I have experienced a lot in the short time that I have been in the MWH Graduate Programme. Within two weeks of beginning my professional career I was sent to Fiji to work on the Fiji Bridges Programme which is part of a large project run by the Fiji Roads Authority. While in Fiji I was involved with bridge inspections and conducting a general survey of the surrounding land for any potential issues which can affect the design of the final solution. The experience of working in a remote area with limited resources, no electricity and no running water was invaluable. It’s just something that you can’t learn in the classroom.
After this site visit I was given the opportunity to design the immediate renewal of a bridge superstructure. The bridge is on main road of Vanua Balavu Island and provides the people of the island with access to schools, the local hospital and other surrounding villages. It is a challenging project in the sense that the island is in a remote part of Fiji where resources are very limited.
I like working for MWH because we have a vibrant office culture and everybody is so approachable and welcoming. MWH promotes the work life balance by having monthly social club events and a highly dedicated Young Professional’s Group. This made the transition from student to professional very smooth and helped me have a great start to my career. We also have annual meetings with other grads in the same stage of the Programme. It is great to talk to people in the same stage of their career as you and share experiences and thoughts on relevant topics.
I have always wanted to give something back to a community, and having the opportunity to do so within the first few weeks of my career is something that I never thought would happen. It is great to be part of a company which gives priority to Building a Better World and seeks to benefit communities through its wide range of specialties.
When it came to applying for a graduate position in my final year of study, I decided to apply for MWH because of their presence in the infrastructure industry. MWH is well known for being one of the top engineering consultancies in the world and also for providing unique solutions to meet the needs of the client. The variety of disciplines in MWH also played an important part in my decision to apply as I feel it is important to have exposure to other engineering fields in the early stages of my career.
I would encourage aspiring engineers to get networking as often as you can and ask questions! Meeting new people who are in different stages of their career to you – be it on site or in an office – is very important, but it is equally important to try listen and learn from their experiences. It’s also an easy way to get exposure to what lies ahead. Make sure you attend as many career expo’s and industry events as you can as a lot of companies rely on campus recruitment to fill any upcoming roles for students. Having a foot in the door goes a long way when it comes to applying for a role!
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