What is the professional path for potential French civil engineers in the 19th-century?

The potential path for potential French civil engineers in the 19th-century varies. The cream of the crop are trained at the Ycole Polytechnique. Rigorous entrance examinations exclude all but the most brilliant. The top from this institution go on to the Ycole des Ponts et Chausyes. Here they study engineering and graduate to serve the state or in private enterprise.