Deborah Sims

Brighton & Hove 1975 - 1982

This job really makes a difference to people’s lives. Although doctors and surgeons can patch people up after a road accident, I can help to prevent that accident happening in the first place. Although the profession has been very successful in reducing accidents and casualties, and our roads are some of the safest in the world, nine people are killed on UK roads every day, so there is still work to be done.

I have been a civil engineer for 20 years, specialising in Highways and Road Safety Engineering. I have worked for London Boroughs, District and County Councils and more recently for two large engineering consultancies. My experience covers traffic calming on local roads to major motorway widening schemes and junction improvements. Although I started as an assistant designer on the technical design side, as my career has progressed, I have moved into management and now work for Mott MacDonald managing a team of 100 designers as part of the senior management team for InterRoute, a joint venture company responsible for the motorways and trunk roads in the south east of England.

After A Levels in Physics, Chemistry and Maths, I studied for a first degree in Civil Engineering and then a Masters degree in Road Safety Engineering on day release. I am a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Highways & Transportation, and a visiting professor at the University of Ulster.

The profession is really struggling to find good graduates at the moment, and, with the Olympics coming up in 2012, there will be lots of opportunities to gain experience and progress quickly. This is an excellent time to be starting a career in Civil Engineering and I am happy to offer advice and possibly work experience to anyone who wants to find out more.

My top tips for success;

1. Learn to drive and take an advanced driving course as young as you possibly can.  Also consider other modes of travel such as cycling, horse riding and motorcycling, this experience is very useful when designing highway schemes.

2. Get involved in local transport and road issues. Go to exhibitions of traffic calming schemes. Report issues such as potholes and faulty streetlights and find out how your local council deals with these reports.

3. Read widely about transport and engineering issues. Write to your local highway engineering department and ask them if you can have copies of the following when they’ve finished with them; The Surveyor, Local transport Today, New Civil Engineer, Transportation Professional, Traffic Engineering Control, Contract Journal. Many of these publications are also available on-line.

4. Develop a wide range of skills. People think that engineers are all boffins who sit in dingy laboratories crunching numbers. Some are, but most of us are out and about engaging with the community, talking to people, giving presentations and trying to improve the environment. Good communication skills are essential for a successful engineer. There’s no point in having a brilliant idea if you can’t persuade anyone to vote for it, finance it or build it!

5. Don’t specialise too young or become too narrow in your outlook. Have Brunel as your role model, he built railways, bridges, ships, tunnels and was always looking for a new challenge!

Deborah Sims

Project Director - Mott MacDonald/InterRoute

Email