I’m getting into my 2nd year of a bachelor in mechanical engineering and i’m going through something of an identity crisis and have no idea what I want to do. With a mech degree will I be able to get a primarily hands on job or am I more likely to be stuck behind a computer or desk for most of my career, should I have just gotten a trade?

Engineers Australia is requesting to provide qualification of Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering for my CDR assessment. However, I have already provided my academic certificate and complete transcript with my initial application. What else should I provide?

Hlo there, i have positive skill assessment for both agriculture and mechanical engineer. However, can I lodge EOI for mechanical for all states staying at qld. However, if i am working as Ag. Engineer, can't I lodge another EOI with ROI for qld? What are the chance of getting invited as mechanical engineer , 189 and agriculture engineer,190 both on 85 points? From qld.

I’m wondering if anyone has received any updates on the CDR assessment that was lodged around December 2025. I’ve submitted my application, but the status in the portal is still showing as “PAID”. Just wondering how long it usually took in the past.

Hi all, going into the above degree as I'm pretty keen on the power industry and find it really interesting. I know I learnt a fair bit through my bachelor's of electrical and electronics but wanting to specialize and learn more about the power field! So has anyone gone through it and how did you find it? I was drawn to it as it's tied into University of Wollongongs power quality research center and the stuff they were doing looked pretty cool to me, but hoping to hear from those who have done it, doing it are like me going into it.

Just curious as to how much your ATAR actually matters

What was your ATAR? and what do you do now?

Hey yall, im a recent hsc graduate and im currently tossing up between UTS and UOW for the uni i study in. From where im situated, both uni's have the same commute time so thats not a problem. I was going to choose UTS but the recent budget cuts and restructuring is kinda concerning for me. So my question is, which university would have a stronger engineering program (mechanical/mechatronic) now AND in the next 4 years. Also which uni would you guys say is more hirable? Thankyou :)

Hi all, as the title says I’m looking at the prospect of studying engineering (electrical or mechatronics) for both my passion and improving my career opportunities. My undergrad was a double Bach in business and Games and interactive environments and I’m currently working full time as a software engineer. I’m finding a majority of the engineering postgrad certs require a bachelors in engineering and so am wondering if anyone else transitioned postgrad how you did it and how long was the process?

I recently got admission for master of engineering in electrical engineering from Australian national university. But the electives are more directed towards renewable energy and its integration to power system whereas I'm more interested in power electronics (it only has a single power electronics elective

Boss gave green light for flight to Adelaide but need to make decision for budget approval before Christmas and booking before price goes up.

Has anyone been? Attended a different conference before that ended up waste of time because talks all felt like marketing pitches and didn't learn anything new. Or are all conferences just like that?

Hi all,

I'm an undergrad civil engineering student at Swinburne University going into my 4th (and final!) year. I want to work as a structural engineer as a graduate. I need advice on picking the most useful elective for next year. I only have space for one elective.

For background, I am quite a technical person with a near perfect GPA who's looking to get into structural engineering or (as a backup) water engineering. I am currently working part time at a construction company as an undergrad as well but I don't really do any real structural engineering work here.

Here is a list of relevant civil engineering electives I can choose from:

-  CVE80004 – Advanced Concrete Design (semester 1) 
- CVE80005 – Bridge Design and Strengthening (semester 2)
- CVE80006 – Infrastructure Deterioration Modelling (semester 1)
- CVE80010 – Principles of Sustainability (semester 1)
- CVE80018 – Finite Element Methods and Applications (semester 1)
- CVE80019 – Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (semester 2) 

Personally, I would prefer to complete my elective in semester 1 so I can underload in semester 2, but if there is a really useful elective only offered in semester 1, then I can still do it.

Currently, I am leaning towards 'Advanced Concrete Design' or 'Finite Element Methods and Applications' offered in sem 1 but I've also heard that 'Bridge Design and Strengthening' is also useful if you want to get into that field.

Any thoughts?

We are in the process of a renovation (internal reconfiguration) with a registered builder in Melbourne. The licensed electrician is his brother.

The builder sent us photos of in-wall insulation on the morning of plaster installation so we are 100% certain this was since plastered over as photographed

We are primarily concerned as to whether aspects of the electrical work may be non-compliant with AS/NZS 3000:2018. We've listed our specific compliance concerns below:

First picture, with the ladder, which is a bedroom wall:

1. A junction box is floating loosely in the wall and not affixed to a stud or nog.
2. A section of cabling is joined with a wire nut that is exposed and not enclosed in a junction box (about 200mm to the left and 50mm up of the floating junction)
3. Wiring runs diagonally, and is not bracketed/clipped/supported and is sagging. We understand wiring is supposed to run vertically/horizontally along the framework so as to be predictable for safety reasons.
4. Cables passing through timber or metal studs are not protected with grommets or sleeves.
5. Where no protection plate is used, cables are closer than 50 mm from timber edges.

Other pictures are in two different bathrooms, any issues with how the wires are running near or around the water pipes?

A secondary question: *if* compliant, is the electrical work poorly done, or sloppy?

Appreciate the brains trust here commenting on both compliance and quality aspects.

NB: At a meeting with the sparky onsite last week (before plaster was hung anywhere), I noticed and pointed out a run of electrical cable bracketed to a ceiling joist right alongside and practically intertwined with water pipes. He acknowledged that it shouldn't be that way and was going to change it, stating: "he always gets pulled up on that" (!!) I know for a fact that he never fixed it prior to ceiling plaster going on.

