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Air Force AFSC · Engineering

3E5X1 Engineering

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

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Overview

An Engineering specialist plans and manages construction projects for roads, buildings, facilities, and structures on Air Force bases. The specialist performs surveying, computer aided drafting, and soil testing to support these projects.

Minimum ASVAB: G 49

ASVAB policy: Not policy-reviewed · coverage unknown · as of 2026-10-18

Program scope has not been reviewed.

Policy applicability and coverage of the program's score routes have not been reviewed. Shown-route arithmetic is not an eligibility decision.

Source: dafecd-atch4-2025-10-31 (source date 2025-10). Policy applicability has not been established.

See if you would hit this score: free ASVAB practice test

Skill levels: 3E511 helper · 3E531 apprentice · 3E551 journeyman · 3E571 craftsman

Core Skills

  • Construction CAD drawings and BIM solutions
  • GPS surveying and GIS system maintenance
  • Soil, asphalt, and concrete field testing
  • Construction contract specifications and cost estimates

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Military civil engineering drafting, construction cost estimating, site evaluation, and materials testing directly support civilian engineering technician work.

How to prepare: Build a sample civil-site portfolio with a CAD drawing, material quantity calculations, and a field-testing summary using non-sensitive or practice data.

What the civilian work involves
  • Calculate dimensions, square footage, profile and component specifications, and material quantities, using calculator or computer.
  • Draft detailed dimensional drawings and design layouts for projects to ensure conformance to specifications.
  • Confer with supervisor to determine project details such as plan preparation, acceptance testing, and evaluation of field conditions.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
  • Autodesk Revit
  • Microsoft Excel

Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians

Operating and maintaining military GIS systems and using GPS surveying technology transfer directly to civilian spatial-data maintenance and mapping.

How to prepare: Create an ESRI ArcGIS software portfolio project using public infrastructure data, showing a maintained data layer and a finished map.

What the civilian work involves
  • Produce data layers, maps, tables, or reports, using spatial analysis procedures or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, equipment, or systems.
  • Design or prepare graphic representations of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, using GIS hardware or software applications.
  • Maintain or modify existing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • ESRI ArcGIS software

Notes & Sources

Evidence for this guidance (3 documents)
  1. DAFECD, 30 Apr 26: ENGINEERING (3E5X1)

    [1] Specialty Summary section "ENGINEERING"; normalized cached text lines 9819-9842; explicit AFSC match for 3E5X1

    Supports: Construction CAD drawings and BIM solutions, GPS surveying and GIS system maintenance, Soil, asphalt, and concrete field testing, Construction contract specifications and cost estimates, Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (O*NET 17-3022.00), Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (O*NET 15-1299.02)

  2. O*NET: Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (O*NET 17-3022.00)

  3. O*NET: Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians

    [3] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (O*NET 15-1299.02)

Defense contractor jobs for 3E5X1

Predecessor codes

Historical codes with documented links to 3E5X1. Each history page explains the change.

55310Engineering Helper55330Apprentice Engineering Specialist55350Engineering Specialist55370Engineering Technician55390Engineering Superintendent

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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