Graduate Careers in Environmental Engineering
Posted by Sophie Lennard (Monash Environmental Engineering Society) on
29 May 2018
It’s graduate job applications season, so members of MEES spent an evening chatting to seven successful environmental engineers and scientists over pizza!
Thursday Week 2 was our first industry event of the year, and kicked off with short speeches from recent graduates at Melbourne Water, Jacobs, Monash’s Buildings and Property Division, and Infrastructure Victoria.
A Q&A Panel then followed, where students from every year level could ask our speakers questions, on writing cover letters, feeling confident in your abilities, choosing environmental engineering or science, applying for large organised grad jobs or small businesses, and whether our futures as engineers are doomed for automation.
Some common takeaways from the night were that environmental engineering degrees can lead anywhere, from contaminated soil studies to planning rail corridors and climate-proofing our water system. That said, it is very common to change jobs multiple times until you find the right fit.
We were also informed that we may spend between 4 and 18 months searching for jobs after graduation, and that it is very unlikely to secure our first preference for a job or industry. It was refreshing to hear honest opinions from our speakers, and everyone agreed it was valuable to talk to engineers currently working in the field.
Among the attendees were final year students applying for grad jobs, first year students figuring out if a future in environmental studies is right for them, and middle years students keen to network with our speakers and get advice on vacation work.
Everyone was left excited and more curious about their futures after graduation. Our next event, the Professional Development Evening in Week 7, will provide more practical opportunities and advice for writing job applications, getting CPD hours, planning out your degree, and more!
Find out more about the Monash Environmental Engineering Society