Water Engineering

Water Engineering

‘Water Engineering? What do you mean, Uncle Harry?’

‘What I mean is the way engineering can be used to help those countries that suffer drought and those that are under threat of flooding.’

‘But why would I be interested in that,’ asked Peter.

‘Well, look Peter, I know you’ll be able to walk into a job in the City, even if you don’t go to Uni, tanks to your Dad’s connections, but think about this.

Most kids of your age now are likely to live to a hundred, at least. You can work in the City, shuffling bits of paper and finding ways to make a trade a billionth of a second quicker than anyone else, and retire when you’re 40 with a stack of cash in the bank, but what will you do with the next 60 years?

Instead, when you’ve done you’re a-levels, you could go to Holland and study Water Engineering.’

‘Why would I want to study in Holland?’

‘For a start, the fees are only £1500 a year, then there is the fact that all the courses are in English, and you’ll probably be able to smoke weed during the lectures!’

‘I don’t smoke weed, Uncle Harry,’ insisted Peter.

‘I was only joking, Peter, relax.’

‘Why is Holland a good place for that sort of engineering?’

‘Well, Holland has been dealing with this sort of thing for centuries, so they know a thing or two about the subject!’

‘So, do you think it’s something that I can make a good living from, Uncle?’

‘Of course you can, Peter. Not the squillions you could make in the City, but the most important thing is that you will be able to look back after retiring and say, “Yes, I did alright, I’ve been paid well to travel around the world helping provide one of life’s basics, and I did something worthwhile”.’

‘Thanks Uncle Harry,’ said Peter, as he walked off in thought.

But Harry was thinking he probably might just as well have been talking to the wall.