What do you do?
I’m an electrical projects engineer at the Port Elizabeth branch of Ballenden and Robb Consulting Engineers.
What does your company do?
We design electrical distribution systems, building services, substations and the interconnection of power-lines. Thereafter, we prepare project technical specifications, cost estimates, bills of quantities and carry project management duties through to completion.
What does a typical day entail?
It involves:
Electrical network modelling using software packages to determine cable and conductor sizes
Sizing and selecting switchgear Undertaking fault level analysis
Writing up specifications
Liaising with contractors and clients Processing contractor payment claims and
Visiting project sites.
How long have you been with the company?
Since I finished my diploma in 2004.
What challenges do you face?
A huge challenge is dealing with under-performing contractors and stubborn clients.
What do you like and dislike about your job?
I love the fact that you learn something new in every project, but I don’t like the amount of travelling we have to do.
Has it always been your dream to do what you do?
No, I thought I would be a medical doctor until I realised I had more of an analytical mind and enjoyed problem solving.
What and where did you study?
I completed my National Diploma in electrical engineering in 2004 at the PE Technikon now the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).
I also did my B-Tech in electrical engineering at NMMU and I’m currently studying towards an MSc in the built environment, facilities management at NMMU.
Where do you see yourself in the near future?
I see myself owning my own successful company in the built environment industry.
Any advice for young people who would like to do your kind of job?
Identify what you want in life and just make it happen.
This may sound like a cliche, but in all honesty it works!
aprila@sundayworld.co.za
Article source: http://www.sundayworld.co.za/Feeds/SundayWorld/2012/02/12/getting-it-all-wired-up
