Matt Beales
Engineering – Civil Systems

I chose engineering because it was an area of study that allows flexibility and a range of pathways for the future. It provides a good balance between practical and theoretical elements and a good grounding for my future career.

I decided to major in Civil Engineering because it provides a range of career options and the opportunity to use new design theories and developing technology within building, planning and urban development.

My favourite subject was Structural Theory and Design. This subject provided a good balance between design and practical elements. Whilst learning material properties and physically exploring them, through labs, we were able to apply them to real design problems that we may encounter in the future. The design projects allowed us to take responsibility for real design decisions and enabled learning through design compared with theoretical questions.

To me, studying at the University of Melbourne means that I will achieve a great foundation to my career in the future. As well as preparing me with the technical knowledge the University of Melbourne has provided me with the opportunity to learn about design and help broaden my studies in a range of areas.

My advice to new students is to enjoy the time spent at the University of Melbourne. There is a good range of classes that can be studied as breadth and enable a wider study area than just engineering. A good range of subjects means that you can study an alternate area of interest whilst contributing to you degree.

I am looking forward to working in the engineering industry and applying my design and technical knowledge to real engineering problems. I hope to one day design larger scale projects and infrastructure that can stand proudly in a skyline or city somewhere in the world.

The degree helped prepare me for working in the industry with a large amount of technical knowledge and the ability to apply problem solving skills to any situation.

Five words that sum me up are: Enthusiastic, motivated, determined, committed and eager

My personal motto is to maintain the best possible balance and enjoy everything that I’m doing, including work, study and any other area of life, as without this motivation will always be found wanting