A civil engineer needs to have a sharp, analytical and practical mind
and give attention to details. Excellent communication skills is a
necessity and he should have the ability to get along at all levels,
as part of a team. He should be good at organising and solving
problems. He may need to work under pressure and have the ability to
keep calm during crisis.

<p>He needs to know about surveying methods, environmental issues like
whether the area is susceptible to tremors or has sandy soil etc,
properties of building materials like its load bearing strength,
resistance to fire and corrosion etc. Besides having a good technical
designing knowledge conceptualising structures, they should be
computer literate in order to use design, drawing and word processing
software. Civil engineers need to know building and safety
regulations, local authority and government regulations, acceptable
standards for construction and how to draw plans.