Effective Habits for Effective Civil Engineering Study

Succeeding in civil engineering education can be a difficult process. As we pass through the education system our bodies, minds and peers are all going through changes, which means that understanding priorities can become a very difficult task. Managing habits to maintain a focus is one of the most important elements of schooling but it is not always easy. Here is a list of ways in which you can maintain a focus on the education resources which are available to you, before it’s too late:

• Take responsibility

In order to succeed in school and later in life it’s essential that you realise that you need to take responsibility for yourself. If you rely on your parents and teachers to make you work then you will spend more time fighting it, than learning. Having a keen sense of focus and determination is the only way that you will be able to utilise school resources to their full potential.

• Use your own values as a centre

Friends and peers can undoubtedly be a bad influence on you and can hinder your learning significantly. It’s vitally important to remember your own values and avoid being told what you should care about by peers. This can be a difficult process but maintaining your own values is a vitally important part of growing up.

• Prioritise

Put your own values above everything. If you are determined to complete something first and relax later, then it’s essential that you do so. If you allow yourself to be swayed once then it’s very likely that it will soon become a habit.

• When do you work best?

Everyone has a different style of learning and it is important that you know yours. Try to discern when you work best and develop a study schedule which fits this. Try to focus on your key learning challenges during the periods when you are most focussed.

• Try to understand others before expressing yourself

In any given situation it is important to attempt to understand what other people are saying before weighing in with your opinions. Obtaining a level of understanding will give more weight to your argument and allow you to express yourself meaningfully. When questioning a grade, try to understand it from the teacher’s perspective before challenging it.

• Search for better solutions

If you don’t have the understanding to complete something then don’t just keep re-reading the same explanation. Try doing something different and it may just make everything clear to you. Ask a teacher or seek an alternative explanation from different source.

• Look to continually challenge

The best way to learn is to keep pushing yourself harder. Just as sports players improve faster against better opponents, you too will improve faster against greater challenges. Look to find more complex tasks to complete at all times and you will always remain ahead of the rest of your peers. It’s also important to continually challenge accepted beliefs and norms. If you merely accept what you are told then you are not thinking analytically. Try to poke a hole in all learning that you are given and challenge them with reasoned arguments to state your point.

Learning is all about continuing to grow, expanding our knowledge and challenging ourselves in civil engineering industry. As long as we realise that we never really stop learning, we can tackle our education with curiosity and a real willingness to get involved.