← Engineering Student Portfolio
Stage 2 of 5
The middle years: see the bigger picture
You have found your feet. Now the picture starts to get clearer. You begin to see the different areas of your discipline, the companies that work in them, and where you might fit. It is fine to have a preference, but do not narrow down too early.
On a three-year course this may be a single year; on a five-year course it may be three. Come back to this page each year.
1. Know the areas of your discipline
Get a good idea of what each one involves
Every discipline is made up of several areas. In civil engineering, for example:
Structures
Buildings, bridges and other structures that carry load safely.
Geotechnics
The ground: foundations, slopes, retaining walls and tunnels.
Transport and highways
Roads, railways and how people and goods move.
Water and hydraulics
Water supply, drainage, rivers, flooding and the coast.
Construction and project management
Planning, cost, programme and delivering the work safely.
And more
Environmental engineering, materials, surveying and others.
Other disciplines have their own areas: electrical engineering, for example, includes power, electronics, control and communications. Find out what yours are, and what engineers in each one actually do.
Portfolio entry: “The areas of my discipline: what each involves, which interest me most, and why.” Update it each year.
2. Know who does the work
Start to learn the names in your industry
Company names should now begin to come up: in lectures, at career fairs, on site visits and in the news. Start a simple list for each area that interests you:
Who owns it
Clients, such as public bodies, utilities and developers.
Who designs it
Consultants and designers.
Who builds it
Contractors and specialist firms.
For each company, note what kind of work it does, where it works and whether it offers placements or graduate schemes.
3. Open a LinkedIn account
Start your professional presence
Now is a good time to create a LinkedIn profile. Use a clear photo and a simple headline, such as “Civil engineering student at [your university]”. Connect with classmates, lecturers and the guest speakers you meet, and follow the companies and professional bodies on your list. Share what you are learning, but never share coursework you have not been allowed to share, or anything confidential from a placement.
4. Know the people behind the ideas
Meet the founders of your field
Behind every theory you use is a person who worked it out. Knowing who they were helps the ideas stick, and shows you know your field. For example:
Karl Terzaghi
Often called the father of soil mechanics; the principle of effective stress.
Isaac Newton
The laws of motion that sit behind statics and dynamics.
Henry Darcy
Darcy’s law for water flowing through soil and rock.
Leonhard Euler
The buckling of slender columns.
Georg Ohm
Ohm’s law, the starting point of circuit analysis.
Albert Einstein
A reminder that great science begins with curiosity and simple questions.
Find the founders behind the theories in your own modules, and note one sentence about each.
5. Deepen your understanding
Know which tool solves which problem
You do not need to memorise every formula. What matters now is knowing which theory or equation applies to which problem, what it assumes, and when it should not be used. If you understand why a formula works, you can always look it up.
Portfolio entry: pick one equation from each module and write what problem it solves, what it assumes, and one situation where it would give the wrong answer.
6. Laboratory work and reports
From following a procedure to understanding it
In first year you followed lab procedures. Now focus on why each step is done, what can go wrong, and how to interpret the results: are they sensible, how do they compare with typical values, and what do they tell an engineer?
Report writing matters more and more. A good report has a clear structure, figures that a reader can trust, honest limitations and a conclusion that answers the question. Ask for feedback, act on it and keep a note of what changed.
7. Present more, communicate better
Say yes to speaking
Engineers are judged on how well they explain their work, to clients, colleagues and the public. The middle years are the time to practise, while the stakes are low.
Volunteer to present
In group projects, offer to present your part, not just write it.
Find other stages
Posters, society talks, outreach in schools and student competitions all count.
Explain it simply
Practise explaining a technical idea to someone who is not an engineer.
After each presentation: ask for feedback, note one thing that went well and one thing to improve, and add it to your portfolio.
8. Get closer to industry
Step out of the lecture room more often
More site visits
Each one adds to your picture of how projects really happen.
Career fairs
Register early, research the companies first, and go with questions.
Guest lectures
Attend more of them, especially in the areas that interest you.
Start planning for a placement, internship or industrial training, such as a placement year in the UK or SIWES in Nigeria. The next stage explains how.
If you are an apprentice, you are already in industry: use these years to connect what you do at work with the theory behind it.
9. By the end of the middle years
Signs you are seeing the bigger picture
Tick the ones that feel true. If some are not there yet, they tell you where to focus next. Your ticks are saved in this browser.
Keep going
Keep your portfolio growing
Use the entry template for every lab, report, talk and site visit.
Get the free template