What's your job about?
I am an Electrical Engineer at Beca which is a professional services company. As a consultancy, we work to meet the needs of our clients. Beca has a range of engineering and associated disciplines, and works across many different sectors and locations, both in New Zealand and overseas. Beca has electrical engineers in its Power, Building Services, and Industrial sections. I am in the Industrial section which means that in my role I undertake electrical, instrumentation, and control work across a range of industries including food & beverage, wood & fibre, minerals & metals, and energy & manufacturing. We also work across sections when it is appropriate, and I regularly support our Water team in delivering water infrastructure projects throughout Australasia.
The jobs I work on vary from electrical design of new automated or semi-automated systems to assessments of process safety systems. My day-to-day role is varied based on the projects that I am working on at the time. On any given day, I will likely work on a number of different projects for different clients. As I’ve gained more experience, I am increasingly being given more opportunities to lead in the project work we do and meaningfully engage directly with our clients.
A key element to my job is working with others, both within Beca and beyond. This includes working with clients to gain an understanding of what they are wanting to achieve, as well as with teams within Beca and with other consultants or contractors to deliver the outcome.
What's your background?
I grew up and went to school in the UK, USA, and Auckland before moving down to Christchurch where I studied Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Canterbury. At high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, but after finding out about Mechatronics I decided to enroll in Engineering. Once I started studying, I found that I really enjoyed it and in particular had an interest in electrical, instrumentation, and controls. After graduating, I stayed in Christchurch and joined the Beca team, where I have now been for 2 years. During my degree, I completed two internships with other companies in Christchurch: one working in control systems for electricity distribution and one using machine learning for action recognition.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
My job could be done by people with an Electrical Engineering degree or related. I did a Mechatronics degree, though my job title is now Electrical Engineer. There are also people who come from other similar disciplines, for example, one of my coworkers studied Mechanical Engineering initially but over the course of his career became more interested in instrumentation and controls, and is now well-respected in this space. Similarly, I have colleagues who have an Electrical Engineering degree who now work in slightly different fields of engineering.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I enjoy working for a range of different clients in different industries, knowing that my work contributes to their success, whether it is water treatment in my community or buying products from companies I’ve worked with when doing my grocery shop.
I love working for a company that has a focus on its people. There is a lot of consideration for the health, well-being, and inclusion of employees which makes working here great (and allows us to deliver some amazing projects). I get to work with teams of highly experienced and supportive engineers who help me to learn and grow.
What are the limitations of your job?
My job is predominantly office based, so may not be right for someone who is looking to “get their hands dirty”. That being said, there are always plenty of opportunities to visit sites as part of projects or even spend time based on a site.
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