<p>There are many specialties within civil. The main ones are structural, environmental, geotechnical, transportation, and construction. There are others too (e.g. air, energy infrastructure) but those are the five major ones. A master’s degree is required if you want to work in structural (I only know a few rare exceptions). For the others, generally you don’t need a master’s degree but they do make you a more competitive job applicant. Bigger firms generally want students with graduate degrees at entry level.</p>
<p>PE certification is also important, but first you need the EIT. You can earn the EIT while still in undergrad. While it’s not a requirement to work as an engineer, realistically you need one because it shows you have competence in basic engineering principles. It looks really bad if you’re unable to obtain the EIT. After the EIT, you can qualify for the PE. The PE is required if you want to get promoted past intermediate levels.</p>
<p>Civil engineers do anything related to the built environment. Some categories include design, project management, data analysis, and research. It depends on where you work, and what your position is.</p>
<p>For skills, it again depends on what position you want. Some useful skills include design software (AutoCAD), programming (MATLAB, R), Excel, and scheduling software (Microsoft Project). You also need to strong communication and social skills because you often work with clients (e.g. government agencies) and contractors.</p>
<p>Work life depends on whether you work in the public sector or private sector, and also if you’re working in the office or in the field, or a mixture of both. Public sector follow the generic 40 hour work week. For private, you work until you get your work done so you may end up working more hours.</p>
<p>Outlook? I’m inclined to say it’s good. The world is always going to need civil engineers to maintain infrastructure (roads, sewers, water distribution, etc.).</p>
<p>Pay is generally pretty good compared to other non-engineering fields. It depends on your location. You won’t be making nearly as much as computer engineers though.</p>
<p>I can’t really speak on stability since I haven’t been in the industry for long, but I don’t know anyone who got laid off because of a lack of work.</p>
<p>Civil engineers can work anywhere. You’re not limited to just big cities. Any place with any form of infrastructure (built or developing) can have civil engineers. Some of my friends work in big cities, and some work in suburbs. They also take assignments which send them into unpopulated development zones.</p>