Education & Reference Engineering

[Stan Van Gundy]

If you are looking to do Chemical Engineering, having no Physics won't affect you much at all.

Oh cool, yeah Chemical Engineering seems like something I'll definitely consider then, given that chemistry is my best subject. Thanks

 

[Copernicus]

Just don't do Geomatic Engineering. it's hard, it sucks, and at the end of it you get to be a surveyor more than likely.

I escaped that fate...

 

[BACCS]

Stick with it, I don't know what it's like at your uni but half the stuff we learnt no one could get their head around and most of the lecture material wasn't even in any of the assessments.

I'll definetley stick with it, I'm still managing a D average. It just involves a lot of concentration in lectures and hard work, combined with plenty of questions in tutes.

 

[beez]

I'm only in week 3 and it getting bloody hard!

You may find it a little easier if you spend more time studying and less time Bigfootying, this of course, would end in a distinct lack of lulz for us.

 

[Pixies]

I'm a graduate civil engineer guys, happy to help answer any questions you have.

Only been working for 2.5 years, but I can say I have been very happy with my choice of career so far. The greatest thing is that every project is different, every day is different so I can't think of a time where I have actually been bored at work.

The pay isnt fantastic as a graduate, you are basically getting paid in your first 3 years as a graduate to learn, but after that it starts paying off.

Bear in mind that uni, while the subjects aren't really that difficult if your prepared to study, and obviously you need to be reasonably good at maths but by no means a genious, there is a shit load of content to cover (in civil especially) and there will be alot of late nights and weekends spent studying.

Anyway let me know if you have any specific questions i'll try to answer

 

[r dub 19]

I'm a graduate civil engineer guys, happy to help answer any questions you have.

Only been working for 2.5 years, but I can say I have been very happy with my choice of career so far. The greatest thing is that every project is different, every day is different so I can't think of a time where I have actually been bored at work.

The pay isnt fantastic as a graduate, you are basically getting paid in your first 3 years as a graduate to learn, but after that it starts paying off.

Bear in mind that uni, while the subjects aren't really that difficult if your prepared to study, and obviously you need to be reasonably good at maths but by no means a genious, there is a shit load of content to cover (in civil especially) and there will be alot of late nights and weekends spent studying.

Anyway let me know if you have any specific questions i'll try to answer

What exactly do you do!?!? E.g a marketing person does presentations, Accountant works on accounts, IT guys do databases etc etc.

 

[Pixies]

Well I work for a consulting engineering firm specialising civil and transport engineering so the sorts of things we do are providing designs for roads, subdivisions, water/sewer/drainage systems and earthworks. We then usually administer the construction contract for the client so that involves going on site and dealing with the construction engineer.

The other part of what we do is to carry out studies/investigations on existing infrastructure (for example to identify where/why a drainage network is experiencing problems) we also provide advice on transport planning which involves modelling the potential traffic environment after new developments are built. we also carry out feasibility studies to provide advice to our clients on wheter a project is actualy worth doing, and what the potential risks/profits would be.

Our clients are generally local government, property developers and architects.

Usually graduates go into consulting or construction (a small amount go into sales). I can't speak much for construction as thats not my thing, but these guys are the ones on site actually building the design.

 

[aaronm46]

do a course with more bitches in it

 

[haywood jablome]

Just don't do Geomatic Engineering. it's hard, it sucks, and at the end of it you get to be a surveyor more than likely.

I escaped that fate...

It's a small world... I finished that course in 2007 at Melb Uni. You are right about being a surveyor, but I am the exception to your rule. Most people I know ended up as surveyors or GIS "experts" . If you have no interest in the course material then don't expect to be doing something that doesn't relate to the course after you graduate. I was working as a survey assistant during the course and hated it. When I graduated I went to work offshore on a ship and got to travel and make some decent money. It is really up to the individual and their desire where and what they end up doing. A degree isn't the be all and end all. I did not enjoy the course though and wanted to leave and graduate as soon as humanly possible. If you are good at what you do then you will get work, having a specific degree does not guarantee work.

 

[BACCS]

You may find it a little easier if you spend more time studying and less time Bigfootying, this of course, would end in a distinct lack of lulz for us.

