Death of an Apprentice

This autobiographical novel follows the career of a civil engineering apprentice, from childhood to middle age. Along the way, we get to see the inner workings of the profession, from the nuts and bolts of civil engineering and surveying, their technological transformation, to the death of the apprenticeship system. It's a mysterious world that few laymen know. And yet we are all surrounded by their work everywhere, every day.

The apprentice takes a complex, twisted path in and out of the world of civil engineering as he pursues other career opportunities and artistic ambitions in the worlds of painting and music.

It's a story of modern times, reduced opportunities, the "trickle-up economy" and people denied entry into professions now restricted to the "degreed class".