In High School and want to study Civil Engineering?

Looking at the ancient cities, once upon a time people used to live Nomadic lives where they moved from place to place. This movement a result of the need to access food mostly in the form of meat, sources of water and agricultural land. During this time of nomadic lifestyle, there was never a permanent settling place. Civil Engineering was the solution to this as it ensured people no longer had to move around to find resources but rather it became possible for the resources to come to people.

So what is Civil Engineering? Here is a little story that tries to answer this question. Currently most services are found in towns and cities and as a result there are a lot of people migrating from rural areas to cities, this phenomenon is referred to as urbanization. Now, when people migrate they will need accommodation to stay in and so houses are constructed. In order to access the houses or nearby facilities such as hospitals and shops, roads must be built. While in their homes, people will need to have water supplied to them and once this water has been used for the different uses such as bathing, flushing, cooking it must be put somewhere and so sewers are built to collect waste water. If it happens to rain extensively, water must be removed from the residential areas to ensure flooding does not occur and so storm-water drains are built.

The classic tale l used above illustrates the diversification of the Civil Engineering field such as structural engineering, hydraulic engineering, road and transport engineering, water supply and wastewater management.

I was always fascinated by how the environment became what it is today. Sometimes l used to look at a very tall building, while closing my eyes l would try to imagine what the ground looked like before it was constructed. Were there trees? Perhaps a sand mound? I would ask myself these questions as l looked. The one thing blew my mind away was the fact that someone drew this structure on a piece of paper, and this fascination grew bigger and bigger and l just wanted to become that person too.

To become Civil Engineer, you have to perform well in mathematics as well as science subjects. While in high school, l was not sure what type of engineering l wanted to do so during school holidays l used to go and work at workshops and random engineering sites just to have an understanding of what engineering is. I decided to take a gap year after l finished my High School and during my gap year l worked with a company that specialized in mechanical, civil and mining engineering. This gave me an opportunity to appreciate what civil engineering is.

My advice is you must start putting in the work now because the jump from high school to university is very big. In my first year of studies at university l found it very difficult to adjust to the system but eventually everyone adjusts, others faster than others. While still in high school it is important to secure a mentor who has made it to university so that they may share their experiences with you at the same time advising you on life. Life at university goes beyond academics and it requires a balance between many issues.

Now that l have had a chance to study civil engineering and engage with its application, l wish to use my engineering degree to reduce the inequalities in the world which l believe can be directly impacted by the field of civil engineering.

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