There are many career choices in the field of Engineering.

• Agricultural Engineering
• Chemical Engineer
• Civil Engineering
• Construction Management
• Environmental Engineering
• Geo-technical Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Land Surveying
• Mechanical Engineering
• Transportation Engineering
• Water Resource Engineering

 

• Agricultural Engineering

  Agricultural Engineering is concerned with the solution of engineering problems affecting agriculture in the production of food and feed for our present and future needs and involves the design, development and maintenance of farm machinery for tillage, planting, cultivation, harvesting and handling of crops; drainage; irrigation, erosion control and land and water management; and the storage and processing of food and feed with the adaptation and development of new technology and energy sources.

  
  Agricultural Engineers utilize basic engineering fundamentals and knowledge of agriculture in their solutions to the problems of agricultural production and processes.  They are usually employed with government agencies and private organizations that are concerned with food and feed production.  They may also be engaged in teaching research and development in farm mechanization, crop processing or food engineering, soil and water engineering.

• Chemical Engineer

  Chemical engineering is primarily the application of chemical principles to industrial processes and environmental problems to effect change in the composition of properties of matter to benefit society and the environmental.

  
  Chemical engineers operate, manage and design the complex plants needed to convert a laboratory or pilot scale experiment into an industrial operation capable of producing tons of material every day.  They supervise the construction of these plants, and are also involved in running and maintaining them.  These activities call for a thorough understanding of the chemistry of a process, but require many other skills as well.

  
  The Chemical engineer must understand the physics and mathematics which lie behind the problems of heat and mass flow when very large quantities of reacting material have to be heated or cooled, and moved from one section of the plant to another.  He or she must understand the properties of the material available to build the plant; how they will stand up to high pressures and temperatures, and how they will resist corrosion and wear.  In the design and operation of biotechnology or environmental protection process, the Chemical engineer also needs to understand the basic biological principles.

  1. From above, it is seen that chemical engineering can be broken down into a number of different categories.  These are:
  2. Transport and Separation process
  3. Process dynamics and control
  4. Energy Production
  5. Food and Petrochemical processing
  6. Chemical equipment and plant design
  7. Environmental Engineering

• Civil Engineering

  Civil engineering is concerned with the provision of many of the basic services needed for development in modern society. This is done through the design, construction and maintenance of works such as buildings, bridges, harbours, canals, railways, airports, dams, power projects, highways, water supply systems and sewage treatment works. Other areas of civil engineering are transportation systems, urban planning and surveying. The effective practice of civil engineering requires the application of mathematics, physics and economics.

  Civil engineering is composed of many diverse areas such as:

  • Construction Management 
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Geotechnical Engineering 
  • Structural Engineering
  • Transportation Engineering
  • Water Resources Engineering 

• Construction Management

  This area of engineering is debatably the most practical aspect of the field. This is primarily because it deals with the management of the construction phase of projects that have been designed.

  The main purpose of the construction manager is to ensure that the project is carried out in accordance with the design specifications. They may also be called upon to make changes to certain design aspects, which are not applicable to in situ conditions.

• Environmental Engineering

  Environmental Engineering is a field that applies engineering and scientific principles to protect and preserve human health and the environment.

  Environmental engineers are the technical professionals who identify and design solutions for environmental problems. They provide safe drinking water, treat and properly dispose of wastes, maintain air quality, control water pollution, and remediate sites contaminated due to spills or improper disposal of hazardous substances. They monitor the quality of the air, water, and land. And, they develop new and improved means to protect the environment. 

  
  Although many people are concerned about the state of our environment, environmental engineers are the people who do things to protect it from damage and to correct existing problems. Environmental engineers possess the scientific and technical knowledge to identify, design, build, and operate systems that make modern society possible.
  In addition to being a field for doing, the environmental engineering field and environmental engineering education are multi-disciplinary. They involve traditional engineering components such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and engineering design. But environmental engineering education and practice also includes a range of other disciplines, such as biology, microbiology, ecology, public health, geology, meteorology, economics, political science, and computer science. To address the spectrum of issues facing the environment, environmental engineers are broadly educated, as well as technically trained. 

  Where do environmental engineers work? 

  Environmental engineers work in many places. Some of the common ones are:

  • engineering consulting firms that design and construct air and water pollution-control systems, 
  • industries that need to treat their air or wastewater discharges, 
  • private and municipal agencies that supply drinking water, 
  • companies that treat and dispose of hazardous chemicals, 
  • companies that operate treatment facilities for municipalities or industries, 
  • government agencies that monitor and regulate waste discharges, 
  • universities that teach and conduct research on environmental control, 
  • private and government laboratories that develop the new generations of pollution-control systems, 
  • international agencies that transfer knowledge and technology to the developing world, and 
  • public-interest groups that advocate environmental protection.

  What do environmental engineers do everyday? 

