Why civil engineering is the perfect career to follow your passion

One common trait among our members is their innate love for civil engineering.

So it’s fitting that the theme for Tomorrow’s Engineers Week this year is ‘power up your passion’.

The aim is to encourage young people to align their interests with a career in engineering.

Passion is a key factor when choosing what job you want to do. Although according to the Harvard Business Review (HBR), it’s not the be-all and end-all.

Instead of picking a career on your passion alone, the HBR article suggests asking “How can my career be a conduit to passion?”.

Here are some of the ways our members’ interests and passions have led them to a fulfilling career in civil and infrastructure engineering.

1. Passion for travelling

Assistant civil engineer and President's Future Leader 2023-2024, Ramsha Saleem, has always had a love for travelling.

After her A-levels, she had the opportunity to travel to the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan from Islamabad to the Khunjerab Pass.

“During the trip, I spent time in the mountainous Hunza valley and spoke to the local community of Wakhi people and the Chinese engineers who were repairing the highway,” she says.

“Through these conversations, I saw first-hand the powerful and transformative effect of civil engineering in improving the lives of people.

“Civil engineers are changing the destiny of generations and shaping the future of our planet, and I want that to be my legacy.”

2. Passion for protecting people

Joshua Macabuag is a disaster risk engineer and has always been driven to protect lives and livelihoods from disasters worldwide.

Joshua’s day to day job is varied but he mainly models building damage due to natural disasters using computer software. This can be before or after a disaster.

At the weekend, Joshua volunteers as a search and rescue engineer, which involves training with rescue teams and taking part in exercises to locate and remove people trapped in collapsed buildings.

Joshua says: “To know that the work I do will benefit people affected by future disasters drives me.

“It’s also a humbling and inspiring experience to work with dedicated engineers and emergency managers within disaster relief – this is one of the many reasons why I volunteer.”

3. Passionate about climate change and the environment

Many of our members are deeply committed to environmental issues, including senior energy storage consultant at DNV, Evangelos Pastras.

Evangelos is actively involved in climate action initiatives, such as the World Federation of Engineering Organizations Working Group (WFEO WG) on Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG13).

This role allows Evangalos to advocate for climate action and including young people in important conversations about sustainability.

Another environmental enthusiast is graduate civil engineer, Dylan Powell.

“I'm very passionate about providing a sustainable way forward, treating our planet in a way that enables us to offer a safe future for the generations to come,” he says.

“I love knowing that I have the power to make the changes that I want to see in the industry.”

4. Interests in DIY and building things

Site engineer, Kayla Browne, was inspired to become a civil engineer by pursuing her childhood interests in DIY and construction.

“My dad, who's got an engineering background, inspired me to take the apprenticeship route and become an engineer.

“When I was little, I would always follow him around the house and at work, wanting to help with little DIY tasks. For example, wiring and installing lights.

“Then, during work experience on the London Bridge Station Redevelopment project, seeing a finished station on one side while the other side was being stripped out to be constructed, I thought ‘this industry is for me’.”

Dylan Atkinson, advanced engineering technician, always had a passion for building and creating things too.

“I used to make little Lego cities in my bedroom and create stories in them. Nothing compared to the size of the replicas in Legoland, but big enough for my imagination.

“Thinking about it, it’s probably the reason I like civil engineering so much, although that’s not to say that if you don't like Lego you won’t like civil engineering.”

5. Passion for teaching

Inspiring the next generation of engineers is something that Dr Rebecca Wade, senior lecturer in environmental science, is particularly passionate about.

“I love teaching, and I particularly enjoy taking my students on fieldtrips, from whistle-stop tours of whole river catchments, to full days working on a single stretch of restored stream.

“I try to inspire the next generation of engineers to place sustainability at the heart of what they do.”

6. Interest in technology

As technology continues to grow and shape the way we work, the field of engineering is no exception.

Digital twins are an example of how the industry can use technology to help engineers apply lessons learned before construction even begins.

Digital twins work by digitally recreating the physical component of say, a building, by collecting real world data to be processed.

Engineering principles, combined with artificial intelligence, are used on the digital model to gather new information about the building.

This helps engineers manage the physical building more effectively.

Charted Infrastructure Engineer, Ryan Clarke, has always been interested in technology and how digitalisation is shaping the industry.

“Digital engineering is as important in the construction process as any other stage.

“This field allows you to solve complex problems, innovate with new technologies, and contribute to the development and maintenance of essential systems such as transportation, water and energy.”