Joe Tang MEng Civil Engineering

Hi, I'm Joe Tang and I studied MEng Civil Engineering within Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton.

I worked for Hsin Chong Construction Group in Hong Kong for a month in the Summer. It was a brilliant experience for me! It was incredibly interesting to see the workings of the civil engineering industry outside England and I learnt a great deal from just being around that environment and taking everything in.

I worked for Hsin Chong Construction Group in Hong Kong for a month in the Summer. I was primarily assisting with the design of one of the new underground stations and also developed a Gaant chart for the entire project. Overall, I was given a variety of tasks requiring various skills and knowledge to accomplish. Being a summer work placement student, I was handed these tasks by a senior project engineer of the site.

It was a brilliant experience for me! It was incredibly interesting to see the workings of the civil engineering industry outside England and I learnt a great deal from just being around that environment and taking everything in.

It also developed my ability to adapt to other countries and environments, as well as my communication skills - something which I feel is an underrated and undervalued skill.

I would definitely recommend other students to seek work placements aboard! The world of civil engineering encompasses every country on the globe, and this is only going to increase as communication across countries becomes easier. Because of this, I feel it is incredibly important to gain experience in as many different sectors and environments as possible. Even for those not planning to work abroad during their lives, it is still very important to get an understanding of civil engineering across the world. Additionally, international experience is valued very highly by employers, and a great point to highlight on CVs and in interviews.