Am I ready to be a Chartered Structural Engineer?
It is not always easy for a junior level structural engineer to know whether you are at the required standard to become a Chartered Structural Engineer. There are a few key indicators of likely success though, for instance you might be:
- designing and calculating with confidence (i.e. not having to re-do your work from careless errors), quickly, and a high rate of approval
- checking other people's drawings/calculations/report with your signature being the last before it gets sent off.
- controlling your department's or team's budget, with the authority to request occasional changes.
- publishing, giving seminars or teaching people about new technical knowledge or methods
- participating in several Institution events, networking and attending industry conferences
While none of the above will guarantee a successful application, they meet the minimum Initial Professional Development requirements set by the IStructE or the ICE for Chartered Structural Engineer or Chartered Civil Engineer. You should therefore consider how to write your application to the correct standard. See here for our ICE IPD section, and here for the IStructE section.