[Liamu2]

I know the construction industry is pretty non existant at the moment but I'm think about going to college to do civil engineering ? Would this be a good qualification to go abroad with?

Which colleges are regarded as good engineering colleges around east/ south east

[Lurching]

At the minute, it would be a very good qualification to go abroad with. One thing to bare in mind however is that it can be difficult to get a start abroad if you have no previous experience.
Things could change drastically in the 4 or so years between now and when you would graduate, but you can be assured that there will still not be many civil jobs in Eire by then.

Edit: Another thing worth considering is what you would like to do with your qualification. A lot of companies have favoured students coming from Bsc in Construction Management & Engineering rather than those from a Beng in Civil Engineering. This is due to the management training. Most practicing civil engineers are basically low level managers with an eye for detail. Unless you want to get in to in-depth structural design, the con man may be worth a look.

[AngryHippie]

DIT or UCD are well recognized internationally.
Good course to do for work, but getting a start as a graduate can take some time, and the money may not be too crash hot until you have some experience

[Liamu2]

yeah well im willing to work my way up anyways, Any other good alternation options to dublin? Somewhere where the people are nice and friendly

[Liamu2]

Originally Posted by Lurching

Edit: Another thing worth considering is what you would like to do with your qualification. A lot of companies have favoured students coming from Bsc in Construction Management & Engineering rather than those from a Beng in Civil Engineering. This is due to the management training. Most practicing civil engineers are basically low level managers with an eye for detail. Unless you want to get in to in-depth structural design, the con man may be worth a look.

Yeah i will definitely have a look in to that !!

Edit: Would there be much of a difference in salary between the two jobs in general?

[yellaghbelly]

if you thinking of going abroad you could look at the apprenticeship schemes that the larger companies offer in Britain

eg
www.volkerfitzpatrick.co.uk/en/careers/placements-apprenticeships
balfour, laings, costain, lendlease all do them.

you'll be paid as you progress to degree standard and you gain experience on some of the biggest civ eng projects.
larger companies like this way because it gives them the opportunity to train staff to their internal systems of work. it also creates loyalty with the employees and it is probable cheaper in the long run, as graduates from uni will require the same assimilation (everyone working in large corporate companies are robots) when they start.

I've 10 yrs experience managing construction projects in Ireland and Britain and the reality is that even though I've a Civ Eng degree that was heavily invested by me, there were people at the same level in these companies that were on these schemes

it surprises me that Irish companies never really got this system, doesn't matter now.

and its only useful if you plan on working for a contractor onsite, if you have aspirations of working in consultancy. then go to college, work hard and get a 1st or 2.1.

and if you have a degree from a university you'll have more flexibility with career choice, ie( hdip etc) if you want to change to a different career path

[Liamu2]

That good advice. Id like the idea of having flexibility of being able to change direction sometime down the line with it .

I wonder how hard it is to get a place on one of those apprenticeships. Never really had much look with job interviews for things like this

[yer man!]

Don't know how I missed this thread. I'll have a BSc in Chmeistry this time next year, hopefully, and I'm looking at going into civil engineering too starting from first year again....... Would this be wise? I figured if I'm going to be a civil engineer I want to do it right. I've always admired the profession and know quite a bit about the area through my general interest in the subject. I was told that abroad there are some good prospects and the colleges are pretty good at securing placements abroad which could possible lead to a job upon graduation.

[oidhreacht]

I'll have a BSc in Chemistry this time next year, hopefully, and I'm looking at going into civil engineering

Rather than looking at committing to another 4 years in college, perhaps have a look at engineering-based post-graduate alternatives. With your chemistry background, you would have a strong link to the water and wastewater side of engineering. Most designers of treatment plants would actually be process/chemical/mechanical engineers, with the civil guys main role being the structural design of the tanks. There are a few courses out there - have a look at universities in the UK which would be strong in this area.

The water/wastewater treatment is a key area that the Irish Government will have to invest in, despite the current economic predicaments. So this area, along with renewables, are the two main areas of potential growth in a pretty barren looking civil engineering environment.

Things you might want to weigh up are:
> opportunity cost of another 4 years in college - (lost earnings, experience, etc)
> what is it that that appeals to you about civil engineering - if it's the roads/bridges/structures is your passion, then you would need to do a second degree; but if not then there are other possibilities.
> long term job prospects
> long-term location