Yutong Li

My Graduate Story

My name is Yutong Li, and I graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2022. Today, I work as an Assistant Engineering Manager at Wood plc where I manage a decent-sized cabling project from the design side. My current employer is very supportive and offers a lot of different benefits. I also work remotely, which means I can work from anywhere I want, which is a great bonus for me.

A Day in My Life

In my current role, I am always involved in a lot of different meetings with engineers, clients, operation teams, or subcontractors. My job role is to help ensure design delivery to the client on time, stay in budget and achieve a good standard, which involves a lot of interface management. For example, when there is a design change, I need to understand its impact on the operation side, so I speak to project managers to understand the impact and also speak to the commercial team to understand the potential cost. I also support engineers with the information they need to finish their work, speak to clients to understand their requirements and support subcontractors with a clear scope to help them with their work. I always describe my job as sorting out problems for all parties. The problems are different every day, which I really enjoy.

My Journey to Wood plc

I am very lucky when it comes to job applications. I took a placement year after my second year of study, which I got through the University of Birmingham. Once I finished the placement year, I was offered three graduate jobs from three different companies. I am fortunate that I did my placement year. I feel that once you get the first year of experience, it makes it easier to get the next opportunity. So, I am forever grateful for the opportunity I got from UoB.

My Birmingham Experience

The best thing about my course is that all the lecturers are so nice and supportive. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my dissertation supervisor’s help and support. Another thing I love about my course is that you have the choice of what you want to do after the first year of general engineering, which is a great opportunity for people to decide what kind of engineer they want to be. Additionally, I love my classmates; I met a group of best friends who are lifelong friends for me.

Birmingham's Impact

For me, the things I learned from UoB were not only in civil engineering but also good learning habits from lectures. I loved the engineering course because the first year was general engineering, which helped me understand whether I wanted to be a civil engineer or a mechanical engineer. I even learned electrical engineering in my first year, which benefits my current job roles.
My favourite module at university was geotechnical engineering. I loved how the university structured the coursework and the way they tested us. They gave us real-life issues and problems to solve, and I used many of these skills when I was a site engineer. I would say these experiences definitely gave me a strong background for what I do now.

My Achievements

For my personal achievement, I met my lifelong friends at UoB. Regarding my professional life, I led a team of six to join the Fuel Change Challenge in Scotland during my final year, which resulted in an invitation to COP26 and our team being featured in Scottish Construction News. I am also very lucky to have achieved a first-class degree, which means a lot to me.

Advice for Students

Never doubt yourself. If it is something you want to do, try your best, make a plan, and believe in yourself. You can do it! Please don’t miss career opportunities when you are in university, because some of them can help you shape a good career.