Engineering employment stories

Emily Badley got her BE(Hons) in Chemical and Materials Engineering. She didn’t come
into Engineering with a set plan, but the flexibility and ability to try
different things helped her find a niche she enjoys.

Read more about how Emily used her BE(Hons) in Chemical and Materials Engineering to become a Project Manager at RCP NZ. 

Faye Mendes-Underwood started her University of Auckland career at the Faculty of Science. She studied math, physics, chemistry, and bio. But after her first year, she discovered she’d like to put those skills to use as an engineer instead.

Read more about how Faye used her BE(Hons) in Civil and Environmental Engineering to become an Engineering Consultant at Beca.
 

Ang Nayyar sees engineering as a set of skills that enables him to define problems and then work towards innovative solutions that can help businesses succeed. Now, he’s applying his core skills to problem-solving for a unique market.

Learn more about how Ang used his BE(Hons) in Software Engineering to found his own company.
 

Cara Berghan didn’t consider doing Engineering until halfway through her final year at high school. But once she arrived, she took to Electrical and Electronic Engineering like a fish to water. For her Part IV project, she created a fingerprint recognition system, much like what you would use to access your iPhone or Android phone, from scratch with computer code and then developed it to offer security access functions through verification of a user.

Learn more about how Cara put her BE(Hons) in in Electrical and Electronic Engineering to use working on the City Rail Link project.
 

Aorthi Afroza’s growth as an engineer was supported by the Women in Engineering Network (WEN), the Engineering Revue and Systems Week, and a community which helped her connect with her fellow students. “Students have this idea of what engineering is and what the people that do engineering are like and they sometimes think I can't do it,” she explained. “That was personally me when I was in high school, I was like, ‘I'm not smart enough, I'm not this and that’. I don't fit certain stereotypes and I think it's really important for people to come to these events and see that there isn’t one type of engineering student.”

Read more about how Aorthi used her BE(Hons) in Computer Systems Engineering to become a web developer at TradeMe.
 

Lara Collier had a lifelong interest in space before studying engineering. She watched space documentaries as a kid, and at the University of Auckland, she joined the Auckland Programme for Space Systems (APSS). She was also active in the Women in Engineering network, among other groups.

Learn more about how Lara used her BE(Hons) in Engineering Science to become a Junior Software Engineer at Rocket Lab.
 

Throughout the course of Correy Tong’s degree, he studied Aerodynamics, Thermodynamics, Vibration, Mathematical Modelling, Control Systems, Engineering Design and more. He said it’s unlikely that there’s any single job that requires the use of all of them, but they taught him skills that are greatly beneficial – from an understanding of fundamental physical principles, to analysis, communication and teamwork.

Learn more about how Correy used his BE(Hons) in Mechanical Engineering to become a Product development engineer at Fisher & Paykel Appliances.
 

Michael Rasmussen always wanted to push the boundaries of mechanical engineering. He was heavily involved in Formula SAE, the department’s project to build a race car, during his time at the University of Auckland, and he also worked at the University’s thermodynamics facilities at the Newmarket campus.

Learn more about how Michael used his BE(Hons) in Mechatronics Engineering to become a Electronics Engineer at Motorsport Electronics and a Technical Manager at Australian GT Championship.