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Civil engineering, Uni vs I.T.

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  • 07-01-2018 9:42pm
    #1
    saltydalty
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭


    Hi all,
    Would anyone be able to outline the differences between a Level 8 degree in Civil engineering gained from a University vs an I.T. Im hoping to study civil engineering in either NUIG or GMIT, im specifically looking for info on:
    1)The modules covered
    2)Difficulty of maths involved (and how quickly it progresses)
    3)Practical vs Theory
    4)Job prospects upon graduation or how well regarded the degrees are.

    Thanks in advance for any guidance.
    Anyone's input regarding Civil engineering in UNI's vs I.T.'s in general (not specifically NUIG and GMIT) would also be greatly appreciated!
    Tagged:


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    #2
    ManÓg84
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭ManÓg84


    saltydalty wrote: »
    Hi all,
    Would anyone be able to outline the differences between a Level 8 degree in Civil engineering gained from a University vs an I.T. Im hoping to study civil engineering in either NUIG or GMIT, im specifically looking for info on:
    1)The modules covered
    2)Difficulty of maths involved (and how quickly it progresses)
    3)Practical vs Theory
    4)Job prospects upon graduation or how well regarded the degrees are.

    Thanks in advance for any guidance.
    Anyone's input regarding Civil engineering in UNI's vs I.T.'s in general (not specifically NUIG and GMIT) would also be greatly appreciated!

    Hi salty dalty. I have attended both it & uni. Dundalk IT and UCD
    In response to your questions:

    1)The modules covered:

    Quite similar on the whole..

    2)Difficulty of maths involved (and how quickly it progresses):

    uni is far more theoretical and looks for you to break down origin of formulas and understand it. I.T’s Guides you through it I personally found more so.

    3)Practical vs Theory:

    hands down universities are more practical... I think they are more in tune with the contracting or site end of engineering whereas universities are geared toward consultancy type work but that was only my personal experience

    4)Job prospects upon graduation or how well regarded the degrees are:

    Market is good at moment particularly in contracting/site work although consulting is very busy also. I thought consultancy can be slightly more difficult to get a foothold into vs contracting however would prefer it personally. Again ultimately it is a very personal choice. If you have opportunity work a summer on sites to understand that element of civil engineering as well as another summer in an office/consultancy placement. That’ll better place your long term decision


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    #3
    budhabob
    Registered Users Posts: 4,821 ✭✭✭budhabob


    Don Byrne wrote: »
    Hi salty dalty. I have attended both it & uni. Dundalk IT and UCD
    In response to your questions:

    1)The modules covered:

    Quite similar on the whole..

    2)Difficulty of maths involved (and how quickly it progresses):

    uni is far more theoretical and looks for you to break down origin of formulas and understand it. I.T’s Guides you through it I personally found more so.

    3)Practical vs Theory:

    hands down universities are more practical... I think they are more in tune with the contracting or site end of engineering whereas universities are geared toward consultancy type work but that was only my personal experience

    4)Job prospects upon graduation or how well regarded the degrees are:

    Market is good at moment particularly in contracting/site work although consulting is very busy also. I thought consultancy can be slightly more difficult to get a foothold into vs contracting however would prefer it personally. Again ultimately it is a very personal choice. If you have opportunity work a summer on sites to understand that element of civil engineering as well as another summer in an office/consultancy placement. That’ll better place your long term decision

    Just on the bolded bit - I presume you mean I.T.s?
    I agree with the above. I have attended a couple of Unis and a couple of ITs, and in the main I much rather the IT approach. So much so I would lean towards hiring an IT graduate over a Uni grad - but that's a personal preference that wouldn't be all that common.


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    #4
    ManÓg84
    Registered Users Posts: 32 ✭ManÓg84


    budhabob wrote: »
    Just on the bolded bit - I presume you mean I.T.s?
    I agree with the above. I have attended a couple of Unis and a couple of ITs, and in the main I much rather the IT approach. So much so I would lean towards hiring an IT graduate over a Uni grad - but that's a personal preference that wouldn't be all that common.

    Yes I mean IT’s... autocorrect is a demon!


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    #5
    roadsguy
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭roadsguy


    Don Byrne wrote: »
    Hi salty dalty. I have attended both it & uni. Dundalk IT and UCD
    In response to your questions:

    1)The modules covered:

    Quite similar on the whole..

