Student engineer (Civil & Structures) Review

During my time here, I was placed with the Rail North team, where a lot of their work involved doing CAT checks. I was given a set of drawings for box culverts to be used in one of their ongoing projects, and I was tasked to analyse them and use the provided resources (Midas and a calculation excel sheet which helps with producing the model) to see if the proposed designs meet the Eurocode requirements, and if there are any risks of failure. Additionally, I worked on a separate bridge design project with a group of other interns, so I was alternating between these projects.

Due to the nature of my degree, I haven't had the chance to work with software apps that I ended up using during my placement, such as Midas civil, so it was a good opportunity to learn more about the app, how it works and its significance in the field. Since I also got to work on a group project, I was able to develop my team collaboration, communication and organisation skills especially since I was working with 7 other interns, and had to communicate with senior engineers regularly when updating them about our progress or asking for help. I also got the opportunity to enhance my presentation skills when we presented our final design in person, and again online following the feedback given to us the first time.

When working with the Birmingham's Rail North team, they placed more emphasis on me taking my time to explore the materials and resources given to me and ask them any questions that come up so that I have a better understanding of the work they do and make the most of my placement, so there wasn't much responsibility given to me there. The bridge design project, on the other hand, was a huge project where each team member was assigned a key role in the completion of the bridge design, so everyone had to shoulder some responsibility for that.

When first starting my placement, I wasn't able to meet my manager in person due to him catching covid. But despite this, he ensured that I understood how the company works, and where to access the necessary websites/ materials in my placement. We even agreed to arrange weekly calls to catch up and check what I've been working on, or there were any issues that came up during my time here. In both projects that I was involved in, I often had to reach out to people with the relevant areas of expertise to seek advice on something I've been looking into or ask questions about the project, but I did end up receiving a lot of support from them and they helped me with completing my tasks

The atmosphere at the office was a lot more chill and welcoming than I expected. It was very diverse, which made it easier to find likeminded people, and everyone generally got along with each other. To encourage more people into coming to the office, monthly socials are arranged where free food and snacks are available, which helps with creating a more social atmosphere to encourage internal networking and meet people from other divisions

Initially, I found the work overwhelming due to working on new concepts and ideas that I haven't come across in university at a different environment than what I'm used to, but with the help of co-workers and friends that I've made here, I managed to roughly get the hang of things and get my tasks completed on time, so when my team had finally completed the bridge design, it gave me a sense of satisfaction and achievement.

Yes

Make sure to explore the different types of engineering projects/ teams offered by Arcadis as they have a variety of them, such as Railway, Highway etc..