Hi everyone! I’m a Civil Engineering graduate planning to study a 2-year master's in Australia. My main goal is to build a good career and get employed in the civil/construction engineering industry after graduation, preferably in Brisbane/Queensland.

I’m currently deciding between a few universities, mainly UniSQ, Griffith, JCU and CQU, but I’m confused about whether I should continue with a Civil Engineering master's or choose something related to Engineering Management/Project Management.

For example, I’m looking at courses like:

• UniSQ – Master of Professional Engineering (Civil)
• Griffith – Master of Civil Engineering Advanced
• JCU – Master of Engineering Management
• CQU – Master of Project Management

There are also other Civil Engineering-related options at these universities, so I’m not sure which direction would be the best.

I’d really appreciate opinions from people who are currently studying or working in Australia, especially in civil engineering/construction:

• Is it better to stay specialised in Civil Engineering, or would Engineering/Project Management be more useful for getting a job?
• Which type of master's is more valued by employers?
• How important is the university's reputation when applying for graduate engineering jobs?
• Which universities have good industry connections and graduate employment opportunities?
• If you were in my position, which direction would you choose and why?
• Are there any other universities or courses in Queensland that I should look into?

I’m mainly interested in actual employment opportunities and long-term career prospects, rather than simply choosing the course with the biggest scholarship.

Would really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people working in civil engineering, construction, consulting or project management in Australia. Thanks!

Hey all, I own a small welding fab business and am looking for a engineer to sign off on designs iv made but I have no idea how to even find the correct engineer
(If you’re happy to take one this very small job please let me know)

Also how to I even find the correct type of engineer in the last few months iv need engineering on cattle grids, truck hiab, edge protection

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to study a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in Australia. I’m really interested in renewable energy, power systems, and working in engineering consulting (like writing designs, doing power grid calculations, Autocad stuff).

Right now, I feel a bit lost on which state actually gives the best opportunities for renewables and consulting jobs. Also, as an international student, I know getting a job in Australia without PR can be really tough.

I have a few questions for the locals or former international grads. Which state is best for my goal?
Melbourne: Is it true that most big engineering consultancies (Arup, AECOM, WSP, Aurecon) have their main design offices here? How is the renewable scene?
Adelaide: I heard Adelaide is crazy advanced in renewable grid penetration (solar/wind/batteries). Is it easy to find consulting roles there?
Perth: Is it all just mining, or are there good consulting roles for microgrids/renewable energy systems?
Brisbane: How is the market there with all the 2032 Olympics infrastructure happening?

What can I do during uni, besides keeping good grades, to stand out to employers who usually prefer locals?
Are internships (vacation work) impossible to get if I don't have PR yet?

Would love to hear your thoughts, experiences, or recommendations on universities/states.

Thanks in advance!

I’m an undergraduate electrical engineer due to graduate at the end of this year. I’ve been looking into the state based registration and am hoping someone can answer a couple of questions.

I have recently managed to find a job as an undergrad doing design work for a medium size solar/battery retailer, doing building mount PV/BESS in the 30kW-1MW range in all the eastern states.

This company employs 3 engineers already, but none of them are registered under any state scheme - they all seem to just be on the NER and nothing further. From my research it seems that because all the work is to a prescribed standard (AS3000 and its subordinates) that state based registration is not required. We don’t do load flow analysis or anything too technical, I’m a long time electrician and I could have done most of this type of work without a degree.

It seems that most states require X years of documented experience to become registered. I’m wondering if any experience I gain in this role would be acceptable or if I’d need to find a more “real engineering” role to start working towards registering in any given state. Thanks in advance for any insight you may have.

I'm a Mech Eng,

I'm pretty far through the interview process on two engineering roles: structural/seismic design engineer and mining tailings and waste management engineering.

Does anyone have any experience with these roles, or can tell me what the career progression looks like in these roles? I'm just unsure how the career progression would look like for a seismic design engineer and if perhaps its a bit more niche than the mining waste management role which would involve more general mech design such as pipe, pump, and tank design etc.

At the end of the day I'm just looking for a role that has good career progression and will provide some diversity in projects.

Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks!

I currently work in the defence sector doing design work as a grad. I took my current job at a small company thinking I’d enjoy the design and (mostly) analysis work - which was good. But I’ve now been here close to a year and had more interest in the systems/requirements aspect of the project (which was fairly light here - requirements in a spreadsheet). I’ve also had a renewed interest in MBSE and working with SysML (especially after playing around with V2).

I’ve been considering applying to some junior roles as a systems engineer at some of the defence primes, I’m wondering if anyone had some advice with regards to transitioning to systems engineering, what an upward career looks like in systems, how systems compared to other specialisations in Australia and if working as a systems engineer can be pigeonholing.

My main doubt comes from leaving a position that has a wide breadth of engineering work for something more specialised this early. My pulls for leaving are that I don’t currently have a strong technical lead above me so I feel I’m lacking some mentoring, the work is inconsistent (some weeks no work, other weeks stacked) and also my current pay is quite low.

I’d describe my comfort technical areas being solid mechanics, analysis, design (mostly aero structures) and system engineering with some light experience in MBSE (magic and papyrus).

Any advice would be appreciated.