Gareth McShea

Gareth McShea
MEng (Hons) Civil &
Environmental Engineering (2011)
Civil Engineer in the Water Sector

From Archery to Volleyball, the Medieval Society to the Pokemon League, there are a plethora of sports clubs and societies for students at Heriot-Watt to socialise, keep fit and let their hair down. Student life isn't just about hard work and study but then again, sometimes, it's the extracurricular activities that make all the difference...  

When keen rower and Heriot-Watt Boat Club member, Gareth McShea graduated with a MEng (Hons) in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2011 the economic downturn made it difficult, initially, for him to break into his area of expertise.

“When I graduated, the Global Financial Crisis was in full swing,” he explains. “Graduate intakes were heavily reduced from previous years. I had no previous industry experience and, unfortunately, I was unable to secure a graduate position in the UK.”

Undaunted, Gareth looked further afield: “I made the decision to expand my job search overseas.” He soon met with success but not yet in the field of engineering: “I found work as a rowing coach, and was then able to move to Australia and look for more permanent employment in engineering from within the country.”

Gareth's persistence paid off: “Later, I successfully secured a graduate role with a local water authority which eventually led to my current position as a Civil Engineer with KBR's water group, based in Melbourne.”

Born, raised and schooled in Northern Ireland, Gareth (29) is relishing life in the cosmopolitan capital of the state of Victoria: “There is no shortage of sport or entertainment here,” he says, “Besides rowing (I'm a member of a local Boat Club), I love going to the footy, live comedy shows and music gigs with friends and family.”

But it's his vital infrastructure work that has truly embedded Gareth into Australia: “Our KBR team is made up of engineers from a range of disciplines and together we provide consulting engineering services to deliver capital works, renewing and upgrading essential drainage, water supply and sewerage assets. Our work helps ensure the population has constant access to a potable [drinking] water supply and sewerage services. We help minimise flood risk and manage storm water quality, reducing any impact that runoff may have on the environment. These are essential services and so the significance of our work makes it very rewarding.”

“My role allows me to be involved in both a project management and project engineering capacity in addition to carrying out civil design. With government authorities as clients, a lot of effort is put into the concept phase of projects where we analyse a range of engineering solutions in order to identify the very best, in terms of the economic, environmental and social benefits. Through this process we can be confident that what we are delivering is something of real value.”

Gareth believes his Heriot-Watt degree was ideal preparation for his current position: “I covered a range of disciplines including water, structural, geotechnical and transportation engineering at Heriot-Watt. Although I now specialise in the water sector, this broad base of knowledge stands me in good stead when liaising with specialists in those respective fields.

“There was a lot of problem-based learning at Heriot-Watt and collaboration with classmates and students on other degree courses. This taught me the necessity of effective communication and teamwork in industry. I have since collaborated with architects, environmental professionals, surveyors, town planners, real estate agents and other engineers. And the key to our success is the ability to effectively communicate our ideas to one another.

“Many of the modules covered at Heriot-Watt have proven to be highly relevant to my work in the water industry. In particular, I find myself continually drawing on knowledge and skills gained from Urban Drainage Design & Analysis, Hydraulics & Hydrology, Environmental Hydrology & Water Resources and Water & Wastewater Treatment.

“In my final year at University, I completed a group ‘professional design project' on flood risk management. I didn't realise it at the time, but this project was as close as I got to professional engineering work throughout my studies. I would advise students to get fully involved with this module, or others like it, and reap the benefits. Prospective employees will be very interested to hear the roles you played.”

Gareth made the most of his University experience and has fond memories of Heriot-Watt: “Many people say that their university years were some of their best, and that is definitely the case with myself. Besides the usual reasons for loving uni life, Heriot-Watt was particularly interesting due to its large base of international students. I made friends from Burundi, France, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Mexico, China and the United States many of whom I'm still in touch with today.”

Unsurprisingly, Gareth has some heartfelt advice for new students: “Take up an extracurricular activity, join a club or society, they can provide unexpected opportunities!” He should know, for Gareth only took up rowing – the sport which proved to be his admission ticket to a fulfilling career in Australia - when he first joined the Heriot-Watt University boat club.