Naimh McElroy

"The job I do requires you to work both within a team and individually. I need to be organised to manage my own time and to meet deadlines set by the client. I feel that my Explorer, Coordinator and Quality Controller personality traits meet these requirements well."

"I am a Civil Engineer. I work in the waste water team at AECOM, designing new waste water treatment works, pumping stations and pipelines. I also manage assets for different water companies across the UK and Ireland. This involves assessing the condition of the asset (e.g. sewer) and determining its priority for rehabilitation. Through this work I ensure that customers (the water company and the general public) have clean water to drink and that their waste water is taken away safely and treated. No two days are the same, as I get to work on a variety of different projects across the UK and Ireland. Our company encourages training, so I get to travel to different training courses and to meet other colleagues from across the wider business. You can work your way up the chain through both experience and further qualifications. I am currently working towards gaining my Chartership and would like to move up the ladder at work. Family is also important to me so being able to balance work and family is vital."

"A friend from church was a civil engineer and shared her experience with me. She also organised some work experience for me, which showed me what the job would entail and allowing me to decide if it was for me. I didn’t particularly enjoy university due to the amount of assignments and exams but I completed a placement year which showed me that I did enjoy the work, so I persevered in order to get to the end goal of being a civil engineer."

"I enjoy going for walks, swimming, playing squash and meeting with friends and family."

"A typical day for me involves responding to clients’ questions and queries through emails, phone calls and meetings. It also involves working with software such as AutoCAD, MS excel, MS project, InfoNEt and ArcMap. These packages allow me to produce maps, drawings, and programmes for the work required."

"Secondary education (GCSE/O-Levels) GCSE Maths (A*) Additional Maths (A*) English (A) English Literature (A) French (A*) Spanish (A) Physics (A) Chemistry (A) Music (A) Home Economics (B) Short Course RE (A) Post secondary education (College, A-levels, NVQ3 or equivalent) A Level Maths (A*) Chemistry (A) Physics (B) As Level Further Mathematics (A) As Level ICT (C) Undergraduate degree (BSc, BA, etc.) Civil Engineering Post-graduate degree (MSc, MA, etc.) MEng City and Guilds award "