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When I was 16 I had a Saturday job as a shelf-stacker at a local supermarket.
One day, during a tea break, a co-worker asked me what I did the rest
of the week. I explained that I had just done O Levels and was going on to
do A Levels. I told him how many and in which subjects. He then asked
me about my career aspirations (not his exact words). I explained that I
wanted to become an engineer. His aghast response was: ‘What! With all
those qualifi cations?’
Engineers suffer from a lack of public perception of what their profession
entails – many people think we spend our days in the suburbs, mending
washing machines and televisions. Architects are more fortunate in
this respect – the public have a better grasp of their profession: ‘They design
buildings, don’t they?’
Public perceptions aside, careers in both civil engineering and architecture
can be extremely rewarding. There are few other careers where
individuals can be truly creative, often on a massive scale. The civil engineering
profession offers a variety of working environments and a large
number of specialisms within civil engineering. Civil engineers have opportunities
to work all over the world, on projects large and small, and
could come into contact with a wide variety of people, from the lowest
worker on a construction site to government offi cials and heads of state.
At the start of the 21st century there is a huge demand for civil engineers
and many young people (and some not so young!) are realising that
this is a profession well worth entering. |
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