Mechanical Versus Civil Engineering: Which One is Better?

An Engineering degree is considered a professional course due to the numerous areas of specializations that you can apply to for more insight and expertise as you progress within your desired field.

There are certain fields within engineering although similar but have different applications for organisations, industries and job requirements. Thus it is important to understand the different types of engineering degrees available before applying to the university.

Read Also: Top 10 Jobs for Mechanical Engineering Graduates

What Is Mechanical Engineering?

Mechanical engineering as a field is centred around the study, design, production, and maintenance of different types of equipment. Although one of the broadest and oldest disciplines, mechanical engineers apply their knowledge from physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc. in the production of safety equipment for the public.

As a mechanical engineer, there are many areas where your knowledge is required; you may be involved with researching, designing, building, and testing of equipment to ascertain their durability. Most of your job involves both technical skills because you would be doing a lot of equipment and machinery handling. Also, working hours may be slightly different from normal 9-5, you may sometimes be required to travel in case your attention is needed in a different city or country.

What Is Civil Engineering?

Civil engineering involves creating, improving and protecting the environment in which we live through making safe and cost-effective designs and blueprints that can be used in the construction and maintenance of roads, railways, buildings, dams, irrigation projects e.t.c

The Ultimate goal of a civil engineer is to build structures and edifices that are strong, durable and can be maintained easily with available resources. most jobs within this field could either be consulting based where you work primarily to design projects as required by clients while those who are construction based engineers make use of designs from the consultants for implementation during construction.

The work schedule is typically full time with normal working hours except on days when extra hours and days are required to complete construction projects with deadlines.

As one progresses into management positions, a lot of roles require that you have a postgraduate education either in business administration, civil engineering or related fields which is relevant to the role you are applying to. Having great interpersonal, communication, analytical and critical thinking skills also help with working effectively in your job role.

Career Opportunities In Mechanical Engineering

As a mechanical engineer, you can work in various positions within the following sectors;

• Health and Safety specialist: As a Health and Safety specialist, you would be able to give a first-hand assessment of the work environment and possible hazards. Industries and companies these days need Health and Safety Specialists who would give recommendations on how to make work environments less Hazardous for their workers.
• Maintenance Engineer: this can be another good option for you as a Mechanical Engineer. You would mostly be overseeing the continuous efficiency of pieces of equipment across various industries. Some might even require that you come up with procedures for routine maintenance procedures.
• Consultant for Engineering Firms: You can decide to work on your own as an Engineer, But you would be at a better advantage if you obtain a master’s degree and Project Management certification. Having these qualifications help you convince employers better. who knows your next big break might be around the corner.
• Academics: In universities and colleges, Mechanical Engineers who are academics teach the principles of Mechanical Engineering to students both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Projects carried out by students under adequate supervision may be used to implement new solutions in areas where Mechanical engineering is applicable.
• Automotive Engineer: The recent advancements in technology have been introduced in many business sectors. This has seen that people learn IT-related skills which are in high demand these days. As an Automotive Engineer, you would help to develop innovative technologies that would make devices more user-friendly.

Career Opportunities In Civil Engineering

While working in different organisations as a civil engineer, you can progress in your career in the following roles;

• Consulting Civil Engineer: As a consulting engineer, your work would be centred around creating designs that meet the client’s specifications and can be used during construction of the required edifices
• Construction Civil Engineer: These type of civil engineers work based on the design obtained from consulting engineers to ensure the constructions at the site are built in line with the blueprint. usually, entry-level graduates mostly start as construction engineers before progressing into consulting with clients
• Water Engineer:  Water Engineers act as specialists to oversee the construction of structures such as dams, irrigation systems, sewage systems e.t.c
• Site Engineer:  site engineers oversee all activities going on at the construction site. they approve the use of the equipment and monitor how supplies are managed during the construction process.

All professions in the engineering field are similar because they make use of their knowledge in mathematics, physics, design and chemistry to design and carry out different projects within their field. one can have a degree in mechanical engineering and work in civil engineering related companies and vice versa.

But if one is looking to continue long term, then you would have to get a postgraduate degree related to your field and work experience for easy progression into more technical and higher roles.