Quebec will be in great need of civil engineers “to give love” to our aging infrastructure, which will provide employment by the shovelful to the new cohorts of structural experts.
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“You grow up seeing these books. There is a mysterious side, given their imposing size,” illustrates James Goulet, professor in the department of civil, geological and mining engineering at Polytechnique Montréal.
As our infrastructure fleet begins to age, our engineers will have to roll up their sleeves to take care of it. Today, the time is often more for preservation than for construction.
"We follow these behaviors over time in order to detect anomalies", explains the specialist in electronic monitoring of structures.
According to Emploi-Québec, civil engineers earn from $26.67 per hour to $60.44 per hour, based on the average obtained from 2019 to 2021.
"It's concrete"
For Blanche Laurent, 24, a master's student in civil engineering at Polytechnique Montréal, it was the imposing side of the infrastructure that weighed in the balance.
“I have always been drawn to great works. I find them very beautiful. It’s concrete, ”says the 24-year-old young woman.
"I'm interested in the analysis of structures, so why does this sort of thing hold up, either before construction or afterwards to understand how to make them hold up as long as possible," she explains.
As the labor shortage worsens day by day, offers are pouring into the inboxes of students like Blanche Laurent.
“I have already had requests on the right, on the left. These are big companies, via social networks like LinkedIn, in particular, ”she breathes.
According to his teacher, James Goulet, the needs will be dire in the coming years in the distribution of water, transport and energy.
“We see it with the number of cones in Montreal. It's not going to stop. It's going to speed up. When it's damaged, you don't wonder if you're doing it or not, you have to do it, otherwise the city stops, ”he summarizes.
–With the collaboration of Charles Mathieu