I'm actually one of the hardest workers in my degree, people often comment on how I need to chill out at times. Most Thursdays I'll spend 7 straight hours doing my two engineering tutes for the week, which allows me to be a little more relaxed the other days, including weekends which I take off.

 

[Copernicus]

It's a small world... I finished that course in 2007 at Melb Uni. You are right about being a surveyor, but I am the exception to your rule. Most people I know ended up as surveyors or GIS "experts" . If you have no interest in the course material then don't expect to be doing something that doesn't relate to the course after you graduate. I was working as a survey assistant during the course and hated it. When I graduated I went to work offshore on a ship and got to travel and make some decent money. It is really up to the individual and their desire where and what they end up doing. A degree isn't the be all and end all. I did not enjoy the course though and wanted to leave and graduate as soon as humanly possible. If you are good at what you do then you will get work, having a specific degree does not guarantee work.

Yeah, I was at Melbourne too, though that was before your time (I ended up, well, quitting in 2002). And it's funny you should mention GIS, as that is what I ended up getting my degree in, albeit from an American university. Absolute piece of piss but there are jobs out there no problems.

I guess I could ended up doing photogrammetry or something but after a couple of years of least squares analysis and in depth studies into orthogonality, I am not sure I could have hacked it!

 

[Ch3wy]

Doing 2nd year mechanical engineering at Melb Uni. As one of the posters said, alot of the subjects for engineering are tailored towards the mechanical side.

The subjects are not too bad, the maths subjects can get boring, but the engineering subjects while hard, can be pretty interesting.

As long as you do ok in your degree, it is pretty easy to find a job, because the qualification can cover a huge range of jobs.

 

[hawkaz1]

I'm doing 2nd year environmental engineering, which is more focused on ensuring that engineering projects are sustainable than other types of engineering.

It's pretty cool as there are some relatively easy science subjects on conservation biology and stuff like that, along with the more difficult technical stuff, so there's always some variety in what you're learning.

As others have said there are more types of engineering than you can think of, so if you are thinking of becoming an engineer there's probably a type that you will enjoy.

 

[Damp Squarie]

I studied Marine Engineering (12 years) and have since worked in a Process Industry for (25 years) and I can tell you one thing for certain, there are a lot of text book engineers out there that are very ordinary including Mechanical, Process and Chemical Engineers.

My advice is to find a big diverse industry, settle in for the long haul and DONT try and clock up dot points on your resume' by moving from company to company.


This not only @#$5s up the company but does nothing for your learning.
By staying in the one place for at least 10 years - which is not long these days- you'll be better off.

 

[HarryTiger]

Software engineers? Microsoft Certified... bwahahaha

At the company I squandered my earlier working years at we had people come into testing roles through the "who you know" route and I observed them learning about file system navigation in Windows Explorer.

They were Test Engineers.

 

[Hellgood]

Anyway let me know if you have any specific questions i'll try to answer

Hey, was thinking about civil engineering for uni, but I'm still undecided;

What are the job opportunities like? I've heard from some people that theres a huge shortage and others say it's bloody hard to find a job.

Overseas travel opportunities?

Are the jobs mainly concentrated in the city? Or is it easy enough to get jobs in the country?

Working hours: Is it a Mon-Fri 9-5 type job? Or do you work on the weekends as well and is the after hours stuff difficult?

Thanks in advance, good to hear someones opinion.

 

[blues4flag]

Hey, was thinking about civil engineering for uni, but I'm still undecided;

What are the job opportunities like? I've heard from some people that theres a huge shortage and others say it's bloody hard to find a job.

Overseas travel opportunities?

Are the jobs mainly concentrated in the city? Or is it easy enough to get jobs in the country?

Working hours: Is it a Mon-Fri 9-5 type job? Or do you work on the weekends as well and is the after hours stuff difficult?

Thanks in advance, good to hear someones opinion.

I've still got two years to go on my degree so I'm not sure what it's like in the real world, but was listening to Triple J not too long ago and apparently there's a shortage of 20,000 in Australia as well as a worldwide shortage. I imagine jobs won't be too hard to find.

