What's your job about?

I work as a graduate electrical engineer, allowing me to design the electrical infrastructure portion of projects with the support of my team. Northrop is a multidisciplinary consulting firm that brings projects to life by designing all aspects of buildings and their surrounding elements.

At the moment, I’m doing a lot of work within the electrification sphere of building design. Many buildings in my city are powered with natural gas, and we provide clients with plans and options to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by replacing and upgrading their natural gas assets, such as space/water heating and cooling systems. I specifically calculate the electrical demand impact of these changes and assess them against the current (usually aging) infrastructure to determine whether it can handle the new electrified plant units. This may involve contacting energy authorities to get approval to use more power or even designing new substations to power larger buildings.

Other jobs involve designing new buildings, including power, lighting, fire detection, and solar systems. Once these buildings are constructed, I get to visit the sites to see the designs in action and ensure the construction and installation comply with the relevant Australian Standards or match the intended design. It’s always interesting to see how pixels on a screen or ink on paper in a 2D design translate to the real 3D world!

What's your background?

I grew up just outside the ACT and had to go through the trials and tribulations of the HSC while my ACT friends breezed through their ‘college’ experience! I graduated high school with grades high enough to attend the Australian National University (ANU), where I completed my degree in 4 years.

During my studies, I worked several jobs, including tutoring and working in supermarkets, which were considered essential worker roles during the peak of COVID. This allowed me to earn money while living out of home.

I had no in-person exams until my very last exam of my entire degree, which presented its own challenges—though I guess I didn’t know any different. In my penultimate year, I began an internship at Northrop. I met my current manager through a mutual friend, and we hit it off during the interview. Having my first proper corporate job (besides working in my dad’s office scanning documents) was daunting, and meeting people much older than me with years of experience in engineering made me nervous. However, Northrop’s welcoming culture helped me quickly make friends with my team, connecting through shared hobbies and interests.

Could someone with a different background do your job?

I think working as a consulting engineer is not as technical as other jobs you could get with an engineering degree. There’s a surprising amount of client relationship management and strategy involved, which is something my degree didn’t prepare me for. I would say an engineering student’s social skills (stereotypically) need development to become a good consultant. In this regard, someone with a more extroverted personality type would fit well in a consulting engineering role.

My role involves working with legislation, guidelines, laws, and other regulations, which sometimes makes me feel like a lawyer with the amount of knowledge I need to stay on top of! Someone who is good at interpreting and understanding legislation would do well in a consulting engineering role.

What's the coolest thing about your job?

The most satisfying part of my job is witnessing the physical and tangible impact I have on the world. I get to improve my community and people’s lives through something I can stand in, look at, and point to. If you want to literally see the impact you have on society, working in the building and construction industry is incredibly rewarding.

What are the limitations of your job?

Challenges in the building and construction industry include tight budgets and timelines, which can create hurdles. Consequently, clients and colleagues may feel pressure, which sometimes trickles down to you. This might result in working longer hours to meet deadlines; however, a good manager will always push back to manage expectations.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

• Try more clubs and societies – These help you discover your interests and make connections with local companies.
• Enjoy your extracurriculars – Getting a graduate job isn’t solely reliant on your GPA. Employers often want to see that you have hobbies and interests related to your career, such as 3D printing or robotics/Arduino.
• Create friendships in class – I know some people find this daunting, but university connections can pay off later in terms of support and career opportunities.