Name: Geoff Frost

Discipline: EngSci, Infrastructure

Employer: CYPE Ingenieros - Alicante, Spain

Job Title: Civil Engineer – Codes Department

Job Description:
I study building codes from around the world. I am then paired with a computer programmer, and the two of us must create a computer program that tests a building drawn in a CAD program against said building code.This involves some basic programming in C.

Secondly, I work in a Spanish speaking office. As such, all my work related conversation must happen in Spanish. When I create written documents, explanations must be in Spanish. I arrived in Spain having read three quarters of a traveler’s guide to Spanish. This requirement makes the workplace much more interesting.

My job relates directly to my undergrad studies. I am in the Infrastructure option of Engineering Science. We study the Canadian building code directly, and the American indirectly. We recently finished the Canadian code, and are now beginning on the American code.

Perks:
The workplace environment is very good. I can joke around with my coworkers, hang out at lunch, etc. This really helps if you’ve moved into a new city not really knowing the language as I did.

Every now and then the office has a social night, unlike in Canada, this involves a real social night in the bar district. This always proves to be a laugh, and I greatly enjoy it.

Secondly, the work day in Spain is structured quite differently from in Canada. I get to the office at 8:30, work till 11:30. I then have half an hour off, which I usually spend in a café with friends from work. I then work 12:00-2:30, then take a one and a half hour lunch. Finally, I work 4:00-7:00. Normally I would call this a bad thing, as it spreads the work day out to the point where there is not much time for hobbies etc. in the evening. However, as I program computers all day, I find it nice to have breaks throughout the day.

The weekend is also a major draw. Now, perhaps I should not write this in a PEY article, let alone admit it. The truth about PEY must be told, however, and this might be one of the main points. On weekends I have the time and money to go see parts of Europe and enjoy interesting sports. While living in Spain I have begun to kiteboard, and recent trips include Stonehenge in the South of England. All in all, not bad weekends.

Drawbacks:
The amount of time I spend in front of a computer. After a while, even though the code I’m working on is different, it feels a little monotonous.

Why you chose this job:
It was in Spain. I wanted to learn Spanish, and this seemed like a free ticket. So far it’s working out quite well.

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