What does a professional engineer do?
A professional engineer specializes in designing and developing systems and structures through different principles. Although their duties will vary upon their industry of employment, it typically includes performing site assessments and examinations, studying the purpose and goals of the project, developing plans and guidelines, monitoring the progress of operations, and resolving issues and concerns promptly and efficiently. They may work together with architects and senior engineers, liaise with clients or contractors, and perform regular site inspections. Furthermore, a professional engineer must implement safety protocols and regulations to maintain a safe and efficient work environment.
Professional engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real professional engineer resumes:
- Manage custom product design & generate all require documentation for both customer and manufacturing groups using AutoCAD rel.
- Create transmittals & submittals in Prolog.
- Perform fit checks design using SolidWorks.
- Review site plans for compliance with NCDOT policy.
- Maintain the BOM data base and process engineering changes.
- Create customer manuals, BOM s, and schematics.
- Upgrade the project to ISO [] level of certification.
- Create well completions designs base on customers' AFE requirements.
- General knowledge of Allen Bradley & Rockwell PLC and process controls.
- Research and submission of RFI's and proper documentation of daily work perform.
- Work as an assistant in preparing schedules for the projects using Primavera P3.
- Complete implementation of ISO 13485 and other regulatory design controls for the company.
- Write AFE packages for workovers, recompletions, artificial lift, and other projects.
- Establish benchmark template for PowerPoint presentation now used as the standard MWH briefing format across Florida.
- Perform field services and system check-out on wastewater treatment facilities involving PLC and field device troubleshooting.
Professional engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Professional Engineers are proficient in Civil Engineering, Project Management, and PE. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Organizational skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Professional Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Civil Engineering, 11%
Create various civil engineering drawings including site plans, certificates of survey, topographic drawings and highway development plans.
- Project Management, 9%
Project management of civil and environmental projects including environmental permitting, and planning and zoning board approvals.
- PE, 8%
Assisted others including PE's with cost estimating and price negotiations.
- Revit, 5%
Produce drawings in AutoCAD and Revit.
- Civil 3D, 4%
Water main alignment design in Civil 3D Sidewalk improvement/prioritization study Exhibit preparation and concept cost estimates in Civil 3D.
- Engineering Design, 3%
Maintained a successful client base, providing annual engineering design and construction management opportunities throughout Northern Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota.
Most professional engineers use their skills in "civil engineering," "project management," and "pe" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential professional engineer responsibilities here:
Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling professional engineer duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "civil engineers often oversee several projects at the same time and must be able to allocate resources effectively." According to a professional engineer resume, here's how professional engineers can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "use organizational skills to track details of all jobs including invoicing, change orders, and technical specifications. "
Math skills. Another common skill required for professional engineer responsibilities is "math skills." This skill comes up in the duties of professional engineers all the time, as "civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting." An excerpt from a real professional engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what a professional engineer does: "prepared construction plans for demolition, existing conditions, utilities, pavement geometry, pavement markings, and erosion control. "
Problem-solving skills. Lastly, "problem-solving skills" is an important element of what a professional engineer does. Professional engineer responsibilities require this skill because "civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work." This resume example highlights how professional engineer duties rely on this skill: "provide engineering support and solutions to production floor issues. "
The three companies that hire the most professional engineers are:
- Tkda32 professional engineers jobs
- Jacobs Enterprises22 professional engineers jobs
- Jacobs Engineering Group
21 professional engineers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable professional engineer resume templates
Build a professional professional engineer resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your professional engineer resume.
Compare different professional engineers
Professional engineer vs. Structural designer
A Structural Designer designs, develops, and supervises the construction of new buildings and bridges, or extensions to existing properties or other structures. They review and update construction drawings as well as communicate project problems and flaws to managers.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a professional engineer are more likely to require skills like "civil engineering," "pe," "cost estimates," and "stormwater." On the other hand, a job as a structural designer requires skills like "bim," "navisworks," "ladders," and "design drawings." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Structural designers really shine in the construction industry with an average salary of $69,802. Comparatively, professional engineers tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $96,275.The education levels that structural designers earn slightly differ from professional engineers. In particular, structural designers are 6.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a professional engineer. Additionally, they're 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Professional engineer vs. Civil designer
A Civil Designer plans, scales, and drafts drawings and maps for roads, bridges, and other construction projects. They work with engineers and project managers in determining material, labor, and other costs of the assigned projects.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, professional engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "project management," "pe," "revit," and "cost estimates." Meanwhile, a civil designer has duties that require skills in areas such as "autocad," "civil design," "site design," and "design drawings." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Civil designers may earn a lower salary than professional engineers, but civil designers earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $74,665. On the other hand, professional engineers receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $96,275.civil designers earn lower levels of education than professional engineers in general. They're 10.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for professional engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Karen Panetta Ph.D.
Dean of Graduate Education, School of Engineering, Tufts University
The pandemic has also renewed our sense of need for internet security, privacy, and access to service. When all our social and educational interactions had to move to virtual platforms, we became aware of just how small and ill-prepared the world was and how inequitable the availability of these services was to parts of the world.
Professional engineer vs. Civil engineering internship
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.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, professional engineers are more likely to have skills like "pe," "stormwater," "business development," and "cad." But a civil engineering internship is more likely to have skills like "roadway design," "data collection," "arcgis," and "engineering drawings."
Civil engineering interns earn the best pay in the construction industry, where they command an average salary of $65,780. Professional engineers earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $96,275.civil engineering interns typically earn similar educational levels compared to professional engineers. Specifically, they're 4.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Professional engineer vs. Civil/structural engineer
Civil/Structural Engineers are engineers who specialize in designing structures. They usually design buildings, bridges, tunnels, or any other infrastructure. They ensure that these buildings are structurally sound, and their design maintains physical integrity. Civil/Structural Engineers have an in-depth knowledge of physics and building structures, and they use this knowledge in designing, planning, and building strong infrastructures.
Types of professional engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
