Dr. Mahar states that geotechnical engineering is a combination of geology and civil engineering. Geology is the study of earth materials and origins while geotechnical engineering is the employment of mechanics and geology in advancing the requirements of civil works projects. The education associated with geotechnical engineering incorporates teamwork, engineering education and setting goals and objectives. An individual graduating with geotechnical engineering can be employed in the private sector, academics or government. In private practice, an individual/team has to complete numerous functions and processes. The approach undertaken by the engineer includes been project orientated, employ professional marketing strategies, effective proposal development and presentation, identification and solving of a problem, client retention, new business development, and conversion of a project to a research study is unacceptable. In case of personal life, an individual can protect the family and home from catastrophes and also understanding the risks associated with building on a slope.
In advanced education such as Masters, an individual should determine the institution to purse the postgraduate education and should be based on career opportunities and expectation of the graduate. The educational advancement can be associated with professional interest and financial rewards. In addition, an individual can access funded research from industry, institution and government. For example, CEE at Illinois has created additional programs that offer an opportunity to an individual seeking to advance in the respective specialization. Example of these programs includes societal risk management, energy water environment sustainability and sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems. The CEE team at Illinois provides numerous products and services to advance specialization such as small-scale fracture mechanics, and the energy and water nexus. Achieving the required qualification, an individual can pursue SEM Contracting Practice or Conventional Contracting Practice. Both occupations are dependent on determining the appropriate path and expected specialization in future.