Civil Engineering Construction Managers Who Are Looked Down Upon

Those of us in the construction industry are often asked, “Which is more prestigious: a construction project manager or a civil engineering project manager?”

I don’t know what makes one field “greater” than the other, and since they’re different fields to begin with, comparing them is a mistake to begin with—but the prevailing view is that architecture is considered more prestigious and superior, while civil engineering is seen as inferior.

Civil engineering is looked down upon compared to architectural construction for the truly ridiculous reason that architectural construction involves meticulous work down to the millimeter and requires more precise skills than civil engineering.

It’s certainly true that construction management engineers are required to handle construction management in greater detail than civil engineering construction management engineers.

Civil Engineering Construction Managers often consider minor deviations to be within acceptable limits when constructing structures, as long as the specifications fall within the design values.

However, in the case of construction management engineers, since they design buildings and other structures, even a small error can significantly alter the design of the building itself. Because their work requires such precision, the perception that construction management engineers are superior to civil engineering construction management engineers has likely become firmly established.

But maybe it’s because civil engineering is actually more difficult that people don’t really understand it?

Construction carpenters can't understand civil engineering.

By the way, I’m a civil engineering construction manager. Every now and then, there are people who say to me, “Construction management in architecture is harder, isn’t it?”

However, let me state this clearly: We civil engineering construction management engineers are in no way inferior to architectural construction management engineers. In fact, it’s fair to say we are superior.

It may seem obvious, but someone who works in construction project management would be of little use if they suddenly jumped into the civil engineering field.

For example, just as the way a carpenter assembles formwork may differ from the way a civil engineer does so, architecture and civil engineering are fundamentally different in nature.

Perhaps the most notable example is that the concept of “leveling” is something that architectural carpenters simply cannot grasp. In civil engineering, formwork often involves assembling complex structures where breakpoints and longitudinal slopes intersect. In such cases, the concept of “leveling” is absolutely essential.

At points where the longitudinal slope changes at the bends in the formwork, it is necessary to use a level or similar tool to mark the assembly points while rotating the formwork horizontally from the bend. If this step is skipped and the formwork is assembled according to the design values based solely on the scale, the width of the structure will vary at that specific point.

No matter how many times I've explained this to construction carpenters, they've never once understood it.

Civil engineering also has the edge in terms of adaptability and speed

The civil engineering field requires more practical skills than the architectural field. This is because, in architecture, construction can usually be carried out without any problems simply by following the blueprints and using the materials provided.

However, since construction conditions in civil engineering vary significantly depending on factors such as mountain terrain and soil conditions, on-site decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis for each project.

On slope construction sites, I’ve even encountered situations where existing waterways were installed with a reverse slope, preventing proper drainage. To create a slope that would allow for natural drainage based on the topography, we would have had to significantly lower the ground level. However, we simply didn’t have the time or resources to undertake such a large-scale project.

Therefore, rather than removing the existing drainage channel and installing a new one, we excavated the ground to a certain depth, installed a large catch basin, ran a corrugated pipe through it, and backfilled the area. As a result, water that had previously not been drained is now being properly drained through the corrugated pipe.

Civil engineers are constantly considering the best construction methods and costs as they carry out their work. Is there any other job that requires you to rack your brain this much?

Which Is More Ridiculous: Broadcasting or Architecture and Civil Engineering?

After hearing everything that’s been said so far, can you still say that civil engineering is inferior to architecture?

You might think that comparing a Civil Engineering Construction Manager and a Building Construction Manager is wrong to begin with.

But wait a minute. It’s us—Civil Engineering Construction Management Technicians—who are being compared without our consent and receiving unfairly low evaluations. I don’t think we’re in any way inferior to Architectural Construction Management Technicians; in fact, I don’t understand what criteria people are using when they say, “Architectural Construction Management Technicians are better.”

Civil engineering work isn't simple, and it's not something just anyone can do. Please stop with the unfounded prejudices and judgments—they're an incredibly rude insult!

Well, if there’s one thing I can say for sure, it’s that you—who look down on civil engineering construction managers without good reason—are the biggest fool of all.

The God of Construction