Civil Engineering Degree - should I bail out now?

fivetwenty

. . . And do something else? I picked it going off a Guidance councillor's advice, and I was good at maths, physics & geography. Didn't really enjoy my first year of it at University, it was pretty much all construction-sided (if I hadn't spent hours researching my current predicament, you'd swear it's a 100% construction based qualification).

Having done first year, I'm upset that even though I'm through my exams with good results, there's so much I don't know about what they seem to expect us to know already - bridge mathematics etc. I know I'd be lost in that department (as well as building site items / materials) and I just don't have the faith in the organisers to do a better job this year.

Even with that said, I don't know if I'd enjoy working as one right now, and reading around the internet, it's depressing ( http://tripleperiod.blogspot.com/2007/03/civil-engineering-sucks.html ). Basically it's so broad, I don't know what I'd be doing in five year's time. I'd love to know what you do from 9-5pm, but I don't know how great a guide it'd be as there's not much of a chance that I'll be doing the same as there are so many different aspects to it, What kind of problems do you solve and how long do you spend on a single problem? Is it really something that no one else on the project could fathom? The whole thing just confuses me right now.

If I did stick it through, what are the options at the end if I didn't want to go into engineering work?

All advice is greatly appreciated.

murfie

Don't worry about if there is a job waiting for you or not. The biggest point for your consideration is if your going to enjoy being a civil engineer or would you be more excited about something else.
From what your saying you are unsure if you will even like your career direction. Focus on this more than the job availability, as more than likely the jobs will be there in 3-4 years.

i might be wrong but with a year under your belt i believe its not a major thing to transfer to anther course, mechanical could be a good one and it has a broad scope and will allow you to stay in that industry if you want but also move to something unrelated also.

drunken_munky52

Just because the arse has fallen out of the construction industry, does not mean that civil engineers will now suddenly stop been in demand... maybe it may not be as big as it used to, but remember that there is a big drop in applications for these courses now, so now you have less competition to worry about. Plus civil engineers are still engineers, and as that will always be needed in many different roles... its just a matter of adapting to the new climate. The green sector is going to really mushroom when things start to pickup again and public utilities will start getting the attention they should have got during the construction boom...

Turbulent Bill

The main thing really is whether you enjoy the course or not. 1st year is always tough, but if you handled the exams you're off to a good start. Don't worry about the breadth of the subject - nobody knows everything about everything, and you'll continually learn as a professional.

Engineering is essentially problem-solving, and pardon the cliche but every problem is different. As you go through the course you'll find areas you enjoy working in and others you don't, which will guide your career choices.

cruizer101

If you really know that there is something else you want to do then maybe considering dropping out.

However if its just a case of not sure if want to have a career in civil I would be inclined to stick with it. At the end of the day a degree in Engineering is a valuable thing to have even if you don't go into that field. Many of my class went into other jobs ranging from teaching to economics

hudsonriver

Hi, Im in nearly the exactly the same situation as you OP,
Just finished a first year civil eng course, got good results, its not that I didnt enjoy 1st, just a bit unsure about how things are going.

Seems to be a lot of negative comments views on the internet so sometimes I get a bit depressed, especially this summer, worrying about doing a *"worthless" degree

If you wana pm go ahead, Id like to chat with someone in the same position, but thats not in my exact year. Im in ucc btw.


* according to a lot of people Iv heard discussing this online, graduates from this year/last year

Cheeble

I switched at the end of my first year.

The comments by the other posters are sound guidance. Choose by what you enjoy, not by the job prospects. If you love your subject and can put genuine enthusiasm into it, the jobs will come.

Remember also that the current economic situation is short lived in terms of the career choices you're considering. I made my course change 26 years ago. Since then I've had periods of earning a top salary, and periods of unemployment, both of which were transient.

Don't change solely because you feel behind in just one or two aspects of the course, especially if it's going well overall: work a little harder to catch up in those areas.

I'm not in civils, but it's a fantastic field to work in - just look at some of the projects you could get involved in. If you're not excited by the possibilities, that might be a better reason for deciding on a change of direction now.

