A successful start as a civil engineer in project management

For Zehra Celik, the best ideas come from working as a team. Armed with this conviction, she began her studies in civil engineering at RPTU. Today, she works as a project engineer responsible for construction projects such as the renovation of bridges and rail infrastructure. Here, she shares her experiences and insights.

Zehra Celik is standing at RPTU in Kaiserslautern and asks for directions to the civil engineering department. Immediately, someone turns around and helps her. “They really are so friendly,” she thinks. Before her visit, she had read online that students at RPTU are particularly helpful toward one another. This is an aspect that matters to her when choosing a university.

Zehra Celik realized as early as her high school days that a sense of community matters to her. She enjoys working on projects, especially in the natural sciences. Because she is also interested in legal issues, she initially considered studying law after obtaining her Abitur and did an internship at a law firm. Amid the files, legal provisions, and computer screens, however, she realized something was missing. “I’m good at tackling complex issues,” she says. “But I need daily interaction with others and want to see the impact of my work.”

“Complex issues suit me,” says Zehra Celik. “But I need daily interaction with others and want to see the impact of my work.”

Zehra Celik takes career aptitude tests, compares degree programs, and eventually comes across civil engineering. She looks for a university that combines specialized knowledge with a pleasant learning environment. After meeting someone in the cafeteria in Kaiserslautern, she walks across campus, impressed by the large lecture halls and the open atmosphere. She enrolls.

The first semesters are exciting but not easy: “It was intense at the beginning,” she recalls. “The camaraderie among the students helped me stick with it.” The student council is also present from the very first week. “There were lots of activities, which helped me make my first friends quickly. In the lectures, I also got to know students from related fields. It happened faster than I expected: you see each other, nod, smile, sit together—and suddenly you’re friends.”

Overcoming challenges, pushing boundaries

During her bachelor’s program, Zehra Celik works as a student assistant in surveying and structural engineering. Starting in her third semester, she also works as a student employee at a structural engineering firm for a total of six years. She writes her bachelor’s thesis in collaboration with the company. The topic: the stability of steel emergency staircases, such as those found on the exterior of buildings.

Specifically, Zehra Celik investigates whether the grating steps sufficiently reinforce—that is, stabilize—the side stringers, or whether the structure requires additional elements for this purpose. Structural engineering is considered one of the most demanding fields in civil engineering. “That was the final boss,” she says. “But I enjoy challenging myself.”

After completing her bachelor’s degree, Zehra Celik stays at RPTU and continues her studies in the master’s program. The decision comes easily to her: she knows the system, the faculty, and has built up a network. During her master’s program, she learns about the opportunity to study abroad while chatting with fellow students in the library and applies for a semester in Granada, Spain. “A semester abroad isn’t common in civil engineering, but I would definitely recommend it,” she says. “I was supported by the RPTU from the very beginning in my plans, and I was able to plan in advance which courses would be recognized later.”

“I was supported by the RPTU from the very beginning in my plans, and I was able to plan in advance which courses would be recognized later,” says Zehra Celik about her semester abroad.

Drones, AI, and Modern Construction Technology

After returning from Spain, Zehra Celik takes on a working student position in construction management for building construction. In this role, she observes firsthand how much time is spent on site surveys and damage assessments: hours of walking the site, measuring, and documenting. When she chose the topic for her master’s thesis, she focused on this problem.

Zehra Celik writes her master’s thesis on the use of drones in the construction industry. For her research, she obtains a drone pilot’s license, analyzes various drone technologies, and compares legislation in the EU, the U.S., Turkey, and Switzerland. For weeks, she searches for a suitable drone and an experienced pilot.

In the end, Zehra Celik flies a drone over a building in Frankfurt with a former surveying professor from RPTU. The drone creates so-called point clouds, which AI-powered software automatically analyzes: one click, and the software recognizes a wall and draws it. “The new technology saves a tremendous amount of time,” says Zehra Celik. “But I’ve also discovered inaccuracies in the AI-powered programs.” With her master’s degree in hand, Zehra Celik has long since entered the professional world.

From the cafeteria to project management

Zehra Celik took the initiative early on to manage her transition into the workforce. She regularly attended the RPTU’s after-work events, where companies come to the campus. She engaged in conversations, jotted down contacts, and introduced herself. When she reached out to one of these contacts after completing her master’s degree, she was hired.

Today, Zehra Celik is a project engineer in infrastructure construction and works as a project manager on bridges, transportation routes, and rail infrastructure. “No two days are alike,” she says. “Sometimes I’m in the office, sometimes on the construction site, sometimes in the workshop.” What she experiences daily in this role: she needs the knowledge she gained from her studies, but also her practical experience. “Conversations with the foreman are different from those with the design office; some skilled workers speak little German, the technical jargon varies, and the demands on me as a project manager are high,” she explains. “How to handle that and talk to people—you don’t learn that from books,” she says.

She lives out the team spirit that once led her to civil engineering every day: She is an ambassador for her company and has already brought a working student from RPTU into the company. At the end of the year, she’ll return to the RPTU’s after-work event—no longer as a student looking to get to know companies, but as an engineer telling students about her profession.