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The differences between civil engineering interns and structures engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a civil engineering internship and a structures engineer. Additionally, a structures engineer has an average salary of $73,391, which is higher than the $52,597 average annual salary of a civil engineering internship.
The top three skills for a civil engineering internship include civil 3d, GIS and roadway design. The most important skills for a structures engineer are structural analysis, revit, and RISA.
| Civil Engineering Internship | Structures Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $52,597 | $73,391 |
| Hourly rate | $25.29 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 109,733 | 20,778 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Civil engineer interns work to improve their knowledge about construction and its relevant works. An internship provides them insight into various aspects of construction and how things run at the site. Through an internship, they learn how to differentiate between reality and engineering. Civil engineering interns will typically perform various tasks, including preparing and monitoring documents, working closely with the civil engineer to resolve issues and review complaints, and preparing plans and maps. They are also expected to visit construction sites to do their planning, quality control, documentation, and site execution.
A structures engineer works in designing, planning, and overseeing the development of the latest buildings and bridges or modifications and extensions to an existing property or other structures. They are mainly concerned with the safety and capability of the structure to withstand the elements to which they will be exposed--also improving the existing building structural integrity. Part of the task is inspecting properties regarding the conditions/foundation and checking work undertaken by contractors. The job is very similarly related to a civil engineer.
Civil engineering interns and structures engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Civil Engineering Internship | Structures Engineer | |
| Average salary | $52,597 | $73,391 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $80,000 | Between $54,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Adobe | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a civil engineering internship and a structures engineer in terms of educational background:
| Civil Engineering Internship | Structures Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between civil engineering interns' and structures engineers' demographics:
| Civil Engineering Internship | Structures Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.7% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.3% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |