After finishing High school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, so I took a gap year, and moved to Scotland to live and work in a boarding school and travel Europe. After my gap year was up I started a general first year of engineering and began to specialise in chemical engineering in second year. The reason I decided to do engineering was because I enjoyed working on science research projects in high school and liked working in teams.
At the end of third year I did my vac work at a coal mine in Queensland, which I thoroughly enjoyed and learnt many valuable lessons; I realised the importance of communication, showing initiative and being proactive. In my final year of engineering I applied for the graduate program with Ixom, where I was lucky enough to be offered a position a few months later.
The coolest thing about my job would have to be the independence I am given for the projects I work on. As a project owner it’s my responsibility to progress with the project planning and organising, as well as ensuring that all aspects are considered. This requires liaising with a whole range of cross functional teams. I also love learning about how various units in the plant operate; by working on site it helps being able to actually see the units in real life.
My advice: Try and learn as much as possible about the basics of the other types of engineering; this is because the projects that I have been working on involve all aspects of engineering.