Question: What GCSE’s did you do to get your job?

Richard Totty answered on 11 Jun 2021:

I did these GCSEs:
Art & Design – many skills that have been useful when producing sketches for my current work, also a nice way to spend time when not at work, to give me a source of relaxation outside of work – photography and drawings, miniature painting.
Biology – not used much in my current job – It was a subject I liked least at school. But some of the knowledge has come in useful for my hobbies – gardening and bird watching.
Chemistry – some aspects are useful in my current job to understand the chemistry of the hydration of cement in grouts. Understand why sandstone is often red, due to the iron that is within it. Understanding why sulphates in the ground and acidic soil conditions are a bad combination for concrete structures built into the ground. Transferable information to geotechnical engineering, due to working with the soil and rocks, and concrete and steel, so all with unique chemical properties, and with some that can be quite harmful if not managed correctly.
Design and Communication – this was like a product design course, included technical drawing classes, which have been very useful for producing drawings in my current work. Also an understanding of 3 dimensional models.
English Language – I have to produce technical reports and papers, so this is a useful subject to have studied.
English Literature – I really enjoy reading in my spare time, so this was a great introduction to some of the classics.
French – I work for a French owned company now, so another very useful skill for my current work.
Geography – Many aspects of this subject, like data analysis, demographics, physical geography, field trips, surveying techniques, understanding the lay of the land, map reading skills, water cycle, river geomorphology, hydrology, processes of erosion, have been transferable into my current work.
History – I was most interested in this subject, and have not stopped in my areas of hobbies.
Mathematics – essential knowledge and skills to have to be able to be an engineer, even though a lot of work is done for me by computer software now.
Physics – essential knowledge and skills to be an effective engineer and understand how structures transfer loads into the ground.

I then studied:
Mathematics, Physics, Geography and Geology at A-Level.
Geology is a bit like a specialisation within Physical Geography. Focussed on the physical properties of Rocks, study of Fossils, understanding how rocks are formed and the different engineering properties. Mapping geological features across a landscape. These are all skills I still find useful in my current work. Understanding which fossils occur in which soils, helps to understand the properties of different layers of the ground beneath your feet. Knowing whether a rock is an igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic rock, helps to work out how much effort will be needed to dig into it and allow us to decide what size of tools to use to do the job most efficiently. Understanding the properties of different soil types, helps to decide what sort of foundations to construct, or what types of cement grouts to use, which will penetrate the soil the most effectively, for the work I do now.