Graduation with a Master's degree in Engineering

SydneyRoverP6B

Well-Known Member
Staff member
This afternoon I received my digital testamars, one for my bachelor’s degree in civil engineering awarded with distinction, and one for my master’s degree in civil engineering, also awarded with distinction. I also completed a postgraduate advanced elective covering composite steel-concrete structures from the master of professional engineering (civil/structural) at the University of Sydney in 2021, which I absolutely loved. An award of distinction is analogous to first-class honours. It means a sustained effort delivering high marks across the entire course. I am honoured to be a civil engineer with specialties in both hydraulics and structural engineering, with the capacity to improve outcomes for society, and both the built and natural environments.
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Ron.
 
Ron
Congrats -all that hard work pushed along by your passion. Well done.
I often wonder if I followed my love for cars ,where I would have gone.
What was your driver?- your Dads car?
On you mate
Gerald
 
Hi, Congratulations on your hard won degree. Well done.:thumb:

Does that mean you can get a proper job now? ;)

Colin

Thanks, Colin!
Haha, I have been working over the last 5 years whilst studying. The double degrees took me 6.5 years to complete. The first 18 months being full-time, the balance part-time. So I worked 4 days each week and studied every evening for 48 to 50 weeks of the year, and every full Friday or Monday plus all weekend, typically 12 hours minimum on those days. I would often take holidays not to go away, but to do more study, again not less than 12 hours every day typically. Erika said to me, "all you do is work and study". I have taken a break every now and then, but no more than one per year.
While studying I designed a solution to correct sediment from clogging intake screens within a river for a local authority. It was a problem that they had endured for 35 years. I also worked on a construction site for a $60 million project, inspecting reinforcement, calculating the placement of reinforcement within columns and development length within pile caps, writing concrete inspection test plans, and so on. My last big project was designing a stormwater network along with two detention basins for a new 223-lot housing estate. At the moment I am looking at a couple of positions, one as a bridge engineer which I quite like the sound of.

Ron.
 
Ron
Congrats -all that hard work pushed along by your passion. Well done.
I often wonder if I followed my love for cars ,where I would have gone.
What was your driver?- your Dads car?
On you mate
Gerald

Thanks very much Gerald.

In terms of a driver for engineering and becoming an engineer, it was something that I have wanted for a long time. My dad was a carpenter and joiner. I recall he said that a fellow that he knew was studying to become a civil engineer. Every time he would see this chap, on a tram or a train, he had his head in an engineering book, studying. When I was accepted into the course, (they had 253 applications of which 80 applicants were interviewed, and 28 were accepted), I made it my mission to repay the academics that had faith in me. I had to show that their faith in my ability to succeed was warranted. I never lost motivation, I just never gave up. Of the 28 only 5 have graduated this year. A few are still going whilst the majority failed at one point or another. At most universities around the World, only 30% of students that start an engineering degree will finish. It is one of the hardest degrees that a person can do. That is why many engineers, myself included do not take kindly to people calling themselves an engineer when they do not possess the qualifications to back it up, at the very minimum, a 4-year full-time degree in engineering.

My Dad was a very practical person. He would teach me about cars, and I would give him a hand to do simple tasks where as a boy I was capable. Pumping air into tyres or using a grease gun. I have my Rover because of my Dad. He bought it and after he was gone I wanted to look after it. He had thought of buying a 1978 Ford Fairlane with a 4.9 litre V8, so if that was the purchase, I may well still have that instead.

Ron.
 
Thanks very much Gerald.

In terms of a driver for engineering and becoming an engineer, it was something that I have wanted for a long time. My dad was a carpenter and joiner. I recall he said that a fellow that he knew was studying to become a civil engineer. Every time he would see this chap, on a tram or a train, he had his head in an engineering book, studying. When I was accepted into the course, (they had 253 applications of which 80 applicants were interviewed, and 28 were accepted), I made it my mission to repay the academics that had faith in me. I had to show that their faith in my ability to succeed was warranted. I never lost motivation, I just never gave up. Of the 28 only 5 have graduated this year. A few are still going whilst the majority failed at one point or another. At most universities around the World, only 30% of students that start an engineering degree will finish. It is one of the hardest degrees that a person can do. That is why many engineers, myself included do not take kindly to people calling themselves an engineer when they do not possess the qualifications to back it up, at the very minimum, a 4-year full-time degree in engineering.

My Dad was a very practical person. He would teach me about cars, and I would give him a hand to do simple tasks where as a boy I was capable. Pumping air into tyres or using a grease gun. I have my Rover because of my Dad. He bought it and after he was gone I wanted to look after it. He had thought of buying a 1978 Ford Fairlane with a 4.9 litre V8, so if that was the purchase, I may well still have that instead.

