Expert: Jeanette A - 11/16/2009

Question
Civil Engineering Department,
   I've had a lot of questions concerning Civil Engineering because I'm trying to decide if that's the field I want to go into and I was wondering if you could help me.  I would really appreciate it if you could answer my questions and e-mail me back?

1. What's your name, highest academic degree & colleges attended?
2. What is the most interesting engineering project/job you've
undertaken?
3. What do you like about the profession of civil engineering?
4. What advice would you give a civil engineering student to follow
while still in school?
5. What made you decide to pursue a career in civil engineering?
6. Why does this job suit you?
7. What is your work schedule like?
8. How long have you been a civil engineer?

    Your reply would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!,
Erika Poikey

Answer
Hello Erika,

I will copy and paste some answers from previous questions which I have answered.

1. What's your name, highest academic degree & colleges attended?
Jeanette Alkhatib, I am still currently attending University of Technology Sydney studying Civil Engineering, Diploma in Engineering Practice.

2. What is the most interesting engineering project/job you've
undertaken?
Albury to Wodonga Hume Freeway Project. $524 million freeway is the largest roads infrastructure project ever completed in regional Australia. The new route caters for through traffic and provides local residents with seven interchanges and a second road crossing of the Murray River. Another is the Southern Hume Alliance. A 32 kilometre highway duplication from Woomargama to Table Top. The Hume Highway duplication will reflect the highways role as the primary movement corridor between NSW and Victoria.

3. What do you like about the profession of civil engineering?
Constantly being challenged to think outside the box. Every project has its own challenge and being able to think in a logical and efficient manner to solve the task whilst being restricted to the Engineering Trilogy of Cost, Time and Quality.

4. What advice would you give a civil engineering student to follow
while still in school?
Sometimes the only way to find out if you enjoy something is by trial and error. The best advice I could give to someone aspiring to become a civil engineer is to explore your options to find the solution which best suits your needs. If you decide to stick with civil engineering first finish your degree and get your chartered license. Another thing is whilst studying you may decide to broaden your horizons and try get an internship early in your degree, this will be an eye opener and gives you an insight to what you will be graduating with. Other than that, enjoy it because that is the only way you will become successful.

5. What made you decide to pursue a career in civil engineering?
Initially I wanted to do architecture when I was about 16, and during that year (2000) I did work experience with Lucent Bell Technologies which is a telecommuniation engineering company. This is how I discovered engineering and decided to advance my dream of architecture into something more challenging and satisfying.

To create a playground for humans! To gain satisfaction from improving the worlds infrastructure while simultaneously improving the quality of life for humankind.

6. Why does this job suit you?
Because I crave change and Civil Engineering is all about change. A dynamic career path one far beyond boring.

7. What is your work schedule like?
I am currently studying to obtain my degree, however, working hours for a Civil Engineer are typically 40hrs/week, however, this could vary depending on work load and deadlines that MUST be met for a specific project.

8. How long have you been a civil engineer?
I only worked for a brief time, that is compulsory as part of my degree, so technically still a student.

I hope this helps answer your questions. Goodluck with your decision and we definitely need more females in engineering!


Warm Regards,
Jeanette