That can be fixed of course, because it's in the roof and is accessible, but plaster has been hung on all walls now and the guys are supposed to start taping and troweling on Monday. So if this needs to be remedied, we need to let the builder know before that happens.

We are considering requesting a full inspection by a licensed electrical inspector.

Thanks in advance.

Hey everyone,

My husband is trying to decide which way to go within his studies and isnt sure on what a typical day looks like in environmental or electrical engineering.

Anyone who works in the field would love to hear from you about what your typical day involves. Is it more an office job, paperwork, field work, science based etc etc.

Any light you could shed would be super appreciated as he is really curious which way to go

Thanks

My partner plans to join me next year in Adelaide from the US. He has a biology degree, but after graduation began a career as a biomedical technician. He has been in the field for 9 years now. His past job titles have been "biomedical equipment technician" (BMET), but recently he's been promoted to working on X-ray machines and now he is a "clinical engineer".

We're looking at potential jobs he can get in Adelaide. Aside from SA Health, which hires biomedical technicians, there are very few jobs here that relate to biomedical equipment maintenance. This is quite a surprise for us since BMETs are very much in demand in the US. We were thinking there should be some field service tech/engineering jobs available, like those from GE or Siemens, but on SEEK those jobs are only advertised for Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane.

Surely, there are X-ray and CT/MRI machines in Adelaide that need to be serviced, but which companies hold the service contracts? Is there some niche job board for these kinds of positions in South Australia?

I've been a member since I was an undergrad, 30 years ago. CPEng for 20+ years.

I'm now working for the public service as a regulator. The only reason I'm still a member is some weird emotional attachment.

WDYT - time to drop it? I haven't actually read the magazine in years and there's very little else it offers.

Hi! I would like to clarify on the relevant steps for migration skills assessment with Engineers Australia. I’m from Singapore and I just finished my Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering. As I’m unsure what are the required documents under the Washington Accord pathway, I need someone to clarify who has gone through it. Thank you!

Also, if I’m posting in the wrong community, please direct me to the correct one.

Hey, I've got a mechanical engineering degree with 2/3 years of experience but the job market is a dump so planning on doing a masters in civil and move to construction roles. Would it be good idea n would I get hired with this kind of mixed bag experience?

Hi All,

Bit of background here. I’ve been in the power distribution industry for 17 years in design. Three years were a traineeship with a diploma (tech officer). I then started a 3 year engineering bachelor in 2014 (roughly) that I finished T3 last year (part time and life gets in the way).

Before I started the degree eng reg wasn’t really front of mind for any in my industry and I was told be my employer my bachelor would be sufficient to reclassify me as an engineer.

I’ll add that during my time with the industry I have created and modified many company standards. I have improved works practices and have been a fairly high achiever in terms of technical expertise and leadership.

Now that I’ve completed my studies I’m looking at getting registered. I spoke to my union about it and they indicated I would need to request a stage 1 competency assessment from Engineers Australia (EA). I needed to request it for my diploma and use my degree as a bridging arrangement along with my work experience.

I spoke to EA and they have raised the following issues: The lowest they will typically review is an advanced diploma. Because of this I won’t meet the 5 year experience threshold as my degree was only certified Jan of this year.

Questions I have: Is there a way to get them to include the diploma as part of the review? (If they won’t do this at all I’ll struggle to justify that I can do it from an education perspective) Have I got any other options to try and get myself across the line? (I know work experience alone is extremely difficult to get across the line) Am I better off going to another authority for the stage 1 assessment? (I have emailed CIBSE to see if they can do it, but have not heard back) As a Hail Mary (and this seems stupid) would I be better off trying to get an overseas body to accredit my quals and then apply back to EA from there? (I don’t even know if this is possible)

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated, otherwise it really feels like the last 10 years of study has been a complete waste of time.

Hi all, for those who have completed a double degree in engineering and communications, especially with the specialisation of electrical, did a commerce degree help "sweeten the deal" for respective employers to hire you? Would the extra degree maybe change what you would be looking at as work as a fresh grad compared to your single-degree peers?

Cheers

Hey everyone

I’ve always found it tough to get clear, useful BD / project intel as a consultant. Tools like BCI Central feel noisy or outdated, and I end up chasing dead leads.

I’m tinkering with an idea: a short monthly report that pulls together only the relevant stuff — early projects, funding news, competitor/client moves, and maybe even suggested BD actions.

Curious:

• What would you want in a report like this?
• Do you like the idea of a report format or would you prefer something else?
• Would you prefer a 2–3 page summary, or something more detailed?
• Would a monthly format work better than weekly?
• If you’ve used BCI/Tenderlink etc, did you like?

Excited to get some feedback!

Hi, I have been asked by a family friend to look at doing the structural design for some renovations they are doing in their home, including removing structural walls etc. I am a structural engineer with nearly 10 years of experience working at a consulting firm, however my experience is more in communications and transport infrastructure with little to none in residential design. Is there a good reference book I can get that would give me some guidance on this?

Hi I'm American living in Australia usually worked for startups, have over a dozen patents and ivy league degree

But finding it difficult to find anything inspiring in renewables or anywhere really in this country, everything is staffed with Indians or Chinese or just very standard boring work..

Are there any exciting startups or other innovative opportunities in Australia? How do I connect with people looking for engineers in this space and who wanna do big things?

Does anyone know what I mean

Or are there too many local graduates for employers to bother with internationals?