Whatever choice you make, be firm about your decision, be happy that you've made the choice, and then get on with fulfilling it.

Cheeble-eers

godtabh

If you are ensure about future employment pick subjects that allow you to either work in a different area or subjects that wont have a lot of people working in it in the first place i.e geotech waste management etc

its baltic

you've gotten sound advice there, I have a degree in civil and am currently working as a site engineer. since starting work as an engineer i've found you can get the greatest satisfaction from doing your job and then it can get really low from the point of wishing why have i done this, but saying that I would not regret for a minute becoming an engineer. I would deffinately continue to get the degree as once you have this it opens up so many options too you.

dont worry about not knowing what seems like basic enginneering stuff, ive learned the best engineers ask the questions (evan the so called stupid questions) and lots of them.

Ninja101

Any monkey can do civils. Do mech/elec. Which would you rather be designing? The latest US air force UAV, or a block wall? :pac:

Eoin D

Ninja101 wrote: »

Any monkey can do civils. Do mech/elec. Which would you rather be designing? The latest US air force UAV, or a block wall? :pac:

How narrow minded of you

Cheeble

Don't take the bait..

kenco

Stick with it unless you have any definate plans otherwise.

At the end of the day very few Engineers ever really practice. The construction boom was a bit of an abheration. When I graduated (last time we went through a down turn) most graduates did whatever they could get work in and were usually well regarded as an Engineering graduate was and is still looked upon highly.

In fact one of my best buddies did Civil and then went into Management Consulting as it was the only gig he could get but to him it was a walk in the park as the training you get in Engineering (thought process, etc) is very good and much sought after.

IMO you get the degree and then see what you want to do with it. Too much emphasis is placed on the primary degree. The guy who topped my year (Elec Eng) is now a Guard and loves it!

cunnins4

Ninja101 wrote: »

Any monkey can do civils. Do mech/elec. Which would you rather be designing? The latest US air force UAV, or a block wall? :pac:

To the OP: look, I just finished civil and am finding it hard to get a job. That said, things are looking up and I think I'll have one soon. If I were to go back knowing this, I'd still have stuck it out. It's a great course, and a very well respected degree. You may not find yourself in the field you expected, but very few do. Work hard, enjoy college and come out smiling with a great degree that's held in high regard.

Don't worry about finding it difficult: it all comes together in the end!

DJDC

Really depends on what you want to do. For me Civil just wasnt challenging enough and didn't have enough mathematical content.

Ninja101

cunnins4 wrote: »

To the OP: look, I just finished civil and am finding it hard to get a job. That said, things are looking up and I think I'll have one soon. If I were to go back knowing this, I'd still have stuck it out. It's a great course, and a very well respected degree. You may not find yourself in the field you expected, but very few do. Work hard, enjoy college and come out smiling with a great degree that's held in high regard.

Don't worry about finding it difficult: it all comes together in the end!

Let me guess, your final year project was "The advanced use of concrete blocks in block walls"?

cunnins4

WOW! You're psychic-clearly you're wasted in mech eng.

Anyways...OP, good luck in your choice. You won't get the attitude above from every other engineer from a different discipline.

imported_guy

im doing mech engg, its fairly shaite, its like getting a 4 year math degree... id take civil or structural over it any day, im planning to do graduate medicine after i graduate, its a decent option to have now days every NUI except mynooth and galway do it i think and galway should be starting it next year

paddythebull

Hi, just wondering could anyone give me some advice or info... Have just graduated from university with 3rd class honours in construction management & engineering, now want to get into civil eng but any postgrads/masters I've looked at requires at least a 2.2 degree. Anybody know of anywhere I could do this? Any info at all would be helpful!

imported_guy

paddythebull wrote: »

Hi, just wondering could anyone give me some advice or info... Have just graduated from university with 3rd class honours in construction management & engineering, now want to get into civil eng but any postgrads/masters I've looked at requires at least a 2.2 degree. Anybody know of anywhere I could do this? Any info at all would be helpful!

