Case studies: Maritime engineer: David Keracher

David graduated from Napier University in 2009 with a first class honours M.Eng in Civil Engineering. He now works in the civil engineering role of maritime engineer in the Rivers and Coastal Division of a global construction company.

My degree included geotechnics, structural engineering and transportation, which have proved a great foundation for the varied work which I do here.

I was a student representative for four years and a member of the student-staff liaison committee, which gave me a good grounding in diplomacy and negotiation. Little did I realise how valuable that would be in my future career.

I was determined to get relevant work experience. Persistence paid off when I landed a summer job in Vancouver on a complex and technically challenging construction project. The project became the basis of my dissertation and gave me plenty to talk about at interviews and helped me to get an internship with Atkins and an offer of a graduate job.

My internship and part-time work during my final year were in bridges and structures, which made good use of my geotechnics knowledge. As a graduate I worked on a new walking access system for the Forth Road Bridge. Here I learned at first-hand about the challenges of protecting steel from corrosion in an exposed environment.

Due to company re-structuring, I moved a few months ago into the Rivers and Coastal Division. My civil engineering degree is so flexible that I could also have joined the Oil and Gas Division, but this move gave me early promotion, based on my track record.

We are a team of seven, including a chartered engineer, CAD technicians, a scientist and an environmentalist. Working in a multidisciplinary team is very stimulating as each person has a different perspective and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Alongside us there are teams specialising in waste management and hydrology and we all draw on one another’s expertise.

As a designer I am involved in every stage of a project, from pre-contract bids through to detailed design and finally site supervision to ensure that crucial specifications are met. No two days are alike. Currently, I spend two-fifths of my time on site, making surveys and supervising our staff and contractors. In the office, alongside detailed design work, I liaise with clients and sub-contractors and prepare contracts and procurement specifications.

I enjoy the challenges of each project. Each one is unique and so I am constantly learning. As well as learning from practical experience and more experienced colleagues, I also learn where necessary from my mistakes. I like the informal atmosphere in this industry and the fact that colleagues are open to the views of even quite junior graduates.

Being responsible for a job from beginning to end is a big attraction for me. There are plenty of development opportunities ahead. The water and energy sectors are in expansion mode. Our company offers opportunities in America, Australia and the Middle East. Once I gain chartered engineer status, my next goal will be to gain overseas experience.