Thanks! 
I looked at your signature, how come you picked eng@monash over eng@melb?
also I am thinking about doing project management soon after I graduate, so what can I do in uni to increase my employability then?
I picked Eng over Monash since it's closer for me to get to Monash then Melb. uni (20mins as opposed to 1hr+) Also, I've been told by Melb uni engineering students to go to Monash. According to them, the facilities in Melb uni are old and outdated, which is true when I visited the faculty on open day a couple of years ago.
They also disagreed with the new Melbourne Model (these are students that finished engineering in Melb. Uni when they had the 4year engineering course) saying that needing to do Masters is essentially a waste of time/money and also has an additional risk factor if you don't get in. I must also say that that is true. In the two engineering firms I've been an intern in, Masters fresh graduates do get a slightly higher starting salary than a bachelor fresh grad., but the difference is negligible, and what promotes you in an engineering firm isn't your qualifications, but rather, your experience. (A bachelor grad and a masters grad both qualifies to sign drawings/designs off)
The last factor was that in Year 12, I wanted to do a double degree with engineering, something which Melb Uni doesn't offer. (I initially wanted to do eng/comm, but I don't know what happened during the change of preference period i.e. this time 2 years ago, I changed to eng/sci.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now onto the second question, there's a heap of things you are able to do at uni to increase your employability. First and foremost would obviously be maintaining a high mark in uni. Alongside that, you'll probably want to look into extra-curricular activities, e.g. Join the committee of clubs, sports, start of a new initiative/project, basically anything that involves management and communication skills. Also, if you're interested in research, it would be good to look up some lecturers/researchers profile and email them. Ask them if they are able to give you an insight to their research topic. Many of them are more than happy to talk to students about it, and if the conversation goes right, they might give you some part-time research work along side your uni studies.
Finally, especially for engineering, internships would play a major factor in your employability. Most average students only do internships after 3rd year, but if you apply yourself well and with some connections and luck, you might get offered interns after your 1st year. Do not be picky in first year as an intern. Accept ANY offer by ANY engineering company, big or small, even factories or front line jobs. Bear in mind that to the company, taking a first year in is more of a liability than an asset, so be prepared to be working without paid or getting a measly amount. By the time you reach the end of 3rd year, you'll already have 2 summer worth of experience in the industry, and that's when you can apply to the company that you want to work for after your graduate as an intern. Perform well as an intern, and I would guarantee that the company would darn near beg you to return to them after you graduate.
Ofc there are infinitely many other ways to improve your standings in the industry, but those are the main ones in my book. Hope I'm able to give you some insight to the field
Home
Help
Search
Login
