Civil Engineering: A Student's Path to Making an Impact

Anna Netecha has decided on her career path. Netecha, a native of Ukraine who has lived in Canada since 2023, is in her second and final year of Sault College’s Civil Engineering Technician program. Civil engineers design and maintain essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water systems, dams and buildings, playing a vital role in land development. “It's a very practical field,” Netecha told SooToday. “It's really hands-on and applicable. Between my second and third semesters I worked for the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s engineering department as a summer student. I was able to apply everything that I learned here at school in my work.” Netecha assisted city engineering staff in tasks such as traffic counts and land surveys. She found that no civil engineering project is a solo effort. “It’s not one individual. It’s a lot of group work. No engineering projects are done by yourself.” Over the last four semesters, Netecha and her classmates have spent time in the college’s technical shops to get familiarized with power tools and construction materials, learning health and safety regulations, the bidding process involved in an engineering job and working with specialized software and blueprints. “We’ve learned step by step how to deal with the process of estimating a project’s cost, working with the blueprints from beginning to the end, how to read specifications for job sites,” she said. “The process can be stressful but in the end, when I get my project done, I feel satisfaction and joy knowing that I’ve completed it.” The jobs are there for civil engineering grads and the field needs people to enter it, said Marc Pilon, a professor and the coordinator of Sault College's Civil Engineering and Construction programs. He said their students have a great track record. “I’ve been with the college full-time since 2019 and I’m not aware of any students who are looking for work more than a year after graduation. In general, there is a shortage of individuals in the civil engineering profession across Ontario,” Pilon said. He said a survey conducted by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers showed that only 40 per cent of engineering graduates are actually working in the field of engineering after graduating because many move to management and the public sector. That creates more demand for civil engineers in the private sector. Pilon added that the shortage of civil engineers is also due to the fact that 30 per cent of them are over the age of 50 and getting closer to retirement. The federal government’s recent announcement of a new Major Projects Office will open up opportunities for civil engineering graduates across Canada, he said. There are several levels of education for engineers in general. Students can start with a two-year college diploma to be a civil engineering technician then move to a three-year college diploma to be a technologist. There are also university level engineering degrees. “While we all generally work on the same projects under the civil engineering umbrella, the type of work we do on those projects often reflects our educational backgrounds," Pilon said. A civil engineering technician or technologist from the college level will focus on field work like land surveys, inspections, material testing and design support and drafting. “An engineering degree program graduate, especially one who has obtained their Professional Engineers License will be focused on the detailed design calculations, contract specifications, project management, and technical writing," he said. Students who enjoy hands-on learning are encouraged to start at the college level and progress upwards, Pilon said. What type of skills and strengths should an individual possess before enroling in an engineering program and embarking on an engineering career? “Math and science skills are key, but in general problem solving and being ‘trainable’ are the most important,” Pilon said. He said it doesn’t matter what level of education you possess, "the classroom is the tip of the iceberg, and the real training begins on the job." From managing new equipment, to working through field changes onsite, graduates need to be versatile and knowledgeable about codes and standards, while being able to problem solve and work on a team.” Pilon said engineering grads can find employment anywhere. “We have a strong local engineering consulting and contracting community who employs our graduates both during their summer co-ops, as well as after the completion of their program. Public sector entities such as the City of Sault Ste. Marie, PUC Services, Ministry of Transportation, and Sault College are also great landing spots for graduates. "Students have the ability to stay local, as well as travel across Ontario, Canada, and abroad," he said. Local construction companies as well as Tulloch Engineering, Cenlo Engineering, Kresin Engineering and WSP have employed Sault College civil engineering grads, Pilon said. Netecha is looking forward to her graduation. She's already seeking employment with local engineering firms and is confident of getting hired. “I have summer experience. I've been there and I'm really passionate about finding a job in the field,” she said. “I feel this is the right field for me. I feel complete. I enjoy it.”