Tell us about your journey from student, to student engineer, to full-time employee.

So, I went to Monash University studying Civil Engineering and Actuarial Science and as part of the Civil Engineering degree where I needed work experience hours as part of my CPD.

In search for CPD, I joined the AITPM mentoring program where I met Senior Transport engineer Katie Harker who introduced me to Ratio Consultants. I hadn’t heard of Ratio at this stage and was interested in what traffic engineering looked like in the workplace. I was then invited by Katie and the Ratio team to have a week-long trial to gain insight into the office workplace.

Everyone was very welcoming and encouraging and I was offered a student casual role to continue working at Ratio during my studies. This was vital for my completion of my CPD requirement of my degree. I worked about 1-2 days a week while I finished off my degree and, after a year working as a student transport engineer at Ratio, I graduated from Monash and was offered full-time employment with Ratio.

What were your biggest learnings during this transition?

During my transition into work at Ratio there have been times where I have felt quite comfortable with the work I have been assigned and then there have been other times where I have been out of my comfort zone. These times taught me to be comfortable seeking out help when I am unsure how to proceed. It was daunting at first but then I realised that people are happy to help.

What surprised you the most throughout the process?

What surprised me most was how I came to be employed at Ratio. My mentor program with AITPM introduced me to Katie, who introduced me to ratio. Everything just fell into place.

What projects or skillsets are you interested in exploring further?

I have loved utilising various software such as SIDRA, AutoCAD and QGIS. I am interested in exploring AutoCAD further and building up that skillset. I am also looking forward to working on a project from start to finish.

What are you looking forward to in this coming year?

I am excited to form consistent habits with full-time work which was not possible while I was studying.

What advice do you have for the next round of students?

My advice for the next round of students would be to get onto their CPD early but at the same time not to stress over it too much. I would recommend seeking out mentoring programs as these are great ways to bridge the gap between your student experience and full-time employment – it allows you to ask questions and to really understand whether you want to continue down that career pathway.