My life as a... Tunnel Engineer
What is your job title?
Civil Engineer, currently specialising in sprayed concrete tunnel linings.
What qualifications do you need to get where you are?
A degree from an accredited university and continued professional development (which means that even when I've passed my exams, I have to keep training!).
What qualifications do you have?
A Masters in Engineering from the University of Bristol and I'm also a Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Civil Engineers.
What does your job involve?
My job involves all elements of the civil engineering design of tunnels including;
- Meeting different types of people
- Calculating numbers
- Discussing solutions
- Preparing drawings
- Working on construction sites
What do you most like about your job?
I like the fact that my job is always changing and I work with lots of very interesting people. This does mean that you have to be very flexible and willing to accept change!
Is there anything about your job that you don’t like?
The hours can be quite long if I am working on a construction site and a rotating shift pattern means that you sometimes have to work at night.
What is most rewarding about your job?
I have the opportunity to make people's lives easier. We achieve this by providing transport solutions or finding ways to improve the environment by relocating water or transport for example.
Do you have a typical day?
Not really, every project is different and my role within a project can change regularly. If we are doing a feasibility study (an evaluation of a proposal designed to determine the difficulty in carrying out a designated task) I can be researching, or out looking at an area. If the job entails detailed design I could be using a numerical model to solve a problem or writing reports or even preparing drawings. During the construction period I could be testing concrete, examining the ground or directing miners.
What advice would you give to other people wanting a job like yours?
I would recommend that you achieve good grades in maths in school and that you ask your nearest career centre to help you find a local company that might offer work experience before or after you leave school. Civil Engineering is a very broad subject, so I would recommend that you find the part that you like and which suits you best.
What qualities do you need to be a successful Civil Engineer?
- You need to be able to work well in a team.
- You need to be good at problem solving and be able to look at problems from different angles in order to find different solutions.
- You need to be flexible
- You need to be able to adapt quickly to different environments
- You need to like working outdoors
