r/Engineers • u/Intelligent_Page_168 • 13h ago

Civil vs. Industrial engineering

I am considering between civil engineering and industrial engineering. How’s the job market for them two and what the exact difference between them? I hope to get the true perspective from people from the field!! Thank you so much!

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u/BaconManDan 12h ago

Are you in the US? If so:

  • civil market will always be strong. We need roads and buildings more than anything else, and it's some of the hardest work to outsource because of how location specific it is. However Civil guys (generally) are the lowest paid engineers.
  • Industrial is tricky. The market is more volatile and more likely to change by the time you graduate.

Differences:

  • Civils (and structural) deal with the environment where things get built and the main structure of what is getting built. Everything from environmental surveying and soil testing to concrete specs and beam sizing.
  • industrial is process and manufacturing (largely). How can we shave time off of processes, what improvements can we make here or there to reduce injuries?

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u/Howwouldiknow1492 11h ago

Good answer. Allow me to elaborate (IE here). IE generally falls into several specialties: a) Production-inventory control b) Operations research c) Engineering economy / capital investment evaluation d) Ergonomics / work station design / industrial safety e) Work measurement / time study.

I got into production-inventory control and capital investment evaluation. That led to process improvement projects, then new process layouts, then new facility design and construction (with engineering teams). I spent 18 years working for two Fortune 500 companies then hung out my shingle and went into private practice. (I'm a PE.)

It's been a wonderful career. Loved my employers and my clients -- some overlap there. Loved my co-workers. I worked on project teams where we got really close, still some of my best friends now.

I don't know what the current job market is like but I do remember that it used to be volatile. Keep in mind that an IE background also prepares you for other careers too, like general business, management, and finance.

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u/Celestial-Callista 4h ago

I’m a ChE and work for a utility company that does a lot of construction, so I might be biased. I’ve met ONE industrial engineer 7 years between engineering school & industry, but I’ve met a ton of Civil engineers who’ve all been pretty successful. I honestly would say its versatility is on par with the big 3 (ChE, MechE, AeroE). Go for civil if you want career versatility and stability, imo.