James Ball (Water and Environmental Management, MSc) (formerly titled Integrated Management of Freshwater Environments, MSc)
Studying my MSc put me in a strong position when it came to applying for jobs. This was because the course assessments consisted of technical report writing, lab experiments, field work and data analysis, rather than exams. Employers know you can pass exams once you get to university.
What attracted you to your course at Queen Mary?
I chose this course as it was tailored towards graduates who wanted to work in the environmental and water sectors. I was particularly interested in river management and flood risk during my undergraduate degree and I wanted to pursue a career in this field.
What aspects of your degree did you find most enjoyable?
The varied nature of the teaching. Lots of learning was done in the field and the lab rather than sitting through lots of lectures.
Can you describe your career path to date and your current role? What does a typical working day look like for you?
I joined Stantec as a Graduate Consultant in 2017, undertaking river modelling and flood risk assessments to support planning applications for small to medium-sized developments. I have worked for Arcadis since 2021, still undertaking very similar work, but on larger scale projects. I have recently become a line manager and support the development of two Assistant Consultants and a placement student.
How did your studies at Queen Mary help you decide the career path you wanted to pursue?
The MSc had an advisory board of professionals from a range of organisations including water companies, the Environment Agency and consultancies. Discussing my career options with those on the advisory board made me realise that the work that I was interested in (river modelling) was primarily undertaken by consultants. I therefore applied for graduate jobs with a number of consultants during my course.
How did your studies help you to get where you are in your career?
Studying my MSc put me in a strong position when it came to applying for jobs. This was because the course assessments consisted of technical report writing, lab experiments, field work and data analysis, rather than exams. Employers know you can pass exams once you get to university. If you can demonstrate that you can write technical reports, deliver presentations, and analyse data then that will make you stand out from the crowd.
What was special about your time at Queen Mary?
Forming friendships with people from different backgrounds and cultures. There were people on course from across the world, including China, India and the USA.
Is there any advice you would give to prospective students who are interested in studying what you studied?
Take advantage of being based in London to attend conferences, lectures and industry events outside of your studies as these are great networking opportunities.