How to become a junior simulation engineer: Aine's story

Meet Aine, 23, from Belfast, to find out more about her job making buildings more energy-efficient. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.

a young woman sits at a desk in an office with papers in front of her

On my work placement I became really interested in the impact buildings can have on the environment.

In my job

I'm a junior simulation engineer. That means I run simulations on buildings using computers to see how much carbon they emit. This means I measure the thickness of walls, the types of windows and bricks that will be used; every detail of the building! I put the measurements into a computer software program which tells me if it passes or fails its building compliance. One day I will be at the computer running simulations, another day I could be on the phone to clients talking about the project or in meetings with architects.

At school

For my options I chose the subjects I was doing best in. Technology and Science stuck with me, so I decided I wanted to carry on with them after my GCSEs.

At college

Aged 16 I still had no idea what I wanted to do. At that time, I became really passionate about my A-level in Technology and Design; I just clicked with it. It helped develop my STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and also helped develop my creativity.

At university

I was lucky enough to get on a course at the University of Ulster called Clean Technology. In my final year I was able to focus on energy-related subjects and I learnt a lot about renewable energy.