From regional NSW to Sydney: how Angus is building his engineering career while running job sites and mentoring the next generation of engineers.
Angus Lyons didn't have a straight path into engineering. He grew up in Bodalla, a small town four hours south of Sydney. He was the only person from his high school to move to Sydney to study a STEM degree.
Now in his third year of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Diploma in Industry Practice (Civil Construction), Angus is leading teams on active construction sites, serving as Vice President of UTS Engineers Without Borders (EWB). Then he's heading back to his home community to run engineering workshops for kids who remind him of himself.
Why UTS?
Before he even submitted an application, Angus did something most Year 11 students wouldn't think to do. He cold-emailed alumni and engineering companies across Sydney, asking for their honest take on which university was better for an engineering degree.
Only one company out of fifteen replied. But that one response, plus a couple of alumni who got back to him, was enough.
"The vibe I got from previous students was that UTS was much better for engineering when it comes to teaching communication, not just exams and theory, but actually learning how to talk about what you know."
Angus landed his first internship through a loose connection, his dad. Who also works in construction, helped him get a foot in the door. He spent six months in the estimating team, working in an office and buried in spreadsheets, and quickly realised that sitting at a desk all day wasn’t what he wanted.
His second engineering internship aligned with his interests. WEM Civil — a UTS industry partner — put out a scholarship offer to first and second-year civil and project management students. Angus applied, interviewed, and came second in the round. No scholarship. But they liked him enough to offer an internship anyway.
Now he's on site four days a week, running daily briefings, coordinating subcontractors and labourers, liaising with project managers, and making real decisions on active job sites. Essentially, learning engineering leadership skills well before graduation.
"I don't really view either as work or university. It's more what I enjoy. So instead of thinking 'I'm waking up for work and it's going to drag on', I genuinely enjoy what I'm doing. That changes everything."
Angus Lyons
Balancing study and work
The UTS Diploma in Industry Practice is an additional year of structured industry experience embedded into your degree. For Angus, that means four days a week on a construction site and one day in the classroom.
On paper, that sounds exhausting. In practice, he barely notices the weight of it.
The online flexibility UTS offers also helps. Less mandatory in-person time means he can structure his week around work without constantly sacrificing one for the other. Then the classroom and the site overlap, which they often do, the whole thing just clicks.
"We're doing a tendering process in my professional engineering communication class right now. My entire first internship was tendering. I wish I'd done the class first, but even now, seeing the crossover, it just makes everything land better."
Going back to his hometown as a leader
One of Angus' memorable parts of his student journey was when he was voted in as Vice President of Engineers without Borders (EWB) at UTS.
EWB runs outreach events to regional and remote communities. As VP, Angus is the one organising the trip this year. The destination? His hometown.
"I grew up in that area. Being the person now organising this event to go down and present workshops to my high school, that's awesome. I was the only person from my high school to come to Sydney to study a STEM degree. My old teachers are very interested. They're all very proud."
Angus is also a student ambassador for UTS, and a student mentor for Engineers Australia — running the same summer engineering camp he attended as a Year 11 student, now from the other side of the room.
"A lot of kids only ever see engineers as adults in professional settings. They don't get to meet someone who's only five or six years older than them, who's also young, but actually doing it. That can be a real eye-opener."
He's seen it himself, the moment a kid solves a workshop challenge and their eyes light up.
"Even if I know they're not going to be engineers, that moment is still amazing. That spark is worth it."
Advice to regional students
"Follow your strengths and don't just blindly trust other people's experiences. Understand what your capabilities are, and you're only going to figure that out by failing, by not achieving what you wanted. At least then you know where your limits are and you understand yourself better."
On the Diploma in Industry Practice engineering benefits specifically?
"I was hesitant at first because it adds a year to my degree. But then I thought — you graduate a year later, but with so much more experience and a much better understanding of what you actually want to do. It's much better to figure that out at uni than after you graduate."
Angus isn't in a rush to finish. He's in it to grow.
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