Civil engineering is a very competitive field in Cameroon. Moreover, Cameroon civil engineers are among the country's highest-paid.
Civil engineers are the pillars of every home we live in, every road we walk on, and every electricity we enjoy in our home and society.
Civil engineers are often spotted working in significant sectors of the economy, such as construction, infrastructure, waste management, mining, transportation, etc.
Graduates with a diploma or degree in civil engineering often specialize as environmental engineers, structural engineers, transportation engineers, etc.
Most often, graduates in civil engineering often start their career life working for the government or working as professionals in a private company.
This article provides you with the ultimate steps you can take to have a successful career in civil engineering in any country.
How to Become a Civil Engineer in Cameroon?
Follow these steps to become a successful civil engineer in Cameroon:
Study Civil Engineering
The first critical step you must take to start a civil engineering career is to complete your studies. To do this, you will need to enroll in college early to gain the knowledge and skills required to become a civil engineer.
Once you have convinced yourself that you want to take a career in civil engineering, the first step is to find a college to enroll in and get all the necessary education.
Studying at the university to become a civil engineer is one of the best ways to enter the civil engineering career path. However, if you need a different solution than college. Then you must enroll in an apprenticeship.
Build a Professional CV
The second step towards starting a career in civil engineering is to build your CV. Creating your CV does not have to begin after your college graduation, its starts while you are in school.
Gain all sorts of soft skills vital for a successful career path for a civil engineer, such as ICT, Accounting, communication, project management, and teamwork.
While in school or after school, learn some of the above-listed skills.
Also, build your CV by doing internship services in companies or firms that provide the skills you need to become a civil engineer.
Build your CV by attending many seminars and events planning occasions that are related to construction.
Join Engineering Consulting Firms
The third step towards starting a civil engineering career is to apply to join many consultancy firms.
These consulting forms are most focused on training you to be able to come up with plans.
Joining a consulting firm would help you put your theory learned in school into action by being able to draft or draw construction plans.
Working at a construction consultancy firm will enable you to draw up any plan in your specialty area. For example, if you study road construction or electricity, you can draw a consultancy plan for a road or home electricity plan.
Join a Credible Contractor Firm
After working with a consultancy firm for about 1-3 years, you can now move to the next crucial step, applying to a contractor firm.
Working with a contractor firm will help you implement all the plans you have drawn while working with a consultancy firm.
Suggested: Best Construction companies in Cameroon.
Networking
You will need to learn how to communicate, make friends and work with others to succeed in the civil engineering career path.
Network with anyone you meet in life that has something or knows someone who works in your field of interest.
Join social media network platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While doing an internship or working at a consultancy firm, try to build good relationships with people in your area of interest.
You can also network by joining social community events programs that help in community services such as clean up, construction of local bridges, etc. This will expose you to different persons in your community who can highly recommend you for better opportunities.
Start a Consulting Firm
After gathering experiences from working at different companies, consider starting your consultancy firm.
This means that it's time for you to start taking deals and executing them all by yourself or working in collaboration with other-minded persons like you.
Starting your consultancy firm will give you the upper hand to learn all the other skills you lack, such as time management, project management, team building, etc.
Salary of a Civil Engineer in Cameroon
Civil engineers in Cameroon earn as low as 140,000 FCFA, while high-level engineers earn up to 1,000,000 FCFA monthly with many allowances. A civil engineer beginning his career in Cameroon makes 120,000 FCFA on average.
Conclusion
Becoming a civil engineer is easier than you think. It required a willing mind and committed heart to become one. Civil engineering is a promising career path for both young men and women and will continue to be one of the highest demanded careers in life.
Get a college degree or diploma, do internships and volunteer services. Apply to work in consultant and contractor firms to help bring your theory to learn in school into reality.
Read Also: Salary of a Teacher in Cameroon.