try speaking to the course leaders directly, they do take exceptions for research post grads, and u could try elsewhere like in england or something

BERmad

Hi,
Im gonna jump in on this thread I am going into my 3rd year of civil eng in dundalk at the end of this year i will have a Level7 degree.
Could anybody recomend an option for me? I would like to take it on further and get a higher qualification.
I have heard that queens in belfast is a good place to go.

budhabob

BERmad wrote: »

Hi,
Im gonna jump in on this thread I am going into my 3rd year of civil eng in dundalk at the end of this year i will have a Level7 degree.
Could anybody recomend an option for me? I would like to take it on further and get a higher qualification.
I have heard that queens in belfast is a good place to go.

Queens is an option, as is Sligo IT. I transferred from Cork IT to Sligo IT a few years ago, out of sligo now a year, its a hard degree, but fairly highly recognised, and is accredited. Dunno if thats any help, but good luck anyway.

BERmad

budhabob wrote: »

Queens is an option, as is Sligo IT. I transferred from Cork IT to Sligo IT a few years ago, out of sligo now a year, its a hard degree, but fairly highly recognised, and is accredited. Dunno if thats any help, but good luck anyway.

Could you tell me the main content of the course? I have heard that there is a lot of hydraulics is that right?

Tanks

west101

paddythebull wrote: »

Hi, just wondering could anyone give me some advice or info... Have just graduated from university with 3rd class honours in construction management & engineering, now want to get into civil eng but any postgrads/masters I've looked at requires at least a 2.2 degree. Anybody know of anywhere I could do this? Any info at all would be helpful!

Reguardless of your degree mark or what the postgrad says it requires, apply for the course anyway a lot of colleges are in need of the fees especially construction and civil departments as numbers for undergraduate are down a lot. If they have space, chances are they will accept u.

budhabob

BERmad wrote: »

Could you tell me the main content of the course? I have heard that there is a lot of hydraulics is that right?

Tanks

There is hydraulics, but it is quite passible (if you attack it the right way), I had never done hydraulics before. The course is fairy broad, alot of design and structures, then also maths, highways and environmental, and geo.

someday2010

The thing with the construction industry is it is cyclical in that you will are always going to have booms and busts with any given geographic area however if you are willing to travel there is always some where in the world that has a booming construction industry. For example the Irish engineers that are working construction works associated with the mining industry on remote sites in Australia are earning insane money far in excess of what they could get duringthe height of the Irish boom even though the industry back home is dead.

Dermighty

Cheeble wrote: »

Don't take the bait..

That idiot civil engineer built the bridge too high again!

Luckily there's a mechanical engineer on site to blow it up

impr0v

OP, I note that you don't specify something that you would rather be doing. If there is something, and you aren't worried about having to pay fees (it used to be the case, and may still be, that you had to pay fees if you dropped out of a 'free' course to start another one after more than seven months), then the choice seems to me to be a fairly simple one:- to spend two more years doing something that you are not enthusiastic about, or to drop out and pursue something that you will feel serves your ultimate aims (to the extent that they can be fixed at all after first year in college).

As others have said, job prospects should not be the critical concern. Obviously, they are not something that can be ignored - I remember dreaming about being qualified and having enough money to buy a car when I was in first and second year of college - but they are not the be all and end all.

I am a qualified civil engineer. I worked in the sector for about five years, then cross-qualified out before the thing collapsed hit. I never felt I was destined to be an engineer, but fell into it much as you seem to have. However, I have never regretted getting the degree, as the core technical skills and way of thinking are, at their heart, a good grounding for a range of different professions.

In short: if you have a burning desire and the means to do something else, then do it. If you don't, then an engineering degree is a good thing to have, even if you don't plan to work in the industry to which it relates.

yourpics

i did a civil engineering degree. i wish now that i didnt, i could have spent all those years working and earning money and have a house now.

