What's your job about?

My job is to understand the cable laying requirements and prepare technical proposals along with the costing and detailed documentation for cable installation both on land and sea. I am responsible for interpreting all kinds of different weather, soil and sea data in order to propose a suitable cable installation plan and methodology.

Eventually, it involves preparing a cost effective installation solution that fulfils the customer's needs and make us win the project.

My ideal day can consist of various tasks. I need to read and understand numerous documents on cable installation requirements. Sometimes I am at the potential installation sites to understand the installation feasibility or to negotiate with subcontractors. I also have to present our proposal to the customers and answer any queries they might have.

What's your background?

I grew up in a North-Eastern part of India, in a beautiful city called Lucknow, where I graduated from High school. I was always fascinated by the idea of studying abroad and experiencing different cultures and their way of life, so I decided to move to Australia for my Bachelor. I always had a passion for engineering. As a child, I loved pulling things apart and trying my best to put it back together (failed many times though). Hoping that engineering might be able to teach me those skills, I embarked on this journey to Melbourne with a more hands on course in engineering, which was a Certificate III in Mechanical Manufacturing. My hunger for learning did not stop, therefore, I went on my voyage to a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. I was also fortunate enough to gain a complete year of professional experience from my internship in Energy Auditing.

I have been with Prysmian Group for about two and a half years. I joined the Prysmian Graduate Program in Sydney. My first year was entirely based in Sydney, and it involved working in various departments to understand the overall workflow and to get a complete picture and understanding of the work Prysmian does. Then for my 2 year international assignment, I was sent to Milan, Italy to work on the EPC project.

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Yes. I think university equipped me with the skills and the right attitude to be learning at work, and being responsible. So to succeed in my role, you need to have a proactive and inquisitive attitude, good listening, resilience and a genuine interest.

What's the coolest thing about your job?

My role requires meeting tremendously tight deadlines, where I am pushed to the limits in order to deliver the results. This is what makes it interesting, as I have to step outside my comfort zone consequentially gaining better results. Looking back at it, I certainly feel more satisfied.

What are the limitations of your job?

My current role requires commitment as the workload can be enormous at times. There are times when I have to spend my weekends staying in touch with the customers and visiting sites. The biggest limitation in this role is that you cannot establish your niche in a particular place or role as you have to handle a lot at the same time. This can be writing technical documents just envisaging solutions. I also have to Prepare and manage piles of documents to update and re-update them at all the tender submission stages.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

1. Stay focused and try to achieve whatever you are in the university for.
2. I feel college life is one of the best times and enjoying it is crucial. There are various organizations and activities to join that can enhance the college experience.
3. Collaborating with others and competing with yourself can open up myriads of future opportunities.