William Fall

Graduate Civil Engineer, Mott MacDonald

Tell us about your current job. Describe what you do on a typical day.

I am a graduate civil engineer at Mott MacDonald, working in the Dams and Reservoirs team, and based in Cambridge. Mott MacDonald is a consultancy business, which does an enormous range of work, across transport, buildings, water and environment, energy and advisory. While I am a civil engineer, I have colleagues working across a huge range disciplines, including mechanical and electrical engineering, geology, flood modelling, sustainability, process engineering – the list goes on! In my line of work as a civil engineer in the Dams and Reservoirs team, there are two key lines of work – working with existing dams and reservoirs, or supporting the development of new ones. I have worked on designing earthworks and hydraulic structures associated with a major new reservoir in the East of England that is yet to begin construction, analysed and monitored the settlement of 30km long flood storage reservoir built in the 17th century, and undertaken extremely detailed failure-risk assessments for 19th century canal feeder reservoirs by internal erosion. Day-to-day, my work involves a lot of spreadsheets, generally for doing calculations (from hydraulic calculations to settlement or seepage data analysis, to risk estimations), meeting with team members to develop plans and track progress, sketching out ideas and commercial work (project management – tracking budgets, progress, deliverables, risks and programme).

What were the best things about your course?

First and foremost, the course is accredited by the joint board of moderators (JBM). This means the course satisfies the educational requirements for chartership. This includes the Institution of Civil Engineers, who I intend on pursuing chartership with. They require an accredited master’s degree and approximately five years’ relevant experience. This means that on leaving university, I only need to get the experience I need to prove I operate at the level required of a CEng civil engineer – the educational requirements box is ticked! I particularly appreciated the broad base given by the general first year, which gave a useful base in general engineering concepts that are useful when working with other engineers. This was also attractive in case I wanted to change my mind and pursue another discipline. Of course common sense prevailed, and I continued with civil – it is the best discipline after all! This cross-discipline collaboration continues throughout the course, and I found the Integrated Design Project carried out in years 1, 2 and 3 an excellent preparation for real-world engineering teamwork. I was also attracted to the industrial integration offered by the ‘with Industrial Experience’ programme, which brought the experience I gained in two summer placements into my academic experience. Completing the attached modules meant I could relate my industrial experience to my academic experience, get a head start on university work over the summer, and have my experience recognised in my degree title and transcript. The university also hugely facilitated the process of getting a summer placement with the SEEN scheme (formerly RESPECT) – through which I got my placements. This scheme allows a single submission for a number of companies, rather than having to submit one for each. This saved a lot of time and effort in applying for placements and led to two successful summer placements. I thought the quality of teaching was broadly excellent, especially when reaching the final year of the MEng programme, block teaching (2 weeks to teach a module) delivered often in classrooms with a small cohort allowed for interactive learning and plenty of opportunities to ask questions.

How do you feel your degree helped you get a job after graduation?

Having a degree in civil engineering from the University of Birmingham shows that you are a highly capable, numerate problem solver that is able to tackle complex engineering problems both independently and as a team. Employers recognise this, and it makes the degree an ideal stepping stone to progressing into leading engineering companies, or any other numerate job (thanks to the transferrable skills you develop). As mentioned above, top engineering companies look for accredited degrees because they want their staff to become chartered as they progress. An accredited degree is therefore essential to moving into the world of engineering, and essential for early career progression.

What skills from your degree do you think you use most in your current job?

Collaboration and communication. The University of Birmingham civil engineering programme involves a lot of collaborative work. This is reflective of work in the real world – no project can be delivered by one person alone. Starting a job with university experience of working in multidisciplinary teams is made much easier by the prior experience of communicating technical ideas and collaborating on them with a mixed team. Written communication is also a skill that is hugely important at university (writing reports, a dissertation and other assignments) – this is also key in the professional world for similar reasons. Problem solving. This is a central part of engineering and is a key part of day-to-day work in the professional world and at university.

What are your top tips for securing a job in the United Kingdom or your home country?

Apply for jobs you are passionate about. You are more likely to succeed both in applying and when in the job if you are happy at work and passionate about what you do. Gain placement experience – it is a huge advantage to have a professional network from as early as possible – many graduates get jobs with the companies they go on placements with, normally without having to navigate the typical application stages, which can otherwise be time-consuming. Otherwise, it is a significant advantage to have professional experience on your CV when applying for graduate jobs – it sets you apart as driven, passionate, and more likely to be able to hit the ground running when you start.

How has your career developed since graduating from the University of Birmingham? Did you need to take additional training on top of your degree?

In the year or so of professional experience that I have, I have moved from a position of complete inexperience in the dams sector, to one where I am able to work increasingly independently (but always with oversight – this quality assurance remains no matter your experience!) with command over workload, technical concepts, terminology, and increasingly able to take initiative to set the direction of my work and delegate to others as needed. I am on the three-year soft-skills development programme run by Mott MacDonald to develop its graduates, and am working with a delegated engineer to record and sign off my professional experience towards chartership with the ICE.

What advice would you give to current and prospective students looking to work in your sector?

Be curious. Be interested. Ask good questions. Never be afraid to talk to people, ask them anything – they’ll be delighted you’re interested and happy to help you learn. Always get people’s contact details if you’ve had a chat with them – you never know when you might be useful to contact them (or for them to contact you!). Build a professional network as early as possible. Get to know your academics, talk to people who work in the industry. Go to as many industrial events as you can, they’re almost always free and people are generally delighted to see students interested in their field. Read through the websites of ICE, IStructE, IHE, CIHT, PWI and find out more about what they do. It is a great look to professionals to show initiative and find events with these institutions to go along to. People are generally very happy to talk about what they do – never be afraid to ask! If you are not sure what you want to do, go to plenty of events with the professional bodies, try new things, and do a summer placement or two to get an idea if you like something or not. Get out on site as much as possible. Engineers deal with the real world, and if you want to work in design it’s essential to understand how what you design is built. Join the Civil Engineering Society (CivSoc) who organise industrial events and site visits to broaden your mind on what is out there and see how it all works in practice! The best work candidates are the well-rounded ones. Employers don’t necessarily want the student with the top marks – they want someone with broad strengths. They want good communicators, collaborators, creatives, people with new perspectives. More than anything they will look for someone who will fit in well and thrive in their environment.

