All the late nights, long hours, and stressful days had finally paid off!! Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Hons) would be the newest line on my resume!!! It felt like only yesterday I'd started uni - all the friends and great memories I had made along the way! It was amazing and felt slightly unreal!!
Unthinkably soon would come the day when you could no longer recieve student discounts, when filling in forms and asked for occupation you could actually put one in, when ppl ask you what you do you pause awkwardly before answering as you are still unsure what you actually do?!
In the meantime!! PAAARTY!!! EUS BALL, GRADUATION.. Its all here!!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
New Zealand HOLIDAY!!
June/July 2009!
By the Middle of the year I needed a break!! Me and Alicia decided to trip around NZ and leave the uni stress behind for the few weeks!! BEST IDEA EVER!! We stayed and lived it up in Wellington for a week before heading to Auckland to Backpack / Road Trip all the way to down to Dunedin!
3 Week Trip: Auckland - Rotorua - Taupo - Wellington - Nelson - Grey Mouth - Fox Glacier - Queenstown - Dunedin!
We had a ball and made heaps of new friends along the way! Glaciers - Snow - PARTY!
Sometimes a break is just what you need to get motivated again!
By the Middle of the year I needed a break!! Me and Alicia decided to trip around NZ and leave the uni stress behind for the few weeks!! BEST IDEA EVER!! We stayed and lived it up in Wellington for a week before heading to Auckland to Backpack / Road Trip all the way to down to Dunedin!
3 Week Trip: Auckland - Rotorua - Taupo - Wellington - Nelson - Grey Mouth - Fox Glacier - Queenstown - Dunedin!
We had a ball and made heaps of new friends along the way! Glaciers - Snow - PARTY!
Sometimes a break is just what you need to get motivated again!
FINALLY! Grad Job of my Dreams!!
May/June 2009!
FINALLY! The offers were out for 2010 grad jobs and I was lucky enough to have 2 offers! Both positions would have been fantastic but in the end I signed with Peabody Energy!
Peabody Energy is the Worlds Largest Private Sector Coal Company with head office in St Louis USA! The Australian operations here make them one of the largest coal mining companies in Aus with 10 operations throughout Queensland and New South Wales!
A 2 year Graduate Program as a Process Engineer / Metallurgist!! I was over the moon!!! I was soon convinced that THIS job was the job for me! Because there are very few Process Engineers in
the coal mining industry the work presents unique challenges - and you have the opportunity to work over a range of sites and on a number of projects! I was positive I would LOVE this job and couldn’t wait to start! Unfortunately the excitement was soon pushed aside by the immediate task ahead! Actually Graduating!!
FINALLY! The offers were out for 2010 grad jobs and I was lucky enough to have 2 offers! Both positions would have been fantastic but in the end I signed with Peabody Energy!
Peabody Energy is the Worlds Largest Private Sector Coal Company with head office in St Louis USA! The Australian operations here make them one of the largest coal mining companies in Aus with 10 operations throughout Queensland and New South Wales!A 2 year Graduate Program as a Process Engineer / Metallurgist!! I was over the moon!!! I was soon convinced that THIS job was the job for me! Because there are very few Process Engineers in
the coal mining industry the work presents unique challenges - and you have the opportunity to work over a range of sites and on a number of projects! I was positive I would LOVE this job and couldn’t wait to start! Unfortunately the excitement was soon pushed aside by the immediate task ahead! Actually Graduating!!Thesis was nipping at my heels and as well as thesis my chemical engineering class had a year long design subject working in teams of 4. Our task was to design a Process Plant that used Pyrolysis to change Waste Plastics into Fuels! There were many parts to design - from the initial process overview right through to detailed costing and structural drawings. The design subject on top of thesis (on top of 2 other subjects) was definitely keeping me busy!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thesis: Biodegradable Implants!?!?!
April 2009!
By April 2009 all the Thesis topics had been allocated! Although I originally would have loved to have completed a Thesis based around mineral processing / metallurgy, this was not an option for me! At JCU, research staff select Thesis topics they want student to work on (under them), and students can then choose from these topics.
Luckily for me, I was given an extremely interesting topic - Research into Biodegradable Implants for Orthopedic Implementation. I was SO EXCITED! My superviser was amazing, enthusiastic and ironically enough had come from a Metallurgical background?!
Because this topic was rather cutting edge, I was spending most of my time researching and planning! HUGE literature review! Incredibly interesting but definately needed brushing up on Bio/chem!? Having an interesting topic for my thesis work was definately helping me stay motivated! Long Long hours before Thesis Proprosals were due! Averaging 3 hrs sleep some nights definately hurt! Guys - TIME MANAGEMENT :P you know you want to!!
Alongside this thesis work, I was ecstatic to have made it to the last round interview offers for graduate jobs with a number of highly regarded mining companies! Although it was stressful, things were starting to look up!
By April 2009 all the Thesis topics had been allocated! Although I originally would have loved to have completed a Thesis based around mineral processing / metallurgy, this was not an option for me! At JCU, research staff select Thesis topics they want student to work on (under them), and students can then choose from these topics.
Luckily for me, I was given an extremely interesting topic - Research into Biodegradable Implants for Orthopedic Implementation. I was SO EXCITED! My superviser was amazing, enthusiastic and ironically enough had come from a Metallurgical background?!
