Antje Budge
Design coordinator, Balfour Beatty
Expertise
Construction, DesignLocation
North WestMy highlights
Building one of the bridges on the M6 Toll, carrying the M42 over the M6
Building gantry bases and one of the bridges for the M42 widening, also on the M6 Toll
Becoming an Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
A day in my life
I spend most of my working week in our site office, where my previous site experience helps me to understand technical problems and identify solutions.
My day can involve:
- Attending meetings with the client and designer to agree what we are going to include in the design.
- Reviewing drawings and specifications and checking for errors.
- Reviewing payment applications from our designer, to assist our commercial team.
- Chairing meetings, enabling all parties to discuss problems and come to agreements.
- Site visits, to get a better understanding of requirements and limitations.
- Mentoring more junior engineers and helping them in their professional development.
- Liaising with archaeologists to agree required works.
- Dealing with local authorities to obtain planning permissions.
- Getting involved with other activities onsite, like attending a site health and safety forum.
My ongoing involvement with the ICE has given me a lot of opportunities for personal development and to meet the leaders and decision makers in our industry.
Which individual project or person inspired you to become a civil engineer?
My godfather was a civil engineer, and he worked all over the world on large structures. It always sounded very exciting.
He was in charge of the concrete foundations of a television tower in my hometown. You can’t see them, but without them the tower wouldn’t stand up.
We asked Antje…
I would recommend a career in civil engineering because…
It gives me a sense of great pride every time I see one of ‘my’ structures. It’s a career where I can make a tangible difference to the life of a lot of people.
Complete this phrase: I’m a civil engineer, but I’m also…
Involved in a variety of volunteering opportunities with my local scout group and village, and as part of the ICE in Cheshire and the North West.
What’s the biggest/most complex thing you’ve made out of Lego?
I like following the instructions rather than coming up with a design myself – I have built race cars and buildings, creating a mini city in my bedroom.
What about being a civil engineer gets you out of bed each morning?
No two days are the same, and there’s always a solution for every problem. It might be more expensive or take longer to build, but other times I can identify a better solution than the original one.
What’s one great thing that you love about civil engineering that you didn’t know until you started working in the industry?
That the industry offers opportunities to change the focus of your work, for example moving from an operational role to design management or planning.
There are so many ways to shape your career, and I think it’s important for people to know this.
Which civil engineering project (past or present) do you wish you’d worked on?
Thames Tideway – a deep tunnel under London improving the existing Victorian sewage infrastructure.
Name one civil engineering myth you’d like to bust.
That civil engineering is just being outside, in the rain and mud.
Has civil engineering helped you overcome any personal hurdles/difficulties?
It has given me the confidence to defend my opinion, while making sure that I have good reasoning behind them.
What motivated you to become professionally qualified?
I’m qualified as an Incorporated Engineer (IEng). For me, it’s a way of demonstrating my skills and commitment to the industry. I’m now developing a plan on how to approach the next step to become a Chartered Engineer with the ICE.
What’s the best thing about being professionally qualified with the ICE?
When I achieved my IEng status, I was invited to the ICE headquarters in London to receive my certificate from the president.
It was a real honour to be welcomed by such an eminent member of the ICE, and the building gives me a feeling of connection to the long history of the institution.
How did the ICE and your employer support you to become professionally qualified?
My employer has a great support system for everybody who wants to become professionally qualified, at whatever stage of their career.
This could be a degree apprentice achieving EngTech status early in their career, or somebody wo decides to take these steps after decades in the industry.
I’m a delegated engineer and supervising civil engineer and have supported people with mock interviews to prepare them for their next step.
What do you value most about being an ICE member?
There is a wealth of knowledge and learning opportunities available to ICE members – whether for topics directly related to my work, or areas of interest that I can learn more about.
Anything else? i.e. personal causes, hobbies
I’ve been involved with the ICE since my university days, when I was on the Graduate and Student Committee in Nottingham.
I’ve been a member of the Cheshire Committee since early 2008. This helped me to maintain a connection to the industry during my career break and has given me some great opportunities to develop.
Now that my children are a bit older, I’m looking forward to going on more trips with them.
Antje's career path
- I went to school in Germany, followed by a five-year apprenticeship as a carpenter, working onsite building roofs and timber framed buildings.
- I moved to England and started my bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Nottingham Trent University, including a year in industry.
- I worked as a site/section engineer for a major contractor I took a career break to bring up my two young sons.
- I then returned to work for a major contractor as a design coordinator.