 

[The_Todd07]

I'm also thinking of doing engineering next year but the problem is I stupidly didn't decide to physics this year. Would I still be able to do engineering without having done year 12 physics?. I am doing Chemistry and Maths Specialist currently, as well as Biology and Psychology. I should get enough points to get into the course but I'm worried that without having done physics I will be at a huge disadvantage.

Don't worry, you shouldn't be at too much of a disadvantage.
I didn't do Physics in Year 12 as I didn't decide to do Engineering until about half way through the year. I then proceded to score higher in the physics based subject than all of my mates who did it in high school. I think this was due to me being the "maths genius" of the group, so as your already doing Maths Specialist you should be alright.

 

[BACCS]

I studied Marine Engineering (12 years) and have since worked in a Process Industry for (25 years) and I can tell you one thing for certain, there are a lot of text book engineers out there that are very ordinary including Mechanical, Process and Chemical Engineers.

My advice is to find a big diverse industry, settle in for the long haul and DONT try and clock up dot points on your resume' by moving from company to company.


This not only @#$5s up the company but does nothing for your learning.
By staying in the one place for at least 10 years - which is not long these days- you'll be better off.

What do you exactly have against Chemical Engineers? Do they make more money than you or something?

 

[Power King]

Job shortages as in "civil engineers can't find work" or "civil engineers can easily find work?"

Civil engineers are finding it difficult to find work around Australia.

Having said that, this relates to graduates from the last two years, and is mainly attributed to the recent financial crises, so in the overall picture, how significant the comment is would be better clarified by a civil engineer themself. I'm not a part of the engineering industry, this just comes from conversations with people I know that have now graduated from the degree.

My suspicion based on common sense is that if you have a passion for civil engineering, do it. Finding employment after graduation a few years from now really shouldn't be an issue. Like I said though, best for a civil engie to clarify this.

Well I work for a consulting engineering firm specialising civil and transport engineering so the sorts of things we do are providing designs for roads, subdivisions, water/sewer/drainage systems and earthworks. We then usually administer the construction contract for the client so that involves going on site and dealing with the construction engineer.

The other part of what we do is to carry out studies/investigations on existing infrastructure (for example to identify where/why a drainage network is experiencing problems) we also provide advice on transport planning which involves modelling the potential traffic environment after new developments are built. we also carry out feasibility studies to provide advice to our clients on wheter a project is actualy worth doing, and what the potential risks/profits would be.

Our clients are generally local government, property developers and architects.

Usually graduates go into consulting or construction (a small amount go into sales). I can't speak much for construction as thats not my thing, but these guys are the ones on site actually building the design.

Interested in hearing more.

When it comes to providing designs, how do your designs differ from that of an architect? What does administering the construction contract involve, and what do you do when dealing with the construction engineer? In terms of identifying why a network is experiencing problems, how do your tasks differ from that of the construction workers/labourers? Is it akin to say a senior specialist leading investigations, determining what the interns for example need to do when it comes to a hospital? Also, wouldn't it be advisable to try and model the traffic environment before a development is built, because if you only do it after, it is hard to change what has already been built, is it not? I know, many questions

 

[Pixies]

Hey, was thinking about civil engineering for uni, but I'm still undecided;

What are the job opportunities like? I've heard from some people that theres a huge shortage and others say it's bloody hard to find a job.

Overseas travel opportunities?

Are the jobs mainly concentrated in the city? Or is it easy enough to get jobs in the country?

Working hours: Is it a Mon-Fri 9-5 type job? Or do you work on the weekends as well and is the after hours stuff difficult?

Thanks in advance, good to hear someones opinion.

As long as your talking Civil, if you want to stay in WA you will have no problems finding a job at all, you will probably find that you have several job offers by the beginning of your final year, and if you want there is a lot of potential to work while you completing your degree, which is what I did in my final year.

In WA you will find work all over the state and you will travel quite alot, whether that be working on the mines for extended periods on a single large project, or many more shorter trips for severl projects if you go into consulting.

There is potential to travel overseas especially if you get into some of the larger international companies. But there is so much work in WA at the moment you will find most companies want you to stay here.

