Career Profiles: Alexander Brian Walker

My first encounter with Structural Engineering was purely accidental. Shortly before leaving school in 1980, I was successful in my application for a position as "Trainee Structural Technician". At that time I had not really aspired to University Life, and was keen to seek employment. I had no idea what a Structural Technician was, but it sounded interesting!

The Company I joined were very keen for my training to advance quickly in order to foster a productive team member. I was pretty much "thrown in at the deep end", which made my work quite heavy going, but fed my thirst for a challenge.

My academic path at this stage was to study for an Ordinary National Certificate, followed by the Higher National Certificate in Civil and Structural Engineering. This included core subjects such as Engineering Detailing, Engineering materials, Construction Practice and Engineering maths. The optional subjects depended on your Engineering discipline. My choices were Theory of Structures and Design Modules in Concrete, Steel, Timber and Masonry.

My employer constantly provided opportunities to develop my design and detailing ability, which enabled me to achieve the supplementary award in Structural/Civil Engineering. This took almost four years study, by which time I had become well and truly converted to the Engineering way. However, I was also beginning to regret not going to University, as I was now aspiring to higher levels of design ability.

By 1986 I had changed jobs twice with career advancement in mind. It was not until I started with my current employer that I was satisfied that the opportunities were there to develop my career to full advantage. My first goal was to reach a level of experience and ability which would enable me to sit the Institution of Structural Engineers' Associate Member Examination. In 1992 I felt confident enough to apply, and, after around six months of study and practice, I passed. The exam itself was almost a day's work, involving design and detailing of structural elements, together with written commentary and formal communication. The experience was quite arduous, requiring strict time management and a fluent knowledge of the processes and technicalities of my chosen Structural Engineering expertise.

By 1993 I had not really considered Chartered status, principally because I thought it out of my reach. However, I discovered there were two routes open to me; the Mature Candidate, or a series of EC ^UK Exams. I would have had to wait five years until I was old enough to pursue the Mature route. The EC ^UK Exam route takes a minimum three year's study, with the 'Chartered Exam' to follow. After lengthy discussions with my employer, I decided to plump for EC ^UK route, which involved travelling 80 miles once a week for half day and evening classes, and private study. The subjects included Geology and Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Design, Process and Engineering Management, Materials and The Engineer's Role in Society. All modules were Honours Degree standard, some say even higher, and all had to be passed within four years.

In 1996, after a very tiring but equally enlightening course, I passed the last few modules, and was well on course for becoming Chartered. Again I was fortunate to be employed in an environment where there was no shortage of opportunities to develop Structural and Civil Engineering abilities. This made my studies slightly easier to bear than some of my fellow students.

That same year, I felt I was ready to sit the Chartered Exam, and applied immediately. Whilst I may well have been capable of passing the exam, I still had a mountain of preparation in front of me. The Chartered Exam is similar, in its difficulty, to the Associate Exam. However it deals with the conceptual vision as opposed to the detailed elements. Not only must you be fluent with design and detailing, you must also be fully conversant with evaluating Structural stability and conceptual options, together with programming, communication, and not forgetting strict time management to enable you to complete the exam paper satisfactorily. I passed on my second attempt in 1998, which to my astonishment produced a prize winning paper.

I am now a proud Chartered Structural Engineer, and Associate with my Company, proud of my achievements, and also proud of the things I help create within the Design Team's I work with. My career profile to becoming Chartered is quite long, some eighteen years in total, but from my experience, the route to success in this profession, as with many others, is a solid career commitment from the trainee and employer, together with hard work and enthusiasm. With this investment, I was able to achieve what I originally thought was out with my reach.

Alexander Brian Walker
CEng MIStructE