Case study

Tedd is currently travelling in Europe. Before heading off, he worked part-time as a builder's labourer.

Job pathway

Obtain builder's licence > become a developer

How did you end up working in your current job?

Worked with my cousin since I had time to kill before my trip.

What skills do you use in your job?

I tied caged reo for trenches as well as tied reo for ground and first floor slabs. My knowledge from uni about reinforcement placement helped me understand what I was doing and the principles that were applied in the engineer's design.

What advice would you give to students who have commenced an engineering degree and want to get a great job in engineering when they graduate?

Give yourself an edge by achieving the highest marks you can. Try to make contacts during your work experience because it was common for students to retain jobs after graduation. Employers also like students with leadership roles in and outside of uni. So become involved in committees, SRC, etc. Don't just take any job. Sure, it might be tough to get a job but find a job and field that really satisfies you. Get lots of work experience because it looks good on the CV.

"Try to make contacts during your work experience because it was common for students to retain jobs after graduation....."

What were your biggest mistakes during your life when applying for jobs? How would you have done it better?

I didn't stay in contact with my work experience company. If I did I'm sure I could've walked into a job. Also, I probably didn't apply at the right times or to enough people. I didn't show enough work experience on my CV because I didn't have any. To improve the way I apply for jobs, I need a more professional CV presentation, call people to speak to them rather than email and look for my job advertisements.

What type of activities were you involved in at university and high school, and did they give you any skills that you use in your job now?

I played a lot of sport so that made it easy for me to work in a team and communicate to people in the workplace.

If you could go back to the start of your degree and change anything you did since then, what would it be?

I would not change my study patterns. I would get more work experience and speak with people in the industry for job opportunities or advice on the field that might interest me.

Where do you see yourself in five year's time?

In construction as project engineer, ready to start my own construction projects.