It is generally 9-5 if your in the city, but if you are out on big mining projects you will most likely do longer hours. Like any job you will have to put in some extra hours to get things finished on time sometimes.

As i mentioned before I can only really speak from a consultants POV, things are different (and less interesting IMO if your in construction).

 

[Pixies]

Civil engineers are finding it difficult to find work around Australia.

Having said that, this relates to graduates from the last two years, and is mainly attributed to the recent financial crises, so in the overall picture, how significant the comment is would be better clarified by a civil engineer themself. I'm not a part of the engineering industry, this just comes from conversations with people I know that have now graduated from the degree.

My suspicion based on common sense is that if you have a passion for civil engineering, do it. Finding employment after graduation a few years from now really shouldn't be an issue. Like I said though, best for a civil engie to clarify this.



Interested in hearing more.

When it comes to providing designs, how do your designs differ from that of an architect? What does administering the construction contract involve, and what do you do when dealing with the construction engineer? In terms of identifying why a network is experiencing problems, how do your tasks differ from that of the construction workers/labourers? Is it akin to say a senior specialist leading investigations, determining what the interns for example need to do when it comes to a hospital? Also, wouldn't it be advisable to try and model the traffic environment before a development is built, because if you only do it after, it is hard to change what has already been built, is it not? I know, many questions

yeah i agree the demand for engineers isn't as great as it was 2 years ago, and speaking to undergraduates in the middle of last year they were finding it difficult to find work. But things seem to have turned around now (in WA at least) and there are alot of companies with major shortages. Also, in WA at least, the 2 unis have drastically increased there intakes into civil so there is more competition for graduate places, but still with the mining boom and the retiring baby boomer engineers, they are still forcasting a shortage of engineers for the next decade or so.

few questions in your 2nd paragraph, i'll try answer them all.

How do our designs differ from that of an architect? - basically the architect provides an overall concept of what they want the development to look like. Our job is to actually make the thing work eg. the architect will provide a floor plan, elevations of a building showing what it should look like, the engineer will design the internal beams, columns, footings etc so that the thing can actually be built and can stand up.

Administering the contract - the engineer acts as a medium between the client and the contractor. so the engineer will approve/deny any payment claims, variation claims and generally give direction to the contractor in engineering issues. Almost always there will be site conditions or constraints not able to be anticipated in the design so once the contract is underway the engineer needs to negotiate with the contractor on behalf of the client on these issues.

investigations - construction workers/labourers may be able to tell you that something is not working, but they wouldn't have the expertise to tell you why it isn't working and actually the example i gave about a drainage network, the modelling can be quite complex. there could be many reasons why it isnt working so we need to find out the exact reason to come up with an economical solution.

traffic modelling - yes i agree, i probably wasn't clear in what i wrote first time - we do do the modelling before a development is built, that way, as you say, changes can be made to the design/transport infrastructure so there are no adverse impacts caused by the development.

 

[hamG]

Engineer reporting. I work for a company that designs & manufactures process control instrumentation, majority of business is mining & wastewater.

We find it really tough to find sales engineers. People who a technically qualified and also have a sales personality to showcase our gear to the process engineers at all the major mining companies at all their mines.

And **** me, the general population has no idea how ridiculous the resource mining is in this country No, its more than what you just thought of.

For the record I have no engineering related qualifications at all but I have a brain so it doesn't matter. And most of the senior process engineer people I deal with at Rio BHP Newman etc seem to be English and South African. Get in while the cash is there lads.

 

[Copernicus]

Engineer reporting. I work for a company that designs & manufactures process control instrumentation, majority of business is mining & wastewater.

We find it really tough to find sales engineers. People who a technically qualified and also have a sales personality to showcase our gear to the process engineers at all the major mining companies at all their mines.

And **** me, the general population has no idea how ridiculous the resource mining is in this country No, its more than what you just thought of.

For the record I have no engineering related qualifications at all but I have a brain so it doesn't matter. And most of the senior process engineer people I deal with at Rio BHP Newman etc seem to be English and South African. Get in while the cash is there lads.

What do you mean by this? I am curious...

 

[Damp Squarie]

What do you exactly have against Chemical Engineers? Do they make more money than you or something?

Not the ones I know