FROM FUTURE: AN INDEPENDENT EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING MAGAZINE

Case study: Adeniyi Aje, civil engineer for Royal Haskoning

Published: 14 May 2007

My dad is a quantitative surveyor so I was exposed to construction sites and the work of civil engineers from a very young age, and have always known that it was something I wanted to get into. I also enjoyed technical drawing as a child which was why, after studying predominantly science subjects at school, I went on to begin an architecture degree at university. Architecture is a great degree, in that you get to be creative and put your ideas across, but you don't get to fully realise your ideas to completion. You don't get to do the numbers behind implementing your ideas and you miss a lot of the analytical side of things. I realised that this was something I really wanted to do, so I switched courses and started a degree in civil engineering at City University in London. Once I started I realised that civil engineering was definitely for me. I am someone who really likes being able to follow up concepts and bring my ideas to life, which is what civil engineering is all about. I really enjoyed the course.

As part of the course, our tutors organised for industry experts to come and work with us. One of the experts, who works for the engineering firm Royal Haskoning, recruited me to come and work for his company. I started there a few months after graduating. I work in the maritime department, so I am responsible for designing ports and harbours. You get a lot of responsibility from the outset, doing things like designing retaining walls, pavements and bridge backs.

Since starting 18 months ago I have had the opportunity to travel through work. A little while ago I went to Mexico where we assessed the damage that had been done to the structure of a building during a Pacific cyclone. Now I am a project manager on a very exciting project, although I can't go into any detail about it as I have to keep it strictly confidential for the moment!

The thing I like most about my job is the creativity it allows - it gives me a lot of job satisfaction. You don't have to do a lot of long hours and they can be flexible - I have flexible start and end times provided I do my typical hours in the week.

The civil engineering industry is a great one to get into, especially at the moment. With the Olympics coming up in London in 2012 there is high demand for civil engineers and plenty of jobs.

This job might be demanding but if you are committed you will definitely enjoy it. The best advice for somebody contemplating a career in civil engineering is for them to ask themselves whether they think practically. Civil engineering is different from other degrees: you need to have a practical mind and ask practical questions, imagine how things are done, ask questions to fine tune your ideas and then, finally and most importantly, put them into practice.