What's your job about?
BMD Constructions is a contractor that facilitates civil infrastructure construction. They build roads, bridges, defence bases, rail, renewable energy resources and water infrastructure.
I am a Graduate Engineer working on a major road project. My ‘day-to-day’ looks pretty different most days. We start every day with a pre-start meeting where all work supervisors will explain what activities are being undertaken for the day. I visit the works site take note of everything that is happening and ensure all works are running smoothly at least once a day. There are several activities that I complete throughout my week including; cost tracking, ordering material, planning works in the weeks to come, organising subcontractors to be on site when we need them, quality assurance, supporting my supervisors and our subcontractors
What's your background?
I grew up in Skye, Victoria. I went to Banyan Fields Primary School, and then Carrum Downs Secondary College. During high school, I worked in a fish and chip shop and once I graduated, I started working at Brumbys Bakery.
I graduated with no idea of what I wanted to do with my life and after numerous discussions with everyone closest to me, I took on my Mum’s recommendation of pursuing Engineering. I applied for Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering. I decided on Civil as I thought it was the most interesting. As I reached my third year, I was starting to have doubts about Engineering. I started applying for Undergraduate roles via my University’s career portal to get some experience and see if this was what I wanted to do. I was accepted by BMD in late 2021 and started in the office in the pre-contract phase of my current project. Our project kicked off on site in May 2022, I started in the utility relocations team, managing costs and programs initially. I then moved into civils at the beginning of 2023 and have learnt to build a road!
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes! I have several friends who didn’t get the scores they needed in high school to go directly into the Bachelor of Engineering, but they pursued an associate degree as a bridging course into their bachelor’s degree. This pathway is the same duration as the bachelor’s degree. There are also several other ways to get into the bachelor course via advanced diplomas or transferring from other courses after maintaining the required averages.
Uni assists with the skill-building for a career in Engineering, however, characteristics that are favourable in becoming an engineer include problem-solving, critical thinking, logical reasoning, attention to detail and communication.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I love being able to see my work come to life. Booking in all the materials and crews to come and build their scope of works, then to see all the works come together and form into a road is amazing. I enjoy building rapport with the crews on site. Supporting crews and supervisors is enjoyable as the road doesn’t get built unless they can do their jobs. I also just love talking to people and that is a key part of my role when organising work. Also, the availability for career progression is wonderful.
What are the limitations of your job?
The hours are quite long and depending on the project and scope of work, there can be work overnight or on weekends. There is no physical demand as such but some days there is a lot of responsibility, and it can be mentally taxing. The amount of information to learn is never-ending and some roles may lack the support required to learn as much as you can.
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