As the sun descends on most urban landscapes, the silhouettes of skyscrapers, glass structures and familiar landmarks stand out against the horizon. Because they’re so familiar, we can sometimes forget the time, talent and engineering expertise it takes to build our cityscapes all over the country.
But engineering is more than the buildings outside our window; it is the operating system on our smart phones, the web browser you are using to read this and the roads and cars all around us.
Recent comments from Vince Cable focused on the lack of qualified UK engineers; however intake at universities for subjects such as chemical engineering has doubled since 2001 with an average salary for graduates of £27,000 in 2010.
Disciplines of Engineering
With four of the main disciplines in engineering each home to a plethora of specialist areas, trying to fully understand the engineering industry can be like entering a mindfield. There’s such a variety of niches for prospective engineers to get involved with, and a range of career paths to choose from.
1. Civil Engineering covers structures and infrastructure. This could involve working for a government agency on highways or railways; with an architecture firm designing ‘green’ buildings; or a hydropower or mining company.
2. Chemical Engineering covers the development and application of substances for mass production and, increasingly, studies their effects on our environment. Employment opportunities exist in petrochemical, pharmaceutical, food, and scientific research fields.
3. Mechanical Engineering covers everything from jet fighter design to tunnel construction (a British specialty) to vacuum cleaners. There are also opportunities for mechanical engineers in water supply, sustainable energy, and traditional energy extraction.
4. Electrical Engineering can be split into large-scale projects like power generation and distribution, and electronics work: circuit design, wireless technology, and computer programming. Electrical engineers work in fields from construction and heavy industry to solar power, media, and cryptography.
Civil engineering: The problem solver
Working in any form of civil engineering gives you a direct impact on the environment you are living and working in. The beauty of most engineering is how ‘ordinary’ it appears, unless you are lucky enough to work on exceptional projects like The Shard. But even the most apparently ordinary structure requires great time, effort and skill to build.
A project such as a motorway junction for example, involves collaboration across a number of different engineering roles:
- Highway design engineers: commercial awareness and client skills
- Traffic engineers: consult on optimal passing distances on curves
- Geotechnical engineers: determine soil stability and loadbearing
- Environmental engineers: analyse impacts on the surroundings
- Electrical engineers: lighting and CCTV installation
- Site managers and maintenance engineers
The challenge of creating simple solutions for complex problems is what drew geotechnical engineer Pete Wilton, a Co-Director of ASL Environmental to the field in the first place. He studied Mining Engineering at degree level, followed by a MEng in Geotechnical Engineering.
‘I saw engineering as the practical side of science,’ Pete explains. Summing up the experience, he says, ‘It’s challenging, interesting, and rewarding.’
We also spoke with Robert Nicholson, a Land Surveyor for Ridgeway Surveys Ltd about his experiences of working in engineering. Having taking a placement year out from university, he has since worked on prestigious buildings in London; from the Shard, to five star hotels and multi-million pound apartments.
When embarking on a career in engineering, an important question to ask yourself is what is the change you want to make in the environment around you? A career in engineering gives you the possibility of being at the forefront of the latest advances in communications technology, constructing the tallest building, or helping contribute to a greener future.