The construction industry is highly rewarding with the exciting and diverse professions available. It is one of the most important and biggest industries in the modern world.The industry is highly in demand and offers real and challenging opportunities for STEM students in the following professions and more:

• Construction Engineer – develops solutions to enable work to be built. Involves research, design, including calculation, communication and management before and during construction.
• Construction Planner – designs, coordinates and schedules a construction project and ensures that construction projects are budgeted accordingly and include materials and forecasting.
• Structural Engineer – designs structures to withstand stresses and pressures imposed through environmental conditions and human use.
• Architect – plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings and provides services in connection with the design and construction of buildings and the space within.
• CAD Technician – uses software to create design plans for buildings and machinery in a wide range of industries, such as engineering, construction and manufacturing.
• Town Planner – involved in making long and short-term decisions about the management and development of cities, towns, villages and the countryside.
• Building Control Surveyor – makes sure that building regulations and other legislation are followed when houses, offices and other buildings are designed and constructed.
• Construction Manager – supervises and directs operations on a construction project to make sure it is completed safely, on time and within budget.
• Building Surveyor – provides professional advice on property and construction, which spans across residential, commercial, industrial, leisure and agriculture projects.
• Architectural Technician – specialises in the science of architecture, building design and construction and works closely with architects and help to turn the architect’s concept into reality in the completed construction.
• Estimator – is responsible for compiling estimates of how much it will cost to provide a client or potential client with products or services. He or she will do this by working out how much a project is likely to cost and create budgets accordingly.
• Project Engineer – bridges the boundaries between engineering and project management, leading the technical workers who contribute to the building of structures or products.
• Site Engineer – performs a technical, organisational and supervisory role on construction projects, setting out and determining the location for above and underground infrastructural installations involved in construction operations.
• Quantity Surveyor – makes sure that the financial position of construction projects is accurately reported and controlled effectively.

Born to Build is an excellent website providing construction career advice for students.

The engineering industry primarily deals with the design and manufacture of structures, machines and devices in a wide variety of fields. This diverse industry is compromised of civil, industrial, mechanical and chemical sectors.

The following highlights different career routes in these professions and more:

• Civil Engineer – involved in the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures.
• Electrical Engineer – designs, develops and maintains electrical control systems and components to required specifications, focusing on economy, safety, reliability, quality and sustainability.
• Environmental Engineer – uses the principles of engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems.
• Mechanical Engineer – provides efficient solutions to the development of processes and products, ranging from small component designs to extremely large plant, machinery or vehicles.
• Manufacturing Engineer – deals with different manufacturing practices and includes the research, design and development of systems, processes, machines, tools and equipment.
• Nuclear Engineer – designs the equipment and creates the operating procedures used in nuclear power plants.
• Petroleum Engineer – involved in nearly all of the stages of oil and gas field evaluation, development and production. The aim of their work is to maximise hydrocarbon recovery at minimum cost while maintaining a strong emphasis on reducing environmental impact.
• Aerospace Engineer – concerned with the research, design, development, construction, testing, science and technology of aircraft or spacecraft.
• Software Engineer – involved in the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to economically obtain software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machines.
• Marine Engineer – applies engineering sciences, mostly mechanical and electrical engineering, to the development, design, operation and maintenance of watercraft propulsion and on-board systems.
• Geological Engineer – involved in the application of the geologic sciences to engineering practice for the purpose of assuring that the geologic factors affecting the location, design, construction, operation and maintenance of engineering works.
• Agricultural Engineer – designs, installs and services agricultural, horticultural and forestry machinery and equipment.
• Automotive Engineer – designs, develops, test and builds domestic motor vehicles, racing cars and motorbikes. They also work on improving components like engines, electronics and aerodynamics
• Heating and ventilation Engineer – installs and services the heating and air conditioning systems found mainly in larger buildings like office blocks, factories, schools and hospitals.
• Animatronics Engineer – builds and monitors robotic objects that simulate human and animal physical actions.
• Systems Engineer – works as part of a team to design, install, monitor and develop manufacturing equipment and assembly lines in factories, also be involved in the design and building of new manufacturing plants.