Personal Statement: Why I Choose Civil Engineering Essay Example

The very first inspiration for me to be an engineer came from my father who is an electrical engineer and as a child I was always very much inspired from his professional works and activities. As I grew up I was amazed by various engineering works around me from massive construction works to playing with electric gadgets. Although I wasn’t sure which discipline of engineering I really like to pursue that time, but as I grew up my goals were developed more specifically from my passion towards becoming an engineering professional. Scoring GPA 5.00 out of 5.00 in both secondary and higher secondary exams was two benchmark for me and boosted my confidence to a higher level.  

After my higher secondary examination, I got admitted in Military Institute of Science and Technology, a renowned institute of Bangladesh famous for its academic excellence and disciplined environment. Only the best students got the opportunity to study here after a highly competitive admission test and rigorous screening process. This was a junction for my career where I had to choose which discipline of engineering I want to pursue. After analyzing prospects and scopes of all plausible direction, my decision was civil engineering. The reason for choosing civil engineering was because it has multidimensional academic edges; from structural, environmental, transportation, water resource and geotechnical, and a diverse nature of work and career prospect both in home and abroad.

During my undergraduate studies I got ample opportunity to develop my skills with various academic courses. I was always interested in exploring the use of engineering techniques to solve practical problems rather than strictly following the theoretical knowledge. The undergraduate curriculum of Civil Engineering Department of MIST introduced me to a wide range of subjects both in and outside the field. Various courses on environmental, water resources, structural, transportation and geotechnical engineering have prepared me with a strong foothold in both theoretical and practical concepts of engineering applications. I especially followed the new technologies and latest research in civil engineering by reading various scientific journals and papers. Beyond the academic activities, I participated in various extracurricular activities like debate competition, civil engineering software competition, with great passion and also gained various prize and awards. During my third year in undergraduate study, I was amazed to discover how the various engineering techniques can be used for the challenges of the future sustainability and natural resource management, especially environmental and water resource engineering. 

A major breakthrough for my career was becoming one of the 14 champions from International Climate champions of British Council, where I had the scope to actually judge my skills by working in the field of environment and climate change both in national and global level. I planned and implemented my own project on adaptation option to climate change, which was a floating house. I worked alone in Khepupara, a remote location of the coastal area of Bangladesh and built a floating house using indigenous materials. A major anticipated impact of climate change will be rise of sea level and the lo lying coastal zone of Bangladesh will be inundated and my aim was to show a demonstration how engineering knowledge amalgamated with indigenous techniques can be used for affordable adaptation tool, in this case the floating house for sea level rise.

My project demonstrated a sign of engineering innovation and applicability. Also, being climate champion was the opportunity for me for continues learning and development by interaction and knowledge sharing with various peoples and specialists in environment and climate change from home and abroad. This experience paid rich dividends for me and helped me to choose specific fields from the major divisions of civil engineering. During my final year, I performed my undergraduate thesis on impact of climate change on the salinization process in coastal zone of Bangladesh, and during the thesis my research skills and academic knowledge on climate change was further reinforced. Thus, the combination of working in field level and performing research work on environment and climate change boosted my confidence in a higher level.

Currently I am working as a Professional at the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), a national center of excellence of Bangladesh. It is one of the best research organizations in water, climate and environment sector of our country. I am serving in the Climate Change Study Division and got the opportunity to work in various research projects at national and international level. I worked with various mathematical model including surface water model, irrigation and drainage model, crop yield model for predicting climate change impact on drought, hydrological model and other tools as GIS. Beside the research of the office, I am also engaged in several independent research works and have a number of publications in national and international conferences and peer reviewed journals. Also, I am actively engaged in several youth networks and groups related to climate and environment. 

I feel that my higher study will be the most convenient extension of my academic pursuits and a major step towards achieving my professional aspiration. My country Bangladesh, the low lying floodplain surrounded with numerous rivers will be a worst victim to the probable impact of climate change. In this regard, the country needs more technical assistance and resource for policy making and decision support and the young professionals with higher level of knowledge can serve the country for this purpose. I would like to apply my knowledge for the betterment of the poor people of Bangladesh who are highly vulnerable and exposed to various disasters due to climate change. I sincerely believe that it would be a colossal step towards fulfilling my dream and professional ambition.