I am really considering Civil Engineering as my major in the fall, and I’m not certain how employable this major especially when compared to more popular Engineering majors, such as computer, mechanical, electrical.
I am not entirely sure how the job market is for civil engineering currently, so when I hopefully graduate in 2022, I am wondering how difficult it would be for me to find a job? Also, if you guys know anything about the typical salaries associated with this job that would also be great to know.
Anyone who attempts to answer this, no matter where you ask, will be, at best, giving you a slightly educated guess. No one can tell you what the future holds, especially 4 years down the road.
What I can say is that if you are choosing it because it interests you, you apply yourself and do well, your prospects will be fine. Pick what you want to do, not what you think will be most employable. The road is littered with people who picked a discipline because they were being paid so well, only to be greeted by a cyclic downturn that no one predicted by the time they graduated.
I also noticed you asked this less than two weeks ago and were given two great answers. Any reason you expect to find someone with a crystal ball now? :-/
With all the infrastructure work going on, CE seens to be in good shape. But don’t choose a major you know so little about and haven’t researched. Job projections, salary ranges, where most work is, and more, is at your fingertips, online.
Unless you think people will stop using roads, bridges, buildings, and other structures and critical infrastructure, then the answer is yes, civil engineers will still have job opportunities.
@eyemgh My parents think that I should maybe switch to a more secure job major, like electrical engineeing, and I’ve been really hesitant about all of this for the last few weeks. Though I feel like I may benefit from a career that I THINK I might enjoy, my primary concern is having a sense of job security so I can pay off my student loans quick as well as lift a burden of my parent’s back. So, I guess I’ve been searching for a clear cut answer on how the market may look so I can essentially decide if I need to switch my major.
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics website:
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/civil-engineers.htm
The job outlook for EE’s…
Really, either is fine.
The data @Gator88NE offered is about as good as you’ll get, and in no way a guarantee. Economists don’t do a great job at predicting downturns. There’s a catchy saying, “Economists have predicted 9 out of the last 5 recessions.”
You don’t want to choose a career path you will enjoy less because of what MIGHT happen in 4 years. @HPuck35 does a great job reminding posters that their career will likely be 40 years and will certainly have some ups and downs.
The bottom line with is this, ANY engineering degree will have stronger earning potential than just about any other stand alone bachelor’s degree.
Chose what you enjoy.
It is difficult to predict economic and industry cycles four years into the future. So it is mostly luck in terms of “market timing” your graduation and entry into the job market.
Regarding a career being 40 years or so, that is true, but it is known that those who enter the job market during an economic or industry downturn tend to have worse career progression even a decade or two later. Some are never able to enter their field, because they were unable to get jobs in their field at graduation during the downturn, and during the recovery employers passed over those with a record of unemployment in favor of new graduates. In the last downturn, civil engineering was hit hard, and some 2009 graduates tried to delay their entry into the job market by going to graduate school for a few years.
Agreed, but no one has a rock solid view into the future to know 4 years in advance if their specialty will be hit. It’s just as likely that EE could be impacted. The OP wants a guarantee that no one can really provide them. The bottom line is, pick what interests you, and adapt if need be. There’s certainly no guarantee that EE is “safer” than Civil.
The best way to mitigate the risk of graduating into a downturn may be to do well in school, including internships and undergraduate research, so that (a) you will have more competitive credentials when seeking jobs, particularly when employers are not hiring much, and (b) you will retain the option to go to a funded graduate program instead of graduating into the unemployment line.