Civil engineers are the leading users of sophisticated high-tech products - applying the very latest concepts in computer-aided design (CAD) during design, construction, project scheduling, and cost control. Civil engineering is about community service, development, and improvement -- the planning, design, construction, and operation of facilities essential to modern life. Civil engineers are problem solvers, meeting the challenges of pollution, traffic congestion, drinking water and energy needs, urban redevelopment, and community planning. Civil Engineering is grouped into seven major divisions of engineering: Structural; Environmental; Geotechnical; Water Resources; Transportation; Construction; and Urban Planning.
Mechanical engineers research, develop, design, manufacture, and test tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical devices. They work on power-producing machines such as electric generators, internal combustion engines, and steam and gas turbines, as well as power-using machines such as refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, machine tools, material handling systems, elevators and escalators, industrial production equipment, and robots used in manufacturing. Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines, they may work in production operations in manufacturing or agriculture, maintenance, or technical sales; many are administrators or managers. Mechanics, energy and heat, mathematics, engineering sciences, design and manufacturing form the foundation of mechanical engineering.
Industrial engineers typically review production schedules, engineering specifications, process flows, and other information to understand methods that are applied and activities that take place in manufacturing and services, figure out how to manufacture parts or products, or deliver services, with maximum efficiency, develop management control systems to make financial planning and cost analysis more efficient, enact quality control procedures to resolve production problems or minimize costs, design control systems to coordinate activities and production planning in order to ensure that products meet quality standards, and confer with clients about product specifications, vendors about purchases, management personnel about manufacturing capabilities, and staff about the status of projects.
Industrial engineers apply their skills to many different situations, from manufacturing to healthcare systems to business administration. For example, they design systems for moving heavy parts within manufacturing plants, delivering goods from a company to customers, including finding the most profitable places to locate manufacturing or processing plants, evaluating job performance, and paying workers.