Superintendents Representative
Name: Ivana Galic
Career stage: Mid-level - 5-10 years' experience
Working: On site
High School Subjects: Maths B, Physics, Chemistry, English, PE, Geography
Favourite: My favourite subject was physics as I got to learn how a lot of things worked. Even simple things like lasers have so much science behind them! The best part was the experiments where we could make air powered rockets and test bridges.
Further study: University
where and what: University of Queensland - Civil Engineering
"The coolest thing I have done so far is a construction job out in the mines. They use explosives to get the minerals out of the ground and they let me press the button which blew up a bunch of explosives and we got to watch it all from a hill close by. The shockwave was massive!"
the inside scoop…
What does a Superintendents Representative actually do? As a Superintendents Representative, I make sure the project is being completed on time and on budget. It involves a lot of project management and lots of meetings with everyone the project might affect. The project is like a big puzzle and you need to make sure each piece of the puzzle goes where it needs to go and does what it needs to do so that we can finish the puzzle. One thing I don't like is rain! It stops us from working and that's when we start to take longer than we planned.
What does a day in your life at work look like? I am based on site so I drive to the construction site from my house and say hello to the team on site. I then have meetings with the client to tell them what we completed the day before and what we have planned. After that meeting I talk to the construction team and we problem solve any issues that might come up. Whether it be materials not arriving on site and stopping work to a design not quite working and needing some brainstorming to figure out how to fix it. Then I get to go out on site and see how the project is going and talk to the crew to see what's going on. We then have a meeting with the design team to problem solve things that we need in 3+ months time to make sure we are ready to go and don't have any surprises. We get plenty of visitors to site as well to complete engineering inspections. There's lots that goes on in a day! After all of this, it's time to go home and play some volleyball.
What's the best part of your job? You get to see how everythings built and all the big machinery that they use. The coolest thing I have done so far is a construction job out in the mines. They use explosives to get the minerals out of the ground and they let me press the button which blew up a bunch of explosives and we got to watch it all from a hill close by. The shockwave was massive!
What made you realise construction could be for you? I always liked helping my dad with renovations around the house so I really enjoyed tearing things apart and building it all back together again. That was the main reason why I got into engineering. I did a few years as a design engineer where I got to design things that were eventually constructed. During this, I got to visit a lot of construction sites to see my designs come to life and that's when I really wanted to get into construction! I loved being out there and doing lots of problem solving to get the right solution. Everyday in construction is different so it never gets boring!
Do you have any advice for young women picking a career? Do what you love even if it doesn't follow the stereotype of what a woman should do. Don't be scared if the career you want is largely dominated by men. The world has changed and now we all work as a team and respect each other. You can be a change maker!
Tell us about a favourite project you're working on. I had a project in the mines located in central QLD. It was extremely daunting at first as mines have some stereotypes about the people and how you may get treated if you are female. I found everyone extremely welcoming and respectful. The part I loved about this project is that everything in mining is massive! The trucks are massive and can carry 400tonnes which is equivalent to 200 utes! The shovels can scoop 250tonnes in one scoop or 125 utes! It was just awesome being in that environment and seeing how such big machinery works together.
Who has inspired you in your career? My dad was my biggest inspiration. He is an electrical engineer and he just seemed to be able to answer all my questions growing up. I always wanted to be as smart and as knowledgeable as he was. We did renovations together and had many projects going on where he taught me a lot of life skills. He taught me a lot about engineering but also the importance of being kind and respectful to others. I think that's extremely important in today's world.
Ivana is open to engaging further via: Taking a student for work experience, Speaking at a high school, Mentoring a student
If you'd like to enquire more, please fill out the form below with the subject name: "Ivana Galic" and we'll pass your message on.
