April 17, 2002

Transportation Engineers Find Stable Job Market

It’s a tough world out there when you’re looking for a job. In the booming 1990s, college graduates often had several job offers to choose from upon graduation. Now, however, with a recession and a tight job market, positions are scarcer for recent grads.

Some careers have a more stable outlook in the current job market than others. One bright spot on the horizon is the career of traffic engineer.

According to Dr. Joseph E. Hummer, associate professor of civil engineering at NC State University, transportation engineers work on design and maintenance of ground and air transportation systems. Traffic engineers, a subgroup, study the existing highway system and try to improve efficiency and safety. Because traffic congestion has become a serious issue in the U.S., state and federal governments, as well as private concerns, are willing to spend money to try to solve problems. This includes hiring traffic engineers.

Most traffic engineers work for the government, one way or another, because the government owns the roads. Sixty percent of engineers work for the government directly, and perhaps forty percent work for private consulting firms that do contractual work for the government. A few traffic engineers work for private developers, doing site impact statements to determine the effect of a new development on surrounding roads. According to U.S. News & World Report magazine, traffic engineer’s salaries nationwide range from $45,000 to $150,000.

For graduate students, the job market is quite open. “The graduate students don’t have to send out too many resumes before they get a good offer that they’re willing to accept,” said Hummer. Undergraduates have to do a little more searching, but many of them end up going to work for companies where they did internships or summer work during college.

Mark Johnson, an NC State graduating senior with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, transportation engineering concentration, had six interviews with various companies before he was made a job offer, but he considers his job search less difficult than the job search of those in nontechnical majors. Cipriana Thompson, who hopes to receive her master’s in civil engineering, transportation engineering concentration, in May, agrees. “I think my job search was relatively easy compared to my friends in other majors,” she said.

“Transportation engineer is a ‘hot’ career right now because of rising issues of traffic congestion, overpopulation and increased awareness for carpooling,” according to Johnson. In addition, even though the budget is tight right now, money for road projects comes from a separate highway trust fund. Because this fund supports existing infrastructure, it will be active and designated for road projects even during a recession.

Natasha Rodevick, a May 2001 graduate of NC State’s civil engineering, transportation engineering concentration, program, recognizes that the tight economy has had an impact on building construction in the private sector. Rodevick works for a private consulting firm. “With the budget crisis in the state government and with building construction slowing, money seems tight for private projects,” she said. Even so, Rodevick considers her career to be “pretty stable.”

This assessment is consistent among these three new transportation engineers. The issues that keep the career stable — traffic congestion, increased population and road deterioration — are constant features of contemporary society. After all, according to Hummer, “Even in recessions, people keep driving.”

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Media Contacts: Dr. Joseph E. Hummer, 919/515-7733, hummer@eos.ncsu.edu
Linda E. Rudd, 919/515-3848, linda_rudd@ncsu.edu

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