What's your job about?
I work for ITW Construction Asia Pacific. Put simply, ITW makes construction products for Commercial, Residential and DIY use.
My role is with the Residential Division in the Innovation team as the Product Development Engineer. In the broad sense, I’m involved with leading new product development of cordless power tools and fastening consumables. The projects I work on involve looking at the next generation of the tools, validating prototypes in-field and conducting root cause analysis on our product range whilst ensuring continuous improvement.
What's your background?
I grew up in Melbourne, Victoria. I got my first job when I was 15 at Red Rooster and then quickly upgraded to Woolworths. When I finished high school and started University, I got my first Internship at PPG Industries, thanks to the connections I had with my mum and dad.
At Uni, I made a friend from a group project, let’s call him Luke. Luke was in the final year of his course and had recently secured a grad role. At that stage, I was currently looking for more engineering-focused experience. Luke was a causal at Pryda as the Engineering Lab Technician. He kindly put forward a recommendation for me to replace him for the role. This kickstarted my career with ITW. I later transitioned into the Graduate Program as my first full-time role.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
No. The qualification for my current role is to have an Engineering degree. To be successful in this role, you must have problem-solving skills, technical creativity, and an understanding of engineering principles. These skills can be developed on the job but will require training if the person has no prior experience or education.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
What I love most about my job is that every day is different. My role has a healthy mix of desk work and in-field action. I can take the tool to building sites and witness them being put to the test. If there is a problem, I can personally strip the tool apart and put my mind to work to try to understand the issue.
What are the limitations of your job?
Moving from the Graduate Program to a permanent full-time role is a big adjustment. The workload is a big shift from the responsibility as a grad. Learning to balance work and life is something that will come with experience. But it's something that needs to be actively worked on.
3 pieces of advice for your university-self?