Hello again and welcome back to my second post!!!
In my first post, I explained what civil engineering is all about, the different subfields within it, and the difference between civil and structural (which you should totally check out the structural blog if you haven’t already!)
From my first post, I hope you got a glimpse of just how many cool areas there are within civil engineering. This time, I want to get a bit more personal and share a few things I think you should know before picking your specialisation. I’ll also explain a little about how I ended up choosing civil.
While I can’t offer a one size fits all method, I can share some tips and approaches that might help you figure out your own path.
What to know before
- Future Courses
This might sound obvious, but before you commit, go on a deep dive into future courses. It might be tempting to pick just based on that one paper you enjoyed in first year, but a lot of times the actual spec can be very different. So know what you’re signing urself up for.
If you want to learn more about third or fourth year courses, a great way is to ask any older students you know, or even send a friendly LinkedIn message. It’s a great way to give you a more realistic idea of what courses are actually like and gain advice that helps you feel more prepared. That way, when you eventually reach unc status and have to take the same course, you’ll be a little more prepared. Because speaking from experience, sometimes “interesting on paper” turns into 12 weeks of pain (cough cough, strcteng 200)
Spoiler: I will talk about second year courses for civil in another post. But for now, just remember that being interested in a course in first year is just step 0.
- GPA Requirement
As you are probably aware, there are GPA requirements needed to guarantee your seat and get into certain specialisations.
Fortunately for you, Civil typically has a lower and consistent GPA cutoff each year. So unlike specs like software or mechatronics, it doesn’t tend to fluctuate much year by year.
One common misconception I typically hear is that a high GPA cutoff = “employable or in demand.” But this is not true as GPA req is only there as it depends on how many students want that spec that year, and how many seats are available. That’s it.
If you want to check out the GPA requirements for different specs from previous years, here is the link: GPA REQ
- Industry and j*bs
Although arguably the best way to gain industry experience is through TW int*rnships (we will go into this another day), the next best thing to do is to attend events such as industry night or career expos. It is a great chance to meet grads and engineers to get an idea of what civil engineering is like outside of uni. As well as the perfect opportunity to ask any questions you have about the field while seeing if their work lines up with your interests.
Bonus: This is also a great way to start networking (as in this job market, the earlier the better). Although it might feel awkward at first, it will actually let you in on industry details that you probably wouldn’t have known before.
- What Spec is the most in demand/employable??
The truth is, you literally cannot predict what the job market will look like by the time you graduate. Civil might be in demand (fingers crossed) or maybe AI will take over and we’ll all be jobless and in debt (though that seems pretty unlikely for civil & enviro as for now). So pick something you are interested in, and not because of the market demand right now.
How I ended up in Civil
When I first chose engineering, I honestly had no idea which specialisation I wanted to pick. When spec decisions came around last year, my process was mostly elimination. I knew I didn’t want to pursue anything in EngSci, software or chemical engineering. Not because they aren’t great specs, but they just didn’t interest me enough.
Funnily enough, I also didn’t want to do structural. This decision wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy ENGGEN 121 (I actually really like it and was one of my top Part I courses), it was more so that I wanted a spec that wasn’t too specific and offered a broader range of career paths.
Although this might be controversial, depending on who is reading this, I really enjoyed ELECTENG 101. Actually, going into uni and before taking this course, I already assumed that I would 100% dislike it. I think this mostly stemmed from how I didn’t enjoy NCEA physics. But surprisingly, it was actually one of my top courses in part I, and for a while I was seriously considering something to do with electrical, like EE or compsys, or maybe even tron.
This made me really stuck between specs, but what ultimately swayed my decision was the industry. I think I realised this when I went to industry night and also did further research in my own time afterwards. I found that the more I thought about it, the less it appealed to me, as I could not see myself doing it in the future. I think for me, the theory was really interesting, but perhaps that was it.
In the end, it really only left civil for me. I found that I was interested in the courses and also liked the industry and j*b opportunities that it can lead me. And I felt as if it could lead me to a career that was more fulfilling and impactful than any other spec could be for me.
What to take out of this:
In short, when picking your specialisation, start with
- Process of elimination: What are some courses you like/dislike in first year
- Future courses: Are you interested in what’s more than the glimpse you got in the first year course?
- Look further into the industry: find out what jobs and where the spec can take you, and do you see yourself doing that in 3 years time?
So… to civil or not to civil? For me, it’s civil. But this is a decision that you’ve got to make. And even if you pick something other than civil, switching specs is always an option 😉
That’s all from me for now, and see you next time!
Jolie 🫶