But instead i am sitting here with no job. the degree should have been advertised as "comes with free depression"

wolf99

OP, recently course uptake in the east of the country has risen in civel and similar courses as people see the business and accounting sector strain with tons of graduates, and hope that in 3-4 years the country will be crying out for civil engs as most of the bust engs are leaving the country.

In the West its the other way around, civil and related take-up is falling and business is rising as people see that business and acc are where jobs are at the moment (in comparison to other sectors) in a few years this sector will also be overflowing in the west, though as per normal even if capital spending projects and the like pick up again in the east it will prob be a longer time before it picks up in the west (though it MAY be vice versa as there is more need in the west...)

It really depend on your outlook on the situation, Im an electronic eng, Ive been interested in gedgets etc since a young age and actually enjoy working in the sector. The best advice I and it seems many other posters can give is do what you enjoy. Civil is a broad subject, as are most eng disciplines, but that means there are lots of opportunities, some of my collegues are working on anchors for sea based wind turbines others work with construction companies or architects offices.

Oz, NZ and S. Africa are crying out for civli and related engs, and despite boom or bust there will nearly always be countries spending money on building things.

In relation to my own discipline although the competition is higher than ever, especially from recently jobless, non-grad, experienced engineers, there are still lots of jobs going, especially in the likes of the bio-med sector.
Do I need to know anything about bio-med? Not really. Electronics is electronics is electronics, no company is going to expect a new hire to know how they do things, there's nearly always a period of learning the ropes and training in even for highly experienced engineers.

So in essence do what you enjy, dont stress about job prospects, try to involve yourself in any extra training or experience opportunities (eg Engineers Ireland CPD for chartered status etc). Also if you find the subjects on your course moving to fast, do discus with your lecturer!! (They aren't telepathic)

chances are most lecturers work from there lesson plans and notes they've had for years, only adapting based on feedback, and if they dont get that feedback... (maybe suggest a tutorial class?)

Also bear in mind that first year in many eng courses is very tough to try to get everybody up to speed and the same level, while year two wont exactly be easy, in a lot of cases it wont proceed quite so fast.

Good luck

eyescreamcone

A Civil Engineering degree is so versatile.
It will prepare the graduate for careers as varied as construction and renewable energy.
For instance, I spent some of my career as a fire prevention officer with a local authority fire dept.

It is also a technical degree which can prepare you for further study not necessarily in the field of engineering.
Check out the many conversion MSc degrees in the UK where a technical degree is required.

When I entered Civil I in 1986 the recession was so bad that we didn't even fill our class.
This meant that by 1990 we had little competition for jobs.

I know guys who became teachers and management consultants.
Don't feel that all that is ahead is a career as a site engineer (that's ok too).
Don't look too far ahead either.
Don't feel that you have to know everything - nobody does!
Get your next exams and move on step by step.
Opportunities will follow!!!

delta720

yourpics wrote: »

i did a civil engineering degree. i wish now that i didnt, i could have spent all those years working and earning money and have a house now.

But instead i am sitting here with no job. the degree should have been advertised as "comes with free depression"

That's a bit harsh, there might be very few jobs in construction but a Civil Eng degree will get you a job in plenty of other sectors. I'm working in the oil and gas industry, and apart from first year bending moments and strains I haven't used much that I learnt from my course. But the company only wanted someone with any engineering degree that they could train up to specialise to their requirements as they know most undergrads will know nothing about the oil/gas industry.

So having a civil engineering degree is definitely still worth something if you look beyond the normal construction jobs.

yourpics

delta720 wrote: »

That's a bit harsh, there might be very few jobs in construction but a Civil Eng degree will get you a job in plenty of other sectors. I'm working in the oil and gas industry, and apart from first year bending moments and strains I haven't used much that I learnt from my course. But the company only wanted someone with any engineering degree that they could train up to specialise to their requirements as they know most undergrads will know nothing about the oil/gas industry.

So having a civil engineering degree is definitely still worth something if you look beyond the normal construction jobs.

