I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school, just that I liked maths and that was about it. Off I went to study a Maths and Finance degree. At the end of uni, I really wanted to find a practical application of maths and so I landed a graduate role…
I’m a Civil Designer at Hansen Engineering Group and I love creating infrastructure that helps communities grow and stay connected. I grew up in Toowoomba and started my career as a Cabinet Maker, where I discovered how much I enjoy design and making things work smoothly. That interest eventually led me to Civil Engineering. I…
Throughout high school, I had endless ideas about what I wanted to do, but architecture was the first path I decided to explore. After graduating, I took a gap year and then began studying architecture at university. It didn’t take long for me to realise that, while I loved the construction world, the degree itself…
I grew up loving science and solving problems, which led me to study chemical engineering and eventually earn a PhD. I started my career working in power stations, learning how energy is made and how to keep things running safely. Over time, I became a leader in renewable energy, managing wind farms and helping communities…
I grew up in the UK and always had a passion for geography, which led me to study Environment and Business at university – a degree combining sustainability and business principles. During my studies, I completed a year in industry at Network Rail, the UK’s largest rail infrastructure company, as an Environmental and Sustainable Development…
I left school intending on becoming a lawyer. However, found I didn’t enjoy studying at University, and sought counsel in my high school Legal Studies teacher, who advised me to try policing. I applied for the QPS and started at the academy at 20-years-old. Graduating September 2013, I began my career in Ipswich District. I…
I never considered teaching while at High School, as I was pursuing a career as a classically trained ballet dancer. I was always interested in Science and did well in Biology, which led me to complete a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and Ecotourism. Finding it difficult to secure work in these fields, I…
I often say I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up – and honestly, do we ever really know? I once wanted to be a fashion designer but instead chose the broadest degree I could think of to build a strong foundation. I believe it’s my attitude, willingness to learn, and…
From a young age, I knew I wanted to pursue a trade. I entered the resources industry straight out of school and earned my Mechanical Trade qualifications four years later. My career has taken me across oil and gas, construction, building maintenance, mining, and rail – both in Australia and overseas. Often the only woman…
Not knowing where my application with the Queensland Fire Brigade would lead at 18, I took on a trade assistant role with a residential and commercial roofing company. After a year and a half, I moved to a residential construction company, where I discovered a deep passion for building and the industry as a whole.…
When I was in school, I enjoyed maths and science and being outdoors. The thought of being in an office all day wasn’t very inspiring to me! My dad works in oil and gas and suggested that I should do engineering, particularly environmental engineering, so I could have a job that pays well, a job…
When I was in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I had always found maths and science came most naturally to me and were the most interesting subjects. My grandfather, father, and uncle had all worked as blue-collar construction workers when I was growing up, so I had some…
While my corporate career hasn’t followed a traditional path, I consider myself a collaborative, commercially astute, and action-oriented leader, who has a proven track record of driving benefits-led organisational change, process improvement, and digital transformation programs within large, complex, and heavily regulated operating environments. During the past 5+ years with Origin Energy, I have developed…
Some people know exactly what they want to do after school – some don’t. I thought I did, starting a Bachelor of Business in Marketing and Management, but soon discovered my passion lay in project management. While working in estate management, I gained experience in sales strategies, budget management, estate maintenance, and civil construction. I…
I grew up wanting to be a Cardiologist in high school, however, when it got time to actually applying for universities, I applied for a Bachelor of International Relations at the Australian National University. After one semester, I had already made the decision I did not want to spend my whole life arguing politics, and…
If someone had told me in high school where I’d end up, I would have laughed. I was born in Bulgaria (Eastern Europe), and my childhood was marked by very rough economic and political conditions in the country. At school I was very diligent and always striving to do well academically. I attended a specialised…
Having migrated from Sri Lanka, I completed my last two years of high school in Australia before attending university to complete my Bachelor of Civil Engineering. I started my construction career as a graduate engineer on a major highway project. Here I was exposed to bulk earthworks, concrete batch plant operations, and concrete pavement construction.…
In high school, I planned to study law but didn’t get the grades, so I started an Economics degree—and absolutely hated it! Luckily, I had randomly selected two electives in history and politics, loved them, and switched to an arts degree. After a few internships overseas and at home in Adelaide, I graduated with a…
When I was in school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to take a gap year after school and not go to university straight away. During that year I worked at Bunnings and began by working on the cash register. After 5 years with Bunnings, I decided to…
Leading up to the end of high school, I struggled to pick a career I wanted to study for, torn between my ‘competing’ interests in graphics, legal studies, and physics. My first part-time job as a jewellery sales assistant also sparked my passion for problem-solving, customer communication, and people management. When it came time for…