    2)Difficulty of maths involved (and how quickly it progresses):

    uni is far more theoretical and looks for you to break down origin of formulas and understand it. I.T’s Guides you through it I personally found more so.

    3)Practical vs Theory:

    hands down universities are more practical... I think they are more in tune with the contracting or site end of engineering whereas universities are geared toward consultancy type work but that was only my personal experience

    4)Job prospects upon graduation or how well regarded the degrees are:

    Market is good at moment particularly in contracting/site work although consulting is very busy also. I thought consultancy can be slightly more difficult to get a foothold into vs contracting however would prefer it personally. Again ultimately it is a very personal choice. If you have opportunity work a summer on sites to understand that element of civil engineering as well as another summer in an office/consultancy placement. That’ll better place your long term decision

    I would consider both equally for their own strengths. Personally I've found that IT grads are far better trained when it comes to practical site based roles, and lets be honest, that's where the better money is in times of high levels of construction activity. If you'd rather a consultancy based role the Uni is a better option but by no means does going to the IT preclude you from doing that. A lot of Uni engineering grads are highly desirable for business consulting, tech, finance and accounting companies due to the high focus on problem solving and maths. The idea that ITs are inferior to Unis is complete rubbish and to be honest it doesnt matter which you choose if your end goal is to stay in engineering. All the best!


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    #6
    mickdw
    Registered Users Posts: 23,260 ✭✭✭✭mickdw


    Im a Civil Engineer qualified via IT.
    I would agree with all above. IT graduates are reasonably useful straight from college for site based jobs. Uni graduates are all at sea on site. That probably flips around if talking about design office career.

    I once had a trinity student come work with me for a summer while i was a setting out Engineer on a concrete structure.
    First day he asks what are the big door type things all over the site. When i realised what he was talking about, i explained that they were concrete shutters, were temporary and used to hold the concrete. He went away but looked alittle confused.
    Next day, we poured a few walls and after seeing that he says. Ah, concrete is soft when it comes, now i get it.


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    #7
    saltydalty
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭saltydalty


    I'm Starting Civil Engineering in GMIT in 2 weeks. I've gotten a bit of experience with a concrete sub contractor since the original post and even a bit of guidance from site engineers. Really looking forward to it and I'm confident its the right move thanks to the replys I got on this post.


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    #8
    mickdw
    Registered Users Posts: 23,260 ✭✭✭✭mickdw


    It's a rough old game if you are on site with a contractor.


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    #9
    cocoman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,105 ✭✭✭cocoman


    mickdw wrote: »
    It's a rough old game if you are on site with a contractor.

    Great learning experience though for anyone just out of college.


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    #10
    Czhornet
    Registered Users Posts: 459 ✭✭Czhornet


    saltydalty wrote: »
    I'm Starting Civil Engineering in GMIT in 2 weeks. I've gotten a bit of experience with a concrete sub contractor since the original post and even a bit of guidance from site engineers. Really looking forward to it and I'm confident its the right move thanks to the replys I got on this post.

    I went to GMIT and I learned more there about setting out and the practical side of things than I did when I did my degree in Uni, which will really help you if you are going on site. Uni has a lot of theory and research, IT's are more hands on (which is what i loved about them) I would'nt change the way I went, 3 years in IT, 2 years in Uni, I had a better appreciation of site work after mu time in the IT's


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    #11
    Iscreamkone
    Registered Users Posts: 709 ✭✭✭Iscreamkone


    ITs have fantastic Engineering degrees, but University degrees are looked on as better by most employers, postgraduate course admissions and by students themselves - who drive the Uni course points up with their CAO choices.
    Give yourself more options by choosing a Uni course rather than an IT course if you can.


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    #12
    shesty
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,893 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Uni qualification here, first few years of career spent on site. I can't say we were totally ignorant of the practicalities of construction,we covered it a lot in every year.
    Sitework is a great education, no two ways about it.
    All that being said, my degree allowed me to change career during the recession and have other options (within the constraints of the desperate economy). Also sitework is bloody hard and to be honest, most people get fed up of being dogged into the ground 50 hours and more a week, and want to leave construction.
    As the last poster said, take the option that gives you as many options as possible right into the future. 40+ years of work is a very long time and you want to be able to have choices.


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