Eleanor Davies

"I am a Structural Engineer, working with architects, clients and other engineers to design buildings.I have to apply maths and science to my job which suits the ‘Explorer’ and ‘Investigator’ types. I also find that creativity and communication are really important to ensure I can achieve ambitious architectural ideas and communicate ideas to all the different people involved, including architects, the client or the public. This fits well with me being the ‘Coordinator’ type.I am being collaborative, practical and logical, and really loves the challenge of solving difficult structural problems in lots of different ways to achieve the vision of the architects and designers, and communicating this to all sorts of people."

"As a Structural Engineer, my job is basically to make sure a building will stand up and stay up! I decide what materials to use and what size and shape they need to be.No two days are ever the same. Most of my time is spent designing structures, whether modelling them on a computer or doing calculations by hand. I then communicate this design to others and coordinate with them, through emails, calls or at meetings talking to clients, architects or builders. I might be on site checking my design is being built as intended or attending training on different areas relevant to my job. I also spend some time in schools or universities helping with outreach events and hopefully inspiring the next generation.I think the best thing about my job is seeing a collective vision realised when a building is finished! I am proud to have led the design and construction of a sewerage system in Tanzania that benefited 150 people. This showed me what I could achieve with determination and a practical head on. The most exciting, and scary, experience I have had to date has been standing in a football stadium on the stand that she designed. To work in a team of thousands of people and see the shared ambition realised after years of hard work was pretty awesome!"

"I liked maths and art at school but wanted to do something more practical at university. I initially thought about architecture. After work experience and advice from a family friend, I became interested in engineering instead as it is more logical and mathematical which suited me better. I was lucky to do various bits of interesting work experience during and after university which inspired me further. This included working in China and Tanzania, as well as design placements in London and Bath.I really wanted to make a positive impact on society and see a practical output of my work and her current role really allows me to do this. My starting salary in this job was in the mid £20k range."

"I play a lot of sport, captaining my hockey team, playing touch rugby in a local league, captaining the work cricket team and regularly running and playing tennis with friends. I like travelling, hiking and skiing and am generally active and outdoors!The company I work for is international. There are always opportunities for me to move to a different office if desired. Engineering is one of the most international careers I can think of, as the laws of physics are unchanged throughout the world! I love my job but has no idea what the future might hold. I might stay in design or I might think about moving towards project management."

"I am lucky that I can walk to work. No two days are ever the same. Most of my time is spent designing structures, whether modelling them on a computer or doing calculations by hand. I then communicate this design to others and coordinate with them, through emails, calls or at meetings talking to clients, architects or builders. I might be on site checking my design is being built as intended or attending training on different areas relevant to my job. I also spend some time in schools or universities helping with outreach events and hopefully inspiring the next generation. After work, I will hopefully play sport, go for a run or meet some friends to catch up."

"I have 11.5 A*s at GCSE. I studied Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English Language, English Literature, French, Spanish, Latin, History, Art and Religious Studies. Whilst Maths and Physics are crucial to my day to day job, creativity is hugely important too. At GCSE, I think it is important to do different subjects to maintain breath to give you a chance to see what you enjoy and not shut any doors. My favourite subject was definitely art. Drawing and creativity in problem solving are two things you might not realise that all engineers use all the time. "