Erin McIntyre

"If you asked my friends to describe me in three words they’d say that I am; creative, talkative and honest, all of which agree with my given personality types. Personally, I feel most strongly as though I am an “Influencer”. I work well in a team and enjoy collaborating with others to find solutions to problems. I’ve always been good at thinking outside of the box and finding solutions that others haven’t thought of before, which is very useful when being an engineer.Being creative also means that I fit the personality type of a “Creator” as someone who is interested in the world and wants to find ways to improve it, something that engineers do daily. I am interested in wildlife and the environment and this means that I’m always looking for ways in which we can better our carbon footprint and make improvements to our daily lives at the same time. I’m someone who’s happy to go with the flow and I love new challenges and experiences; however, this doesn’t mean that I’m afraid to stand up for what I believe in and I won’t let my views be compromised.My final personality type says that I am a “Quality Controller”, stating that I’m a trustworthy person and someone with a strong moral compass. This links heavily back to my previous point and I fully agree that I am a naturally curious person who strives for the best in all situations."

"At the moment I am a University Student studying Structural Engineering with Architecture. As well as this, I work each summer within an engineering consultants as a Structural Engineer. Structural Engineering is part of Civil Engineering, this is the more general term that is used.What working as a structural engineer means is that I take my knowledge of mathematics and use this to improve the built environment around us. I work as part of a team to design the large structures that we see and use everyday including buildings and bridges. When designing these structures it’s important to first and foremost ensure that they are safe. This involves long calculations and collaborations with other engineers to find the best solutions to any problems along the way, such as how strong a beam has to be so that it can carry the weight of the roof etc. Another large part of what structural engineers do is considering the environmental impact of any new structures which they design. It’s important to make new buildings as environmentally friendly as possible so as not to further worsen the condition of our planet. One of the easiest ways to do this is by making sure that a building is properly insulated so that heat cannot escape, this then means that less energy is used to keep the building warm.When I’m not working, my time is spent at University where I’m studying to become a qualified engineer so that I can then work full time once I graduate. The starting salary for a graduate civil/structural engineer averages at around £26k in the UK."

"My path to becoming an engineer hasn’t been a straight one! In fact for around 10 years of my life I thought that I wanted to study to become a lawyer, mainly because I had no idea about the other careers available to me, especially in STEM.All through school I considered maths to be my strongest subject, despite it being my least favourite for many years! As I got older I started to develop a love for maths and physics and understanding the role they play in the world around us. I think more than anything, it was my curiosity and desire to make the world a better place which led me to want to become an engineer. Not only do I get to study the science and maths behind our daily lives but I then get the chance to apply my own knowledge to improve our way of living.The most important subjects in engineering are mathematics and physics, and these are what are required for University. As well as applying to Uni, I also applied for the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) QUEST scholarship scheme. Part of this process involved travelling to London where I was interviewed by the ICE and also engineering companies, consultants who design the structures and contractors who actually do the building. It was through this scholarship scheme that I was able to partner with engineering consultant BakerHicks and it is with them that I do my annual paid summer placements.My degree is a 5 year course and I will graduate in 2024 when I will begin working full time. My future plans include becoming a chartered engineer."

"Outside of engineering, I have a large interest in drama and the theatre. I’m often attending shows and even participating! I have a love for lighting design and feel very at home when programming and operating lighting designs for shows. This love for drama stemmed from my time at school and I still visit often and help out with their productions.I also have a love for animals and spend a lot of time with my cat, Pickles. If I’m not off visiting a zoo or wildlife park then I often find myself watching nature documentaries.I’ve never been one for much sporting activity; however, I do enjoy attending spin class and I go at least twice a week when at University.During term time I live with my friends in a flat in Edinburgh. It’s great to come in after a long day studying or a particularly confusing lecture and be able to eat with them and have a laugh. Since being at Uni I’ve met a lot of foreign students who I’ve grown close to and it’s upsetting come summer time when we all return home so we try make the most of our time together by having weekly pub quiz nights and movie marathons whenever we can. "

"At University my typical day involves on average around three lectures, each of which are 50mins long. I sometimes have tutorial classes out-with this which is generally a group of around 15 of us and a tutor who will ask questions and go over the material more in depth with us, similar to a classroom situation at school. The time not spent in lectures or tutorials I use to study and complete assigned projects, essays, research etc. Each semester at university I study an average of 5 courses (subjects). For me, these typically include; mathematics, structural mechanics (the study of how a building and other structures are constructed and designed) and architectural design (a less mathematical approach to building design which instead focuses on the aesthetics and how it looks, this involves a lot of hand and computer drawing and model making).When on work placement, my typical day is a lot different. I’ll start my day by checking any new emails I might have received as this is where I’ll find information on new or upcoming projects. I will then begin or resume calculations on whichever project I am working on. The majority of calculations will be completed on a spreadsheet, it is very unusual that they will be done by hand. When working on a project, I spend a lot of time referring back to drawings which have been produced by architects, fellow engineers or perhaps even myself. These drawings show plans, sections and elevations of any proposed structures and they can be used to find dimensions and the materials being used eg. what size of steel beam is being used at any particular point. Once the calculations are finished, it is important to have them checked by a senior engineer. When I’m not doing calculations, I can often be found modelling structures using different computer softwares. This is a very useful way of testing designs as we have softwares capable of analysing numerous different things such as how wind affects a structure. With any project, the most important thing is communication and there’s always lots of engineers working together on the same design and so I spend a lot of time on calls and in meetings with my team."

"I am from Scotland and so my results are accredited by the SQA.In fifth year I achieved five Higher qualifications in the following subjects; Drama, English, History, Mathematics and Spanish. I was awarded an A for all.Following my exams in sixth year (my final year at school) I achieved a further Higher qualification in Physics and was again awarded an A. I also achieved two Advanced Higher qualifications in Drama and Mathematics, in both of which I achieved an A."