When I was younger, I wanted to be a doctor. But growing up in a Sri Lankan family, becoming an engineer was one of the top professions my mum encouraged me to consider. Looking back, I’m so glad I chose this path because it suits me perfectly, and the work-life balance at Department of Transport…
I vividly remember being in grade 4 and the teacher wheeling out the classroom TV and putting on An Inconvenient Truth starring Al Gore. That 118-minute documentary ignited a spark in me for helping the environment. Growing up I considered many careers – chef, paramedic, graphic designer – but none felt quite right. Clearly, I…
I always loved to draw and use technology in an artistic expression. I also spent a LOT of my time as a child on my dad’s building sites, where he built speculative homes. Looking back, it makes perfect sense to me that architecture would be a natural outlet and career path. That didn’t stop me…
I was 5 when I told my parents I wanted to be a lawyer but they were most surprised I continued with this career path. After graduating from Griffith University on the Gold Coast (my home town) I spent the next 7 years in private practice. I had my first son 10 years ago, after…
In high school, I wanted to study philosophy and economics but I was always very interested in geography and nature, loved the environment from a young age going camping with my family and exploring. However I never thought I would study it, so I enrolled in an Arts Degree to study philosophy and politics. I…
In Grade 11, we had a Scenes of Crime Officer attend our school for a presentation. I thought it was pretty cool, however, I found the Police uniform intimidating and was unsure of myself and how I would/could get from where and who I was to where and who I wanted to be. Between school,…
I wanted to be a teacher until grade 11, where I was exposed to some accounting and business subjects that I really enjoyed. I selected a commerce degree as I needed a higher year 12 result to study it. I didn’t really know what being an accountant would be like. I finished my university degree…
When I was in primary school, I had my heart set on becoming a fighter pilot with the Australian Air Force. This dream influenced the subjects I chose at high school and upon completion of year 12 I was still considering this path. When the time came to decide, I was hesitant to leave home…
I had no clue what I wanted to do when I finished school. I dropped out of my first degree (business) after 1 semester and started full time work as an admin assistant while I figured out what I wanted to do. The State Government Computing Centre (now CITEC) was recruiting for computer operators and…
I went to high school in Melbourne, then completed my last two years of high school in Gladstone. Whilst in Gladstone, I had to complete two subjects via online distance education, as well as three subjects at the high school I attended. When I finished high school, I was set on studying Economics at university,…
During the final years of school I wanted to be a financial lawyer. But an honest conversation with my biology teacher about my strengths in math and science opened my eyes to engineering. I looked up engineering courses during the change in preference window and swapped to a double degree of Environmental Engineering and Science…
When I was little, I did not know what I wanted to become, my parents made me study sciences to make sure I had options. I loved animals and wanted to become a zoologist, however whilst studying chemical engineering I witnessed the explosion of a Chemical Factory in the South-West of France, and decided to…
I am a Data Scientist in the Customer and Digital Group at the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy, and I love creating stories with data to help people make better decisions. Born and raised in Cairns QLD, I was an avid dancer and with that, a huge competitor. I would compete with myself…
I studied Electrical Engineering overseas and then I got married. Soon after graduation I came to Australia. My husband and I started our family and I decided to be a stay at home mum until kids were in school. Now I am a mother to 2 boys and now that they are in school I…
Even though most of my senior school subjects were in the STEM field, engineering wasn’t on my radar until I saw a documentary about the extension of a subway line in America. I honestly don’t remember the details of the documentary but what stuck with me was how engineering could change the lives of a…