What advice would you give to current students studying on your degree programme?

Get thoroughly stuck into university life. Live and breathe what the university experience has to offer academically, in extra-curricular activities, in social life and relax and have fun. Be aware of the options available (e.g. I changed to the MEng Civil Engineering with Industrial Experience programme after year 2). In your academic life, work smart. Know what you need to achieve/demonstrate in your work and focus on that.

What would you recommend students should do at university, over and above their academic study, to make them more employable in the graduate market?

Join the Civil Engineering Society (CivSoc) – it’s a fantastic way to get to know people, go to social and industrial events. The value of a strong social life at university is huge, and industrial events are a fantastic way to learn more about what sort of work happens in the civil engineering industry and decide what you’re interested in. Network. Go to events with the ICE, IStructE, IHE, CIHT, PWI and others – they’re almost always free to students and a fantastic way to meet professionals. They’ll be more than happy to talk.

Did you take advantage of support services offered by the University for example Careers Network and Wellbeing, and if so, what impact did they have on you?

I used the university CV service to help improve my CV and went to some careers fairs. At one of the careers fairs, I ended up talking with and getting on well with representatives of a civil engineering company. They took my details and later got in touch asking if I’d like to do a placement with them, and possibly work with them as a graduate!

What are your fondest memories of the University and what would you say to anyone currently considering studying at Birmingham?

Social life. My closest friends now are almost all people I met and lived with while at university. Birmingham has a huge range of activities to get involved in. I’ve got great memories (or not so many memories of some!!) of nights out in on Broad Street, at the Guild of Students, in Selly Oak and in Digbeth – home to lots of cool arty bars and venues. Leading the Civil Engineering Society as President. Progressing through the society from first year rep in my first year, two years as social secretary and then a year as president was a wonderful journey of organising and later leading the extracurricular life of civil engineers at UoB. The support from the university was significant, and made a huge range of events possible, from site visits to industrial talks, to the Engineering Ball. Get involved in CivSoc – it gives you all of the ingredients for a fulfilling academic life, both socially and extra-curricular!

What were your favourite things about Birmingham the city? How did it compare to your expectations?

Birmingham is a fantastic city. Like all major cities there is near-endless opportunity. In a city like Birmingham, huge numbers of major civil engineering companies have an office, which is great for getting experience. Lots of industrial events happen in Birmingham too, which makes it a great place to network and develop professionally. The city centre is well connected to the University by train in about 8 minutes, which means the opportunity of the city is on your doorstep. I loved the Jewellery Quarter for all its great places to eat and drink, Digbeth for its arty venues and underground music, Selly Oak for its student bubble and incredible global food options, Broad Street for its student nightlife, Edgbaston to watch the cricket, the canals to walk and cycle along, the Wellington pub to sample local real ale, Bournville for its cute streets and pretty greens, Lickey Hills for amazing views over the city, the easy rail connection from University/Selly Oak into town in a split second or out to lovely villages like Alvechurch or Barnt Green for countryside walks, the central location in the country and excellent rail connections making it easy to head off to see friends, explore the Shropshire Hills, Wales, Worcester, the Malverns and more, the cute and cosy Christmas markets … the list goes on and on!

What extracurricular activities did you get involved in as a student?

CivSoc (Civil Engineering Society) – I became first year rep after going to my first social and meeting people in the year above (on the committee), then became social secretary for two years and organised the amazing socials CivSoc is famous for, and became President in my final year, leading and overseeing CivSoc’s fantastic range of social, industrial and sporting activities. I was a music scholar at the University and absolutely loved the University Music and Music Society music scene. I played in the Wind Band, Brass Band, Symphony Orchestra, and early music ensembles – being given the opportunity to be tutored on the sackbut (baroque trombone) and play in a 4-piece sackbut ensemble funded by the University. As a music scholar, I also enjoyed 17 hours of funded individual instrument tuition each year. I also adored playing with JFS – the Jazz, Funk and Soul society, who did fortnightly jam sessions at a bar in Selly Oak, which is where I first developed my improv skills. UoB is a fantastic music university and any budding musicians should strongly consider UoB for its extracurricular music. The social life attached to music at UoB was fantastic, and I still play the Whit Friday brass band contests each year with a band full of UoB students and graduates!

Please tell us about your experience studying and living away from home.

I found that possibly the most transformational experience of university was starting a new life and becoming independent. I met the most wonderful people, found the University incredibly social and my experience there as a student hugely shaped who I am now. Birmingham is a fantastic city to find your feet in, and the University is somewhere that almost instantly felt like home.

Why did you originally apply to Birmingham?

I was enticed by the flexibility of the general first year. I was attracted by the SEEN placement programme. I wanted to study somewhere with an excellent engineering reputation. I wanted to study in a big city with (professional and social) opportunities to match. I wanted to study somewhere with excellent music facilities – even better that Birmingham offered the fantastic Music Scholarship. I was impressed by the incredibly modern, extensive, advanced facilities. The campus is beautiful, and a wonderful place to spend time and study. I wanted to go to a fun and social university. The First Class scholarship offered me £3k on admission for exceeding my offer. The Civil Engineering Society at UoB is like no other!