To be fair, i have applied to all types of industry for work, what is harsh is the expectation of a half decent job after working hard for a degree and then nothing comes of it

A Primal Nut

yourpics wrote: »

To be fair, i have applied to all types of industry for work, what is harsh is the expectation of a half decent job after working hard for a degree and then nothing comes of it

But the nice thing about an engineering degree is you can do a 1 year masters in another area and be qualified enough for a job. Perhaps Telecoms, Electrical, Electronic, etc? Having a combination of one of those with civil would set you up nicely.

yourpics

A Primal Nut wrote: »

But the nice thing about an engineering degree is you can do a 1 year masters in another area and be qualified enough for a job. Perhaps Telecoms, Electrical, Electronic, etc? Having a combination of one of those with civil would set you up nicely.

Good idea, what about funding though?

shanered

How do you fund your self day to day if you haven't got a job?
Back to education allowence if your on social welfare, or do whatever you did to get your degree already..

gOst

yourpics wrote: »

i did a civil engineering degree. i wish now that i didnt, i could have spent all those years working and earning money and have a house now.

But instead i am sitting here with no job. the degree should have been advertised as "comes with free depression"

One of the most valuable aspects of a civil engineering degree is the fact the fundamentals are universal. It's not like law for example where it's specific to a place. If the jobs won't come to you then you most go to the jobs

Poly

someday2010 wrote: »

For example the Irish engineers that are working construction works associated with the mining industry on remote sites in Australia are earning insane money far in excess of what they could get duringthe height of the Irish boom even though the industry back home is dead.

There are very good opportunities available in Oz if you are willing to travel and work in some remote regions, I've been in some of the mining towns are they're not that bad. Hard but very interesting work.

yourpics

gOst wrote: »

One of the most valuable aspects of a civil engineering degree is the fact the fundamentals are universal. It's not like law for example where it's specific to a place. If the jobs won't come to you then you most go to the jobs

obviously i am looking for jobs! i'm not physically sitting all the time!

Lu Tze

gOst wrote: »

One of the most valuable aspects of a civil engineering degree is the fact the fundamentals are universal. It's not like law for example where it's specific to a place. If the jobs won't come to you then you most go to the jobs

Poly wrote: »

There are very good opportunities available in Oz if you are willing to travel and work in some remote regions, I've been in some of the mining towns are they're not that bad. Hard but very interesting work.

yourpics wrote: »

obviously i am looking for jobs! i'm not physically sitting all the time!

In fairness to the guy, australia is a big risk as he would have to be very lucky to get a job with no experience. They look for people with some experience, even a year is a massive advantage. I do know people who have got jobs out here with no experience, but as i said, you have to be lucky

yourpics

Lu Tze wrote: »

In fairness to the guy, australia is a big risk as he would have to be very lucky to get a job with no experience. They look for people with some experience, even a year is a massive advantage. I do know people who have got jobs out here with no experience, but as i said, you have to be lucky

I actually do have a lot of experience but moving to Austrailia isn't as simple as alot of people make it sound. There are a lot of things at home to be considered/looked after.

Poly

yourpics wrote: »

I actually do have a lot of experience but moving to Austrailia isn't as simple as alot of people make it sound. There are a lot of things at home to be considered/looked after.

Any experience with concrete or corrosion?

yourpics

not alot, i have overseen large concrete pours and i have carried out research on concrete. feel free to pm me with any further questions etc

gOst

yourpics wrote: »

I actually do have a lot of experience but moving to Austrailia isn't as simple as alot of people make it sound. There are a lot of things at home to be considered/looked after.

That's fair enough I don't know your circumstances. The point I was trying to make was that the degree doesn't nail you to the ground, just because it's economic value in Ireland is diminished at this point in time, doesn't mean its worthless elsewhere.

Good luck with the job hunt.

nojobsinthat

You would be better off doing another degree if you plan on staying in Ireland. If however you plan on living somewhere else I would get a degree in civil if you like it. Dont believe any rubbish pedalled by civil eng departments about jobs coming soon. There wont be jobs for 5 or 10 years in the sector. Its alright for lecturers to spin jobs as they need their own.