Three months after starting her career in ground engineering at GPCL, we caught up with Beth to share her experience so far:
“I have been at GPCL for two months now as a graduate geotechnical engineer. Time has flown by, and I’ve learnt so much.
At college I took A Levels in Maths, Chemistry and Geology and decided to pursue Geology at university as it was my favourite of the three. At The University of Manchester, I switched my specialisation within my Earth Science degree a few times, finally landing on Geochemistry with a year abroad. In 2022 I spent a year studying at The University of Vermont which was an incredible experience. Towards the end of this academic year, I was furiously applying for jobs and graduate schemes in earth or environmental sciences around Manchester and was lucky enough to land a graduate role at GPCL; I accepted the job on my final day at university.
I had no experience in ground engineering specifically, so had little knowledge of the day-to-day workings of a consultancy company in the sector. Before the job interview, I had read up on Phase 1 desk studies and Phase 2 site investigation reports along with reading GPCL’s various LinkedIn and blog posts. I also refreshed my knowledge of some of the modules I studied at university.
One of the first things that struck me within the first few days of work was the vast array of projects GPCL is involved in. Before being exposed to the ground engineering world I had no idea what goes into a Phase 1 or Phase 2 investigation or what they were even used for. The second thing that struck be about working at GPCL is the relaxed atmosphere and friendly people. I feel free to ask questions, collaborate on ideas and am being exposed to new things everyday.
Whilst at university I gained knowledge of mainly theory, geomechanics, geochemistry and data synthesis being but a few. I also travelled quite a bit throughout my degree. Ground engineering is a culmination of all I’ve learned, using practical and logical thinking to solve real world problems. It’s very satisfying to be utilising what I’ve learned throughout academics, but it’s even more satisfying to be continuing my learning and career development in a totally new sector.
My most recent projects have included travelling out to a huge residential development and taking topsoil measurements and collecting samples for geochemical analysis. In the office, I have been preparing Phase 1 desk study reports, and most recently a Phase 1 and Phase 2 report involving a huge resurfacing operation of a freight terminal.
The transition from university to the workplace has been a smooth one. It’s been really refreshing to be able to develop my soft skills: communication with coworkers and clients across platforms; time management and independence and problem solving. Towards the end of my academics I was feeling burnt out, having just completed my 15,000-word master’s research dissertation. I had read so many papers they were beginning to all blur together. However, 2 months into working at GPCL I have a renewed sense of enjoyment in learning and I am gaining more and more confidence in my abilities as a Graduate Geotechnical Engineer and look forward to what I can be involved with in the future.
My advice to those graduating would be to take the time to research possible career paths, but don’t rely too heavily on what you see online, or any preconceived ideas you may have. Sometimes all you need is to go to the interview, meet the people and you’ll know if the company is the right fit!
