V Reddy Kancharla has been in civil engineering for over 25 years and I was very lucky to have a 20 minute chat with him at a recent convention. This is a man who is very widely respected in the engineering game and he has worked on just about every type of project which you could think of from residential and commercial buildings, bridge projects and roadways to name just a few, not to mention his work as a geotechnical consultant. Back when Mr Kancharla was starting out, there wasn’t much of a demand for people to get started in engineering, the landscape right now however is very different.
Currently civil engineering is the most commonly taken major in US colleges, and here is why so many people love it like Reddy does.
Problem Solving
At the heart of all engineering projects is the need or the desire to fix a problem, and this is one of the biggest draws to this industry. In civil engineering in particular, we have created structures that help us cross mountains, rivers and seas, we have created holes in the ground to accommodate gas pipes, we have built skyscrapers to reduce the need to build broadly and we have built homes that are protected from the elements. This desire to solve problems is a big draw to this career choice.
Creation
In order to solve those problems we have to get creative and that is et another big draw to this career, the chance to be creative each and every day. In truth engineers of all types are the ultimate creators, they are the ones coming up with sleek designs for modern installations, they design streamlined and beautiful cars which take to our roads and they are also responsible for the very roads which those gorgeous cars are driven on. There aren’t too many jobs that are quite like engineering for creative types, yet another reason why so many wish to pursue a career in this industry.
Rewarding
Time and time again engineering has proven to be a highly rewarding career and that is in both a professional and a personal capacity. Not only is there the greatest reward of seeing something that you have conceived, designed and then built, but there is also greta satisfaction in the knowledge that you have been a key part of solving a problem. Financially this is also a well paid job and even entry level workers are well compensated for what they do. In terms of job satisfaction there is a lot to be had here and that is yet again why so many are happy to take on a career in this field.
There are plenty of jobs available too and many graduates are able to walk straight into a position, this combined with the other points on this list is exactly why more and more students are looking to take on a career in engineering, and follow in the footsteps of Reddy Kancharla.
