• Question: What type of challenges do you face in your job?

    Asked by Beth to Philippa on 8 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Philippa Jefferis

      Philippa Jefferis answered on 8 Mar 2015:

      There are lots of challenges in my job, that’s why I enjoy it so much. As an engineer I have to find a solution to a problem but often within constraints. Such as if my client (the person who pays me to do a particular job) wants me to repair the bridge they own, then my client is likely to have a limit on how much money they can spend. So I may have an obvious solution but it is too expensive and instead I have to come up with a different way of solving the problem. A great chance to be creative too!

      I also have to make sure my work is safe. Safe for the people building it but also safe for a long time after. One of the biggest challenges I face is ensuring my design will last in the future. I cannot tell what the future will bring so I have to use engineering judgement.

      Hope this answers your question. Please ask if you have a particular area you want to know about.

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