Dog vs. Wolf - 1on1

[Andydog]

2950 BC -->

[sabrewolf]

i hope it's ok for you that i proposed us playing together in the AU601. if you don't want to, you can always say so and we can switch with others.

but i think we may be able to match the pace of alexman and jshelr, who are aiming on competing it within a month... (ok, we may take 2 or 3)

[sabrewolf]

2950bc back again..

good night

[Andydog]

good morning!

2900 BC -->

I don't have a problem playing together in AU601. Bring it on!

[sabrewolf]

2900bc back again

[Andydog]

2850 -->

[sabrewolf]

2850bc to you...

[Andydog]

2800 BC -->

So when do you finish your degree?

[sabrewolf]

2800bc back

2nd octobre this year.
but at the current rate i won't be finished by then at all

what do you do again? i don't remember

[Andydog]

Civil Engineering although I don't design anymore, rather manage the design development and the construction process.

I don't envy you being in Uni - lots of pressure that you can't leave behind at work..

You were doing Economics right? What sort of career appeals to you?

2750 BC -->

[sabrewolf]

2750bc back again

what kind of construction does a civil engineer do? buildings and other "above ground" things or roads and "beneath ground" stuff?

i'm doing economics and computer science. career: i'm going for IT-consultant at first... but to be honest, i don't know where that will lead me later on.

the worst part of university (all the final exams) is over. i just chose a bad subject for my thesis...

[Andydog]

There are lots of branches of civil engineering - structural designs in reinforced concrete (what I did my masters in actually), steel, timber, etc. Also waste management and fluids (for example hydroelectric power generation, storm and waste water management). Also foundation designs for buildings (designing suitable pads/piles for buildings depending on what type of soil/rock they are built on). So it's quite a big subject area. I focused on structural design specialising in reinforced concrete.

However nowadays I work as the Project Manager - so a client would come to me and say "Andy, build me a canteen" and so then I'd go away and appoint design resources to develop various concepts. I'd have the concepts priced up and determine how long each would take to build. The client would choose an option (usually the cheapest and quickest canteen to build), and so then I'd have it designed in detail (design the architecture, the structure, ventilation plumbing etc, electrics, fire warnings & suppression, etc etc etc) and eventually put the job out to tender to various contractors. They come back with their price and programmes, and I select the best contractor to build it. I then monitor the building process, ensuring they have all they need to build it without delays.

Quite interesting, but gets full on at times!

Anyway, turn to you!

[sabrewolf]

turn back to you

[sabrewolf]

good description, thanks!

it's interesting to compare the jobs in different countries. here in switzerland, there's a clear border between engineers designing buildings, road "designers" and engineers for the things you mentioned in your 2nd sentence. they're called "culture engineers" here (waste water, power, etc).

how much design do you do (or oversee, now you're project manager), and how much does the architect actually do? do architects just care about the "looks" and you design everything else?

[sabrewolf]

resent the turn...