Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
If you are one of the few people that has been studying civil engineering preparing for post peak, you will have a clear advantage over all the rest of graduates. That will make a difference.
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 5:06 pm Post subject: Civil Engineering - my experience
I graduated in 1997 from civil engineering and promptly went to work in medical physics and information technology, and now I'm doing mostly web development and photography. Now I'm getting interested in retooling myself to use that stagnant background and get back into it.
We had the option of taking an envrionmental stream or structural/transportation stream. I chose structural/transportation.
The environmental engineering sub-option of civil engineering would be very useful post-peak, especially if you focus on sustainable systems, such as greywater recovery, sewage systems, and water filtration. You'll learn about building dams for hydroelectric power.
The structural path is good too, because you'll learn the various building techniques for larger structures. In one course we learned how to do project management as well as physical building for constructing your own home, from surveying right through to final completion. Structural engineering aligns very closely with architecture. So you could learn all sorts of building techniques for engergy-efficient homes.
The transportation option that I specialized in wasn't so great for post-peak. Railways were touched on. There used to be an entire class focusing on railways but that was made obsolete by the move to just-in-time tractor-trailer shipping. Interestingly, railways are starting to make a big comeback in Canada. Unfortunately in my courses we also learned how to design subdivisions and freeway off/on ramps, traffic calming devices, and all sorts of stuff about congestion. Not really all that applicable to post-peak. I'm now thankful that I had to do structural engineering as well, though I would have probably been happier in environmental engineering (as a subset of civil), urban planning, or architecture.
Basically, in any stream of civil engineering, when you get the chance to pick your own topics, you'll be able to focus on post-peak solutions. That's great!
If you were interested more in solar/wind and other alternatives, as well as motors of any type, then for certain a switch to mechanical would be in order.
The great thing about civil (and mechanical) is that both are very practical. Big government-sponsored engineering projects are a possibility that would involve both civil and mechanical, such as nuclear reactors - even though I don't want to see more nuclear built, I suspect that we will be headed that way.
The great thing about engineering is that work experience counts for a heck of a lot, your studies are just the foundation. (pun intended)
Learn your basics in school--and also study eco-friendly, power-reducing structures and materials. That way, you can be ready to become someone who can CONVERT a building into something post-peak usable--or BUILD one (from natural materials and materials from torn down buildings--of which there will be many). Your skills are a GREAT way to contribute to your community, as well as keep you fed, clothed, sheltered, health-cared for, et al.
GREAT advice (I'd quote the whole thing, it's all good).
Joined: May 26, 2004 Posts: 309 Location: Ontario, Canada
Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 9:22 am Post subject:
Alongside studying green building materials and energy-efficient building techniques, try to use your internships to your advantage as well. You could try working for an energy company. Building a nuclear plant requires civils, and I'd imagine wind turbine bases need a cement expert as well. You could also try getting attached to any "New Urbanism" projects you can - these are architectural experts in car-independant methods of civic design. There are also plenty of environmental design firms in cities that would love to have you.
If you want to take some non-civil courses I bet your department will let you if you're a good student and make a special request. If you graduate and find you're in the wrong discipline, you can usually do a Master of Engineering to switch (or get try to get a relevant job during internship or right after graduation, and sneak in a switch before you have much job experience).
Let me know if you come up with any really great ideas; my little sister is doing Civil next year and I want to try to nudge her education in a useful direction as well. _________________ "Our forces are now closer to the center of Baghdad than most American commuters are to their downtown office."
--Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, April 2003
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