Phil Garvey MSc Engineering in the Coastal Environment

Hi, I'm Phil Garvey and I studied MSc Engineering in the Coastal Environment within Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton.

With the job market limited and facing the spectre of ageism I had to choose very carefully for my Masters. I wanted to keep an environmental focus to my work, I needed a course with good employment prospects, and I love the seaside. I needed to be somewhere that still invested in the future. Pretty soon I realised Southampton was the obvious choice.

I'm not perhaps your most typical student - I'm 42 for starters. I did attend Exeter University when I first left school, but ran out of money and instead settled into a series of boring jobs, whilst doing more interesting things like running a charity rock festival in my spare time. One day, after three random and rather strange life-changing experiences, I decided I owed myself a decent education and went back to take an Environmental Geology degree at Reading. It was great, and I was in with a wonderfully dedicated and competitive group of students (9 out of 25 of us got firsts!). However, with the job market limited and facing the spectre of ageism I had to choose very carefully for my Masters. I wanted to keep an environmental focus to my work, I needed a course with good employment prospects, and I love the seaside. I needed to be somewhere that still invested in the future. Pretty soon I realised Southampton was the obvious choice.

The course here has certainly been demanding, but the standards of teaching have been very high and I have found the work fulfilling. It is impressive that so many of the staff are among the very top in their fields globally, yet still approachable and encouraging.

After this, I'd just like a decent job in some coastal research-related field. I've had a great time as a student, but I could do with a decent income now. If a company wants to pay me to do a PhD I'm up for it!