Career Paths in Flood Control

As we all know, kids are full of questions. During our recent visit to Valley Ranch Elementary, several second-grade students participating in the weather and flood control education project asked what it takes to work in flood control. To that, we answered that there are many opportunities available. Here are jobs that are central to IFCD 3 and other flood control districts.

Operators

Various types of professionals are hired to tackle daily operations, as well as to oversee maintenance on pumps, sluice gates and many other flood control mechanisms. The range of education and training can vary, depending on the size and scope of the operation. Some technicians have college degrees, although it may be possible to work as an operator with a high school degree or GED and additional, specialized training.

Field Staff

Field personnel work on projects and repairs throughout a district’s operations. They typically need a minimum of a high school diploma or GED, although some organizations will hire those with previous on-the-job experience. On the front line, you need to have a general understanding of construction and an understanding of safety procedures on a job site.

Civil Engineers

If you have a passion for math, statistics, engineering mechanics and systems and fluid dynamics, you might make a great civil engineer! We hire civil engineering firms to help us design new flood control systems and analyze our current flood control methods’ success rate and efficiency levels. Civil engineering firms generally require team members to have a bachelor’s degree at the minimum, with a Professional Engineer (PE) license for those actually directly performing engineering functions. Like many professions, you likely will need a graduate degree if you want to be promoted to senior positions.

Supervisors/Project Managers

Project managers supervise laborers and their job sites to ensure that construction and repairs are going smoothly and being done accurately. To become a project manager, you must get a qualification, as well as gain in-field experience contributing to job sites.

Inspectors

In larger flood control operations, inspectors analyze a job site for operational accuracy and site safety. While inspectors may have a bachelor’s degree, some positions may be filled by high school graduates with specialized training. A state license or certification may be required.

Knowing more about the types of jobs helps inform students and adult residents, alike, about how flood control is one of many behind-the-scenes aspects of Valley Ranch that contributes to the great quality of life in our community.

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