Ron.
Haha -I was working on the P6 shockie bushes yesterday.My neighbour wandered over and asked me what cap he should take off His motor to put some oil in. I couldn't believe it when he said he hasn't checked or put oil in it for over eight years. Needless to say it had no oil in it, yet it still ran.
I did end up having to sort things out for him. Not his thing I guess.
Gerald
 
Thanks, Colin!
Haha, I have been working over the last 5 years whilst studying. The double degrees took me 6.5 years to complete. The first 18 months being full-time, the balance part-time. So I worked 4 days each week and studied every evening for 48 to 50 weeks of the year, and every full Friday or Monday plus all weekend, typically 12 hours minimum on those days. I would often take holidays not to go away, but to do more study, again not less than 12 hours every day typically. Erika said to me, "all you do is work and study". I have taken a break every now and then, but no more than one per year.
While studying I designed a solution to correct sediment from clogging intake screens within a river for a local authority. It was a problem that they had endured for 35 years. I also worked on a construction site for a $60 million project, inspecting reinforcement, calculating the placement of reinforcement within columns and development length within pile caps, writing concrete inspection test plans, and so on. My last big project was designing a stormwater network along with two detention basins for a new 223-lot housing estate. At the moment I am looking at a couple of positions, one as a bridge engineer which I quite like the sound of.

Ron.

Hi, You're welcome.
What's the job market like over there? Over here it seems like that firms want prospective employees to have qualifications and certificates but are reluctant to reward it. Most jobs nowadays require some sort of certificate of competence or training but don't want to pay for it at the end of the month. I hope that it's different for your degree which should be recognised globally.

All the best.

Colin
 
Haha -I was working on the P6 shockie bushes yesterday.My neighbour wandered over and asked me what cap he should take off His motor to put some oil in. I couldn't believe it when he said he hasn't checked or put oil in it for over eight years. Needless to say it had no oil in it, yet it still ran.
I did end up having to sort things out for him. Not his thing I guess.
Gerald

Hi, Yes it's amazing that some people do this sort of thing and seem to get away with it, but not always. A number of years ago we had a customer that had a hateful Commer camper van which he doted on and his wife had a 3-4 year old Nissan Micra, which we had to MOT each year. The Commer always wanted something fixing for a pass, the Micra sailed through. Anyway in he comes with the Micra making a rattling noise, diagnosed with big ends, "I don't want waste money on this foreign crap." "How much will you give us for it?" A price agreed and away he went grumbling it was nothing like his Commer.:rolleyes: He was right there! I get the job of removing the engine and crank shaft and off it goes for regrinding. Whilst tidying up I notice that the oil filter has still got the blue engine paint and underseal overspray on it. So 4 yrs on the original filter on this foreign POS. :confused:

Colin
 
Hi, You're welcome.
What's the job market like over there? Over here it seems like that firms want prospective employees to have qualifications and certificates but are reluctant to reward it. Most jobs nowadays require some sort of certificate of competence or training but don't want to pay for it at the end of the month. I hope that it's different for your degree which should be recognised globally.

All the best.

Colin
Hi Colin,

You are correct in that engineering degrees issued by Australian universities are recognised by the Washington Accord, meaning they are of the highest international standard, and our engineers can practice anywhere in the World. Once an engineer is chartered (In Australia they have MIEAust CPEng after their name, in the UK it is MICE CEng, or MIStrucE CEng) the door opens even wider. Engineers know their value, and if an organisation won't pay, then they won't have any engineers.
There are many vacancies for engineers in Australia. Salaries for graduate engineers vary depending upon the field and the type of work involved. An engineer with 5 years' experience can expect to earn quite a high salary. The consulting civil engineer that carried out inspections on the construction site that I worked on from 2019 till 2020 was the highest-paid person on the job. He earned $300 per hour, say 150 Pounds an hour.

Ron
 
:thumb::thumb::thumb: Well done Ron. Sounds as if it is high time you took a nice long vacation, and don't take any more study texts with you!
 
:thumb::thumb::thumb: Well done Ron. Sounds as if it is high time you took a nice long vacation, and don't take any more study texts with you!
Thanks, Alasdair :)

I had 10 days away from the second week of July which was very nice indeed. I am busy working in one form or another now. An abstract that I wrote for the 3rd international conference on water and environmental engineering has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. Now I need to write the manuscript and produce power point slides in readiness for the presentation that I will deliver at the conference in November. I am also working on other fun stuff too not to mention trying to find time to enjoy some reading on reinforced concrete.

Ron
 
Well done.

I graduated in 1996 in Manufacturing Engineering, its open the doors to an interesting career, my most interesting job is thr current one, we design turbochargers on big, like 90ltr big, engines.

Bridge Engineer sounds cool. Heavy stuff would be cool I reckon.
 
Well done.

I graduated in 1996 in Manufacturing Engineering, its open the doors to an interesting career, my most interesting job is thr current one, we design turbochargers on big, like 90ltr big, engines.

Bridge Engineer sounds cool. Heavy stuff would be cool I reckon.

So true, being an engineer opens more doors that one might initially imagine. Designing turbocharges sounds pretty cool. I remember listening to a presentation by a Professor of Mechanical Engineering. After graduating with his BEng he did an MEng, and then worked as a jet engine designer. Years later he did a PhD and transferred from industry to academia.

Absolutely, I love heavy engineering, big stuff is great!
20190925_133654.jpg
This crane has a 220,000kg lifting capacity. That is the maximum lift at the smallest radius.

20191002_112814.jpg
Concrete pump with unfolding arm. Amazing piece of equipment.

I took these photos whilst working on the construction site.

Ron.
 
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