Future students

A Recent Graduate - Alix Campbell

I chose to study Civil Engineering because I love the mental stimulation it provides. The best thing about civil engineering is that the end product of your hard work and dedication can be seen and quantified.

Civil engineering can mean anything from providing running water for the community to an engineering feat such as the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge.

With my civil engineering degree, I have gained a job with a leading consulting firm who have provided me with many opportunities. I am working with design engineers for the first half of each week and on-site at a water recycling project for the second half.

Career paths and employment

Employment opportunities

Engineering as a profession is in demand in all fields. One constant in a changing educational environment is a degree from the University of Sydney. Sydney Engineering emphasises a qualification that prepares a student for the engineering profession but gives them the opportunity for a wide range of employment possibilities.

Degree Specialisation	Possible Career Paths
Civil Engineering	Civil Engineers are employed in a wide variety of professions performing a broad range of technical and managerial tasks. Civil Engineers plan, design, build, construct and manage infrastructure and environmental projects. The points below show some of the typical careers that might have. Civil Engineers should also have sufficiently broad knowledge to be able to switch between specialisations (eg structures and geotechnical).
Civil Engineering (Construction)	Project manager Site engineer Construction manager Cost consultant Quantity surveyor Maintenance manager Quality assurance manager
Civil Engineering (Environmental)	Sustainable design Renewable power Pollution control Environmental impact studies Hydrologist Coastal design engineer Ocean technology Wind engineering
Civil Engineering (Geotechnical)	Mining and geological evaluation Site investigator Specialist geotechnical and foundation design consultant Pollution control
Civil Engineering (Structural)	Specialist structural design consultant Construction manager Site engineer Materials engineer Technical sales consultant Bridge engineer Transport and urban planner
Project Engineering & Management (Civil)	Construction manager Project manager Events manager Cost and financial controller Quality assurance manager IT project manager Tendering manager

Some of our graduates have obtained employment in merchant banking, consulting, management, low speed aerodynamics (car design) as well as in the traditional engineering areas. The degrees are broadly based, widening graduates' employment opportunities and establishing a long-term career foundation.

In first year, students spend more than half their time studying science-based subjects including mathematics, about a quarter on computing and about a quarter on their field of engineering. The proportion of engineering subjects grows in second year in most courses.

Sydney Engineering structures the first half of its course in this way because:

it gives graduates the ability throughout their careers to cope with new technologies and techniques and to address fundamental problems;
it makes it possible to change from one branch of engineering to another; and
it gives the foundation for further specialisation in third and fourth years.

Gaining employment

92 % of engineering graduates from 2000 who wanted full time employment had obtained it. (source Graduate Destination Information, University of Sydney Careers Office). Our undergraduates work in the profession during their three month industry project and many make good industry contacts. Undergraduates are assisted by the University’s Careers Office and Foundations in resumé and interview presentation.

Graduates in engineering from the University of Sydney start on higher salaries than almost any other profession. Engineering graduates had a mean starting salaries in 2002 of $40,000 (source: The University of Sydney Careers Centre).