of road works, but then don’t stop to realize that the new five-lane road you will soon be enjoying was once a quiet, dusty and dirty road. We are in an era that is ready to see some breathtakingly futuristic construction and these plans are only possible with the help of civil engineers. Without the expertise of civil engineers, none of these incredible projects will be possible. That’s why civil engineers are very important for development of society and in to the world.

Civil engineering also played a role in increasing the health and quality of life. From developing better water supplies, municipal sewer systems, wastewater treatment plants to the design of buildings to protect us from natural hazards and provide health care, to improved agriculture through water resource development and distribution projects to rapid and dramatic changes in transportation systems, civil engineers have developed the basic infrastructure on which modern society depends. Civil engineers were the first engineers and continue to be dedicated to the technology development for the goods of the general public and benefit the everyday lives of the people and the communities in which we live.

Their work helped as to reduce the death rate which is one of the principal reasons that population has been able to grow so fast. Growth of population means growth of infrastructures. We need to construct shelter for the growing population. Due to the increase in construction in our country, the demands for civil engineers are expected to go faster as well. This can also be one of the reasons why students of today are choosing civil engineering. As long as there are structures and facilities that need to be build or constructed, there will always be a demand for civil engineers.

Those are the reasons why I took BS Civil Engineering, to have the knowledge on the field of structures and designs. I want to know every little detail on how a building was built. Surveying a land, measuring the area, create a building plan, building the walls and so on. I want to design a unique structure that I can put my name on it and be proud of it. My mom said that, when I was just a kid I used to play at my father’s workshop. I kept asking him about the use of the materials that I sew in the room. I was also curious on how he fixed those toys that I broke. Since I took this course, I can now answer those questions and I can also apply those things that my father used to do.

Also, as I talked to Engr. Albretch Hernandez who’s a civil engineer at DMCI homes, he told me being a civil engineer is a very hearth warming job. All the hard work is being paid off with gratitude especially when somebody recognizes your work. The fulfillment is different. Also, you can learn a lot from people you used to work with that even the university cannot teach you. (Engr. Albretch Hernandez, personal communication, July17, 2014).

I really want to be an engineer, a civil engineer to be exact. As I have learned from them. Being an engineer is not all about constructing, it is also about designing not just an ordinary infrastructure but a very unique one. It’s about making a very strong foundation for you to save life of those people use to stay on you creation. It’s about developing out nation for a better future, a beautiful future.