When it comes to the various engineering disciplines, civil engineering is the largest. Of the 1.6 million engineers in the U.S., the Bureau of Labor Statistics states 278,000 are civil. The next largest, mechanical, comes in at 238,000. From the looks of things, it will stay that way for some time to come. This is thanks to several initiatives, including boosts to online education, put through by President Obama.

The Bureau defines civil engineers as personnel who design and supervise the construction of roads, buildings, tunnels, bridges, sewage systems and other major construction projects. They must consider many factors in the design process, from the construction costs and the expected lifetime of a project, to government regulations and potential environmental hazards such as earthquakes and hurricanes.

Civil engineering, considered one of the oldest engineering disciplines, encompasses many specialties. The major ones are structural, water resources, construction, transportation, and geotechnical engineering. Many civil engineers hold supervisory or administrative positions, from supervisor of a construction site to city engineer. Others may work in design, construction, research, and teaching.

The Bureau also states that job growth in the civil engineering field is going to be exceptionally higher than average, with an expected need of 24% more than what is currently available by 2018. A major reason for this is a recent stimulus initiative proposed by Obama this January. It projects $10.5 billion that will mainly go towards five different professions; with civil engineering being the first of the five. They will be employed in upgrading and just plain building new roads and other public structures.

Anyone interested in becoming a civil engineer should have a strong inclination towards mathematics, as well as a strong background in the natural sciences. Knowledge of drafting and CAD is basically mandatory. Students should also consider internships or other such work-study programs at private architectural and construction firms, as well as for the government. Another good place for civil engineers to get needed experience is in the military, particularly the U.S. Corp of Engineers.

Even with a Bachelor’s Degree, education is only beginning. To become a full civil engineer, one must get certification from a professional organization such as the American Society of Civil Engineers. This society recommends the pre-certified holding down a job and be prepping for certification through online colleges. Once established with an online school, a number of civil engineers tend to continue to keep going in order to keep up to date with the latest trends, as well as move on towards their Masters and even doctoral work.

As civil engineers are a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) profession, aspiring students have access to a lot more financial aid than just the standard state scholarships and federal Pell grants. They can also contact the National Science Foundation for S-STEM aid for starters. The military and private corporations also have their share of financial aid. For a more complete picture of this, one should consult with a financial aid advisor.

It is a burning truth that students in all parts of the world, today are hardly realizing that writing is a skill. The need to make children and your students aware of the necessity of writing skills has lead to evolution of the online education blogs.

A majority of today’s school children are reluctant to make the efforts with a pen and a paper. Even if in the elementary years, they are somehow compelled to practice writing, the task gets almost impossible once they grow up. Unlike the yesteryears, the world of modern children now occupies a whole lot of different things. They can efficiently juggle between studies, sports, computers and mobile phones. Internet, social networking and chatting have effectively captivated children all over the world. Excess technicality is also taking its toll on their imagination. Children now-a-days are most likely to write only for the purpose of chatting and mailing. At this stage, the traditional classroom literacy, failing to meet the demands of the age, is losing to online education blogs.

Children have learned to associate the only fun of writing with chatting and mails. In the classrooms, writing seems to them a bothersome task. For today’s technology-dependent students, letting them use technology is the only way to teach them learning. The surging interest of the students in writing can be counteracted by introducing them to an exciting world of writing through the technical media. Thus the online education blogs gained significance.

Children must be encouraged by the parents and teachers to compose their own blogs on a regular basis. Online education blogs, besides the networking websites, is considered to play a major role in motivating children to write. Surveys reveal that students who do not regularly access online education blogs have shown lesser writing expertise and improvements than those who have their own blogs. With better performance in schools, the children, referring to online education blogs are showing more interest in writing. This is again helpful in building their confidence, helping them to excel in writing.

Maintaining online education blogs helps the children to develop a positive attitude towards writing and learning. Not only stories, poems or online diaries, in their online education blogs, the children can also express their opinions. With the classroom teaching literacy and addressing serious sections of education, online education blogs are an interesting alternative to keep the children motivated.

Dr. Patricia Fioriello has 25 years experience in K-12 education as a teacher, principal, and central office manager. She currently publishes blogs, articles, eguides and books addressing the critical issues confronting our school’s today. Her writing services include study materials, documents and presentations. Dr. Fioriello also conducts workshops, private online tutoring and consulting for K-12 educators and the community.