If interested in design
1) structural engineering – related to design of buildings (industrial and residential)
2) transportation engineering – related design of roads , bridges , tunnels
3) infrastructure engineering- related to design of water tanks , sewage pipes , road transit systems, dams , canals
4) marine engineering – related to design of docks , harbours and other structures inside sea for oil industries
5) geo technical engineering : designing retaining walls , diaphragm walls to retain soil .
If interested in planning
1) infrastructure planning – planning the infrastructures which is talked about earlier .
2) town planning – planning of a specific area might be a city or a private township
if interested in research
1) GIS engineering
(geographic information system ).
it deals with collecting and analysing geographic data and using it for remote sensing, crime mapping , minerals searching etc.
2) Environmental engineering – researching on problems related to environment like global warming and ways to improve current condition
if interested in management
1) construction project management – managing a construction project . It can be of any design field mentioned above.
2)water/solid waste management – mainly deals with recycling of waste which is produced due to industries and also by citizens.
Learning is not a destination it’s a journey, always keep learning.
Looking at the present Construction Industry scenario, I would advice that it’s better to go for higher education, depending on your personal interest and future plans. You can prepare for GATE, GRE, TOEFL, Project Management, MBA, MTech, IES, IAS entrance exam.
Still you want to do the job then try for Government Job, Public Sector Unit (PSU), If you don’t fall in for any of the above then simply go for reputed companies or infrastructure jobs. But if possible avoid private companies at this juncture because it’s the worst hit period for the construction Industry.
Colleges from where you can pursue Construction/Project Management.
Go for M.S. in Civil Engineering in U.S. UK,South East Asia or Australia
Depending on your score in GRE, preferably 300+ you can choose one of the top ranking universities for M.S in civil engineering with a specialization of your choice in foreign universities.
Now for the options. Following are few options I considered and still do :-
- MTech in any division of your choice, like structures, transportation, geotechnical, etc. It depends on your interest. There’s immense scope for qualified engineers out there.
- Masters in Construction Management from NICMAR or other similar Indian universities. I cannot attest to its credibility and feasibility. But it is an option.
- Work as a site engineer. To most people, this option might be the least preferred. But, I’ve seen a few people who love working on the sites and watching their hard work build wonderful projects. Initially, the work will be hard and tiring, but if you can execute works with all the quality and safety parameters, you can charge a premium for your services.
- Work as a Quantity Surveyor. In many organizations, the site engineer himself plays this role. But in bigger organizations, the QS is responsible for billing. This is an important role for a company since the only way the work gets translated into money is by billing. If you can take measurements on-site accurately without any mistakes and be able to convince the clients of your calculations, again, you can demand a premium for your service.
- You can start your contracting firm. This step is normally taken by people who have surplus funds and with loads of connections with access to projects.
- LEED – Clear the LEED exams to gain LEED credentials. With this, you can join an architecture firm focusing on sustainability. Sustainability is important for our future generations, and this field is only going to grow from here.
- Find a problem and come up with solutions. Be it water sustainability, traffic congestion, Infrastructure deterioration, etc. The industry is waiting for young innovative minds to revamp it!
- Partner with a CS or ECE student to work on software for the construction industry. Labour attendance, material tracking, drone surveying, etc.