Mark Campbells's career path to becoming a freelance hydraulic modeller. Mark talks about googling internships, discovering his interest and the two skills that underpins his work. Current Job Tell us about your current role I am currently a freelance hydraulic modeller working on model predictions of flooding and sewage overflow to water bodies, proposing and design solutions for mitigation Career Beginnings When you were 15, what job did you want and who did you ask for advice?When I was 15 I went for a required one week work experience at a local one man company architect. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do or where my passion was specifically for a future job. I remember speaking with a career advisor at 17, who pointed out that the A-Level subjects I selected would fit nicely into engineering and most likely Civil Engineering. This is apparently all the advice I need at the time, a high level abstract direction.Did you have an interest in the environment at this time?Not in a directly conscious way of wanting to work in the field, but I luckily grew up with a very outdoors childhood which involved lots of interacting with and loving of various different environments like beaches, the sea, mountains, forests, rivers, the lot. It was enshrined in my childhood to be with and feel the outdoors. What were your first steps in starting your career? In starting my specific career, I was already 3 years into 5 years of my Civil Engineering degree which involved a lot of concrete and steel design, when I realised I wanted to work with water, it felt natural for me. From there I just typed 'Water Engineer' in Edinburgh into Google and started sending emails to anything that looked relevant asking for a summer internship. I managed to get a summer internship with a small Edinburgh company and the rest was history from there. Career Path and Skills What does your career path look like? I would feel my path is reasonably linear, hydraulic modelling isn't a direct offshoot from Civil Engineering, but I feel it is within the proximity and a leap into it wasn't drastic, as I studied some courses near to the field and topic.What skills were important for you to develop in your career? From my own experience and from previously working as a learning and development manager within a hydraulic modelling company, the main skills you need to progress are motivation and communication. Technical skills can be acquired and gained in many ways, but having that foundation to try and ask is I feel fundamental. If I could create a dream job in the environment sector it would be... ...hydraulic modelling research, teaching and education. So many vast future water infrastructure designs and decisions are being led by hydraulic modellers, that I would love a way to share the knowledge to help other influence decisions. This article was published on Monday 19 October 2026