  The environmental engineer deals with the challenges posed by a growing population, intensifying land-use pressures, rapidly evolving technology, and increasing governmental regulation.  The environmental engineer must develop technically sound solutions within the framework of maintaining or improving environmental quality, complying with public policy, and optimizing the utilization of resources.  Engineers provide system and component design, serve as technical advisors in policymaking and legal deliberations, develop management schemes for resources, and provide technical evaluations of systems.  Specific examples include: 

  • Design and evaluation of erosion control systems.
  • Systems and processes for management and utilization of wastes. 
  • Design and evaluation of erosion control systems.
  • Maximize resource utilization and minimize water pollution.
  • Design and management of water control systems to maximize resource utilization and minimize water pollution.
  • Inspection, evaluation, and reporting for regulatory compliance.

• Geo-technical Engineering

  The geotechnical engineer is mainly concerned with the analysis of subsurface conditions so as to design adequately the foundation for particular structures including buildings, dams, tunnels and landfills.

  This is done principally through the study of existing soil and rock deposits in order to determine the extent to which they can withstand the intended design.  Additionally, they also focus on slope stabilisation.

• Industrial Engineering

  Industrial Engineering is concerned with the identification, analysis and synthesis of the various components (men, machines, materials, management and money) that are necessary for design, construction and operation of organizations that produce goods or services.

  Thus it is centered around the design and control of plants and production systems, and , as such, needs a knowledge and understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, automatic control and instrumentation, and all aspects of production management.  In addition expertise in the areas of economics, marketing, industrial relations and law, and psychology is necessary.

  Industrial Engineers therefore provide management with the necessary inputs for rational management decisions, and to control these inputs to ensure objectives are met.  Industrial Engineers find employment in all fields of engineering, and often in fields that are not traditionally considered to be engineering.

• Land Surveying

  Land surveying is the general term used to refer to Geodetic Surveying:  The theoretical basis and control framework of all other surveys.

  
  Geodetic Surveying can be subdivided into four main disciplines:

  Topographical Surveying

  The mapping of the physical and cultural features on the Earth’s surface.

  Engineering & Mining Surveying

  The provision of spatial data for the design, construction and monitoring of engineering and mining works.

  Cadastral Surveying

  Delineation and parcellation of property rights.

  Hydrographic Surveying
  Offshore positioning fixing, tidal studies and mapping of water features and coastal areas.

  Land Surveying provides spatial information in the form of maps, other manual records or computer compatible format to meet the multitude of user needs.  The products of land surveying are valuable tools for informed decisions in all spatially oriented land and marine based activities resulting in better land management.
  Land Surveying requires a firm background in Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Systems, Law, Planning, Valuation and Management as well as surveying disciplines of Geodesy, Cadastre, Engineering Surveys, Photogammetry, Remote Sensing, Cartography and Hydrography.

• Mechanical Engineering

  Known as the Father of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering is a wide and varied discipline.  On hearing Mechanical Engineering, one has visions of someone able to fix your grandfather’s old machinery.  However, this only scratches the surface.  Mechanical Engineering is concerned with the design, manufacture, testing, operation and maintenance of various types of machinery and industrial plants, and often includes the executive management of industries.  Its successful practice requires the application of mathematics, physics, chemistry and economics to a variety of machines and work areas.  These include heat engines, turbines, pumps, compressors, machine tools, air conditioning, refrigeration stress analysis, strength of materials, fluid mechanics, plant layout, time and motion study, production lines and quality control.
  Mechanical Engineers are employed mainly in manufacturing and service industries but are also engaged in independent research, design and development in the areas mentioned above.

  Maintenance Engineers

  Understanding the function of a machine, the Engineer is able to diagnose and undertake repairs when breakdowns occur.  These skills also enable him to plan and implement maintenance schedules to avoid breakdowns or modify components to enhance the function of the system under scrutiny.

  Design Engineers

  Being trained in what makes components fail, designing techniques which minimize failure and properties of materials, the design engineer is able to design a product maximizing cost for both consumers and manufacturer.

  Electro-Mechanical Engineers

  This is a specialist field of study that embraces the concepts of electrical and mechanical fundamentals.  Students who complete this course of study are able to design any kind of mechanical or electrical machinery.  Examples are electro-rotating machines like generators and motors, used for supplying energy for commercial, industrial and aviation applications.

  Opportunities

  In Barbados, Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineers are employed at the Barbados Light & Power Co. Ltd., BET, Plantrac Engineering Inc., and the Arawak Cement Plant, to name a few.  Challenging job opportunities are there.  If one takes a look around Barbados, most Managers of Industrial Plants are Mechanical Engineers.  Times have changed and the trend is for the Engineer to diversify to provide a better package for the employer.

• Transportation Engineering

  The main focus of this branch is in the design of highway systems, airport runways and rapid transit projects with respect to their layout and routing. Also involved in this aspect of engineering is the design and application of computer traffic signals as well as advanced traffic management and information systems.

• Water Resource Engineering

  This involves working with the development of water supplies, drainage structures and wastewater facilities. The design process involves the analysis of rainfall data, pollution migration, coastal and shoreline protection. These engineers also work closely with structural engineers in the design of hydroelectric plants, canals, docks and piers.

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