Project Engineer
Name: Stephanie Nguyen
Career stage: Early career - less than 5 years' experience
Working: On site
High School Subjects: English, Methods Maths, Music, Chemistry, Biology, Vietnamese
Favourite: Chemistry - Because I loved how everything had a definite answer. There could only be 1 right answer.
Further study: University
where and what: Bachelor or Commerce (M. Accounting) at Monash University, Bachelor of Project Construction Management at UTS
“It is great to see the building go from 2D to 3D, and then seeing what you built in Revit come to fruition from the ground up in real life.”
the inside scoop…
What does a Project Engineer actually do? Imagine throwing a huge party for your best friend. They want flowers, a cake, decorations, a nice venue to fit 200 people, a dj, maybe some fancy signage, party favours, a lovely outfit from overseas. But each one of these items are from a separate company so you have to organise it with many different people who don't know each other. It's your job to contact each of them, find out how much it costs, who is the right person to work with, and then work together with them to deliver a service or product exactly how your best friend wants it. Now imagine that in the construction landscape. I work with many different trades - a carpenter, electrician, plumber, bricklayer etc. and make sure they know exactly what they're doing in a safe and compliant way for my client.
What does a day in your life at work look like? Each day is different. Go out on site and see if everyone's there. Communicate with each person and ensure they know what they're doing and that the tasks they're working on is actually what they need to be focusing on. Quality assurance (checking that everything is compliant), resolving problems (there's lots). Meetings with clients, consultants, and subcontractors.
What's the best part of your job? That every day is extremely dynamic. You can physically see the outcome of your hard work. And the people. You work with some incredible people that become your second family. It's tough and not everyone can do it and to know that not everyone can but you can makes it so satisfying.
What made you realise construction could be for you? Originally was trying to get some work experience in accounting to see if it was the field I wanted to work in. After many failed attempts to score a fancy internship at the Big 4 (KPMG, EY, PWC, Deloitte), and a traumatizing experience at a mid-tier accounting firm, I ended up doing some book keeping for my auntie's joinery business. Spoiler alert: Hated it. I asked her if I could help the project manager at the time quote jobs, procure material, liaise with clients, and I quickly fell in love with it. But when I finally realised my passion was in construction, I had then received an offer (after 4 failed attempts) to work at KPMG. Feeling the pressures of what "success" looked like at the time for me, wanting to make my parents proud, and also completely unsure of what a role in construction would even look like for a woman, I accepted KPMG. During that month of training I couldn't stop thinking about the projects I was working on and I missed it badly. So when I told my parents I instead wanted to work in Construction you could imagine how disapproving they were. So many people didn't understand my decision to leave consulting for construction, but in my gut I knew it's what I wanted to do and it's a decision I'm so proud I made.
What would you tell your high school self about working in construction? That the world of construction isn't as scary as people make it out to be
What do your friends and family think about working in construction? They don't really understand my appeal to it, but because I'm so passionate about it, they're happy that I'm happy. Though in the beginning they weren't fully supportive because they didn't know what the real construction industry looked like.
What's something that surprised you about working in construction? Everyone is so friendly and genuinely wants you to succeed if you're keen to learn. People are so smart and multi-talented. They come from such different backgrounds of life, experiences, etc. and there's so much you can learn from them.
Stephanie is open to engaging further via: Taking a student for work experience.
If you'd like to enquire more, please fill out the form below with the subject name: "Stephanie Nguyen" and we'll pass your message on.
