Profile

Has your degree at La Trobe prepared you well for the workplace?

My degree at La Trobe has prepared me well for the workplace and life in general. I learnt a lot of the hard engineering skills required for my field but more importantly I learnt the fundamentals of the soft skills such as how to think, learn and speak. Having these skills has given me confidence in my abilities in any situation that arises; something that I believe is the key to success. Some of the benefits of studying at La Trobe included support from lecturers, whenever I had a question my lecturers were always willing to discuss, this assistance was invaluable. Another major benefit is the strong stakeholder connections that surrounding businesses have with La Trobe; this enables the university to become part of the community which opens doors for more practical learning.

Tell us a little about your work history.

Whilst studying I was employed in many roles, two of the most enjoyable were at the university itself. I was a Student Learning Advisor in the library and I ran Physics tutorials for 2nd year Physiotherapy students. Over the summer periods I managed to secure a vocational engineering role at Coliban Water where I worked predominantly in the raw water sector, this gave me my first glimpse into the water industry. Since finalising my studies in November 2013 I have joined the Coliban Water Graduate Program. My first rotation was in Concept Development, my role revolved around project management of the detailed design phase of projects. Presently I am in my second rotation as a pipeline operations engineer, with my primary role being the Superpipe Administrator. This role is very exciting as I am learning a great deal and working with many new faces due to my position being a link between Coliban Water, Central Highlands Water and Veolia. I have also taken on a standby role as an Environmental Response officer (ERO), where I record the events of environmental incidents and liaise with the EPA when necessary.

Can you provide a few career highlights?

In the short time since I commenced my career I have had many highlights. When I received my degree and to my excitement the Engineers Australia Student Award I had a strong sense of pride and felt that all my hard work had paid off. The next was of course my 1st day on the job and being asked for help by one of my colleagues, it's great to continually learn but it's something entirely different to be able to use the skills you've acquired. The next was attending the Technology Approval Group (TAG) on Coliban's behalf; it was my first chance to network with other water authorities and an opportunity to try my hand at presenting the day's discussion on my return to Coliban. But the greatest highlight was a realisation, one day I sat down to think about my career plan, when it struck me that there are no boundaries with this degree, I could get into management, specialise, consult, the possibilities are endless!

What are the things you enjoy most about your job?

One of the most enjoyable things about my job is the variety of roles each position can fill. As Coliban is a regional water authority we do not have the same staff force as a larger authority, therefore there is less specialisation. I am always working on a variety of different tasks, therefore continually learning about completely different things. Another perk is the very friendly and supportive environment that my job entails. I continually have the opportunity to tackle projects etc. on my own but there is always effective leadership to help guide me. This helps build confidence and in turn professional growth. One of the other great things about my job is work/life balance, something which I believe is extremely important in any role.

Besides your career, where has life taken you since graduation?

I am engaged to a beautiful girl and we are busy at the moment planning our wedding and our first journey overseas. We have also recently built our first home together. So fair to say times have been very busy and exciting.

What advice can you offer to current students?

The best advice I can give is to not just sit along for the ride, take on all opportunities presented and seek out those that aren't. Doing so will open doors that you didn't see coming and teach you things you never would have known. Continue to test yourself and learn by doing, I always found this the most effective means of learning, because worse-case scenario you learn what not to do. Most importantly make sure you enjoy what you do because one of the great things about engineering is that there are no boundaries, there is always room to try something new.

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