u/Effective-Sun8530

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Hey everyone, I'm currently studying Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) Honours at RMIT in Melbourne and I've been doing a lot of research into MEP engineering, specifically building services and data centre cooling (HVAC, chilled water systems, precision cooling etc.).

A bit of background: long-term goal is to eventually start my own boutique MEP consultancy focused on critical facilities/data centres. I know that's a 10-year plan, not a 2-year one — but I want to make sure I'm setting myself up right from the start.

A few questions for anyone in MEP or building services:

1. Is a mechanical engineering degree a solid foundation for MEP, or do most people come in through a different route?

2. Which electives or specialisations within mech eng are most relevant thermofluids, HVAC, CFD?

3. How did you break into MEP consultancy as a grad? Cold applications, WIL/internships, or something else?

4. Are firms like WSP, Arup, AECOM, or Mott MacDonald realistic targets for a first MEP role?

5. Any certifications worth getting early ASHRAE, Uptime Institute, anything else?

would love tips and advices from y'all ggs

Appreciate any advice from people actually working in the field. The subreddit has been super helpful so far.

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Hi all, mechanical engineering student here at RMIT Melbourne. I've been looking seriously at MEP consultancy as my entry point into the industry, specifically building services and data centre work.

I've read the technical side of things pretty thoroughly but I can't find much about what it's actually like to work at a large MEP consultancy day to day — especially as a grad.

Some things I'm genuinely curious about:

1. Large firm (WSP, Arup, AECOM, Mott MacDonald) vs smaller specialist firm — which is better for learning MEP fundamentals as a grad?

2. How much mentorship do you realistically get in the first 1-2 years?

3. Is the path to CPEng well supported at these firms or do you have to push for it yourself?

4. Is data centre work a distinct team/practice within these firms or is it mixed in with general building services?

5. What separates the grads who progress quickly from those who plateau?

Also curious if anyone's made the jump from a large consultancy to starting their own practice — that's the long-term goal for me and I'd love to hear how people approached it.

Thanks in advance.