Case studies: Water engineer: Maciej Ka

Maciej has a BEng Civil Engineering and an MEng Urban Water Systems from the University of Exeter. He works as a water engineer for an engineering consultancy...

I got my current job in rather a roundabout way. A local engineering consultancy was looking for an engineering student to help them with some GIS modelling and data manipulation. I was recommended by my professor and they invited me to an interview. During the interview, however, it became apparent that even though my IT skills were pretty good, I had no experience with GIS and this wasn't really a job for me.

I'd taught myself the basics of software development at school, and throughout my degree at the University of Exeter  I'd used those skills to enhance my projects by developing more advanced and automated Excel models allowing me to achieve better results, much faster than I could have done manually. After a brief discussion about this during the interview, they offered me a different role. Instead of doing GIS manipulation, I became the office's spreadsheet expert and the internal software developer.

The job wasn't easy to begin with. Some aspects required very detailed knowledge of water engineering asset management and planning, but luckily my course had already covered most of it.

Additionally, I was given the opportunity to research and write my MSc thesis based on some of the work I was doing, which gave me access to an even wider range of opportunities.

My degrees were vital in getting this job. They gave me a detailed insight into the world of water engineering - how and why things work. This background knowledge allowed me to jump into my role quickly without having to spend too much time on learning the basics.

As part of my degree course I was also taught how to use some of the specialised software packages commonly used by engineers to perform simulations, analysis and various design tasks. This is what I enjoyed the most as I could see the application of my knowledge in action. This fascination influenced the position I was offered and brought me to where I am today.

A typical day varies a lot based on what is currently going on. I usually start by discussing current progress and next steps with my line manager. Once we agree on my plan of action, I spend the rest of the day working on the project I have been given. This could be anything ranging from small improvements to tools used by our clients, to the development of a brand new asset management model. The company provides consultancy services to clients spread across all of the UK, so I never know what will come up next.

Every project I work on is a new challenge. As time goes on, I receive more tasks requiring me to learn new things. Some aspects are purely engineering based, some lean towards IT and software development.

My aim is to continue producing results which have a meaning. Whether its a small spreadsheet designed for a client or a large scale internal database, it makes me proud to see people using it to streamline their everyday work-flow.

Due to the nature of my role, I never know what I will be working on next. This brings an element of surprise and excitement to each day. Water engineering offers opportunities to work on projects directly affecting the general public and gives you a chance to do something that has a real life meaning.

In my opinion, water engineering is one of the best sectors to get involved with. Water infrastructures will always require maintenance and improvements as the majority of the procedures in place are archaic and not very efficient. There is unlimited space for innovation and anyone with a creative mind can find themselves something that hasn't been done yet, or could be improved.

Water engineering is a very open and broad environment and you don't have to be an expert in fluid mechanics to establish a career. My case is the perfect example of how generic software development skills and good Excel knowledge opened the doors for a great and innovative position.