Because this topic was rather cutting edge, I was spending most of my time researching and planning! HUGE literature review! Incredibly interesting but definately needed brushing up on Bio/chem!? Having an interesting topic for my thesis work was definately helping me stay motivated! Long Long hours before Thesis Proprosals were due! Averaging 3 hrs sleep some nights definately hurt! Guys - TIME MANAGEMENT :P you know you want to!!Alongside this thesis work, I was ecstatic to have made it to the last round interview offers for graduate jobs with a number of highly regarded mining companies! Although it was stressful, things were starting to look up!
Job Draught and Uni Nerves!
Early 2009!It seemed like the break was turning into one giant Job Application! With the GFC not exactly helping me get Vac work for the break, I was determined to get a Grad offer for 2010! The downturn hadn't turn me off working in the Mining Industry, but it had definately made it alot harder to get a job!
A lot of companies had closed applications as early as Jan and a few had suspended the intake of Graduates until further notice. I had a number of friends who's graduate positions for 2010 had been cancelled! Many companies were being forced to cut costs in an attempt to ensure they would make it through the downturn, and unfortunately some graduate positions were made redundant as a result.
For me - the "Thanks for your application, but unfortunately....."! email was not helping the nerves for the coming year! Not only did I have to land a job, but I also had to complete my final year of Uni! I could definately see fun times ahead!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Ups and Downs!
Turns out my job fell through this Christmas, and I must admit I was not too surprised. Everyone knows the industry is cyclic, guess it just took a tough Christmas break job hunting to remind my generation (ie mainly me) that we should never take a mining boom for granted. Recognition of the boom itself was a wake up call for me. For many years the boom has been all around me, always there, the high paying vacation jobs available for students, the industry desperate for qualified employees. I guess maybe some of us younger people did start taking it for granted?
Times are changing it would seem, and with myself looking for a graduate position at the end of this year, it is a little scary to say the least! However, I know now that the mining industry is where I want to be. I love the work, and I love the people who work in the industry, the sense of community. Whether there is a boom or not, I still want to be there!
I'm prepared to put the hard yards in for my last year at uni, and hopefully at the end of the year there will be a job waiting. If not I'll be looking every day and waiting until I find one! The industry will never be 100% stable, and will never 100% vanish. I guess you just have to think about whether you are prepared to work there when times are tough? If you love the work it wouldn't matter what part of the cycle the industry is in, the answer is simple.
Don't let rough times turn you off the industry, everything can change in a flash, as I have now witnessed first hand!
Times are changing it would seem, and with myself looking for a graduate position at the end of this year, it is a little scary to say the least! However, I know now that the mining industry is where I want to be. I love the work, and I love the people who work in the industry, the sense of community. Whether there is a boom or not, I still want to be there!
I'm prepared to put the hard yards in for my last year at uni, and hopefully at the end of the year there will be a job waiting. If not I'll be looking every day and waiting until I find one! The industry will never be 100% stable, and will never 100% vanish. I guess you just have to think about whether you are prepared to work there when times are tough? If you love the work it wouldn't matter what part of the cycle the industry is in, the answer is simple.
Don't let rough times turn you off the industry, everything can change in a flash, as I have now witnessed first hand!
Monday, November 17, 2008
08 Wrap!! Strreeeessss with Exams!!! Possible Vac Work @ Lady Annie!!
With the end of 08 approaching fast uni is getting extremely 
stressful! Currently in Exam block and only 2 weeks till our Chrissy Break! This time of year is generally the most stressful as your looking to; survive the next week of exams, hand in any remaining assess ment, and wrap up a job for your much needed vac work!
This break I ve been lucky enough to have lined up a job at CopperCo's Lady Anne Operation out in the Mt Isa region [Fingers crossed as contract is still in the mail... ]!! Unlike most larger companies who tend to have recruitment processes in place, applying for this job involved a phone call and a few emails.
Lady Anne itself is a relatively new mine (about 2 yrs running) and has no structured vacation program for students, however this didnt stop me applying. Turns out a phone call can go a long way!
After finding a contact number online for a mine I range up asking to speak to HR about the possibility of a job and was told to email in my resume to HR and they would be in touch if anything came up, however having previous experience with super busy HR people I decided to call one of the managers working in the processing dept about opportunities for students.
After a quick chat and sales pitch I was asked to forward through my resume straight to him, and was booked in for a medical 3 weeks later! Turns out a phone call to the right person can go a long way! If your trying to get a job, dont be scared to pick up the phone, showing an interest and getting in touch with people that want to help is more than half the battle!
I ll be keeping you all posted on exams and vacation work at Lady Anne!
Study here I come!!
stressful! Currently in Exam block and only 2 weeks till our Chrissy Break! This time of year is generally the most stressful as your looking to; survive the next week of exams, hand in any remaining assess ment, and wrap up a job for your much needed vac work!This break I ve been lucky enough to have lined up a job at CopperCo's Lady Anne Operation out in the Mt Isa region [Fingers crossed as contract is still in the mail... ]!! Unlike most larger companies who tend to have recruitment processes in place, applying for this job involved a phone call and a few emails.
Lady Anne itself is a relatively new mine (about 2 yrs running) and has no structured vacation program for students, however this didnt stop me applying. Turns out a phone call can go a long way!
After finding a contact number online for a mine I range up asking to speak to HR about the possibility of a job and was told to email in my resume to HR and they would be in touch if anything came up, however having previous experience with super busy HR people I decided to call one of the managers working in the processing dept about opportunities for students.After a quick chat and sales pitch I was asked to forward through my resume straight to him, and was booked in for a medical 3 weeks later! Turns out a phone call to the right person can go a long way! If your trying to get a job, dont be scared to pick up the phone, showing an interest and getting in touch with people that want to help is more than half the battle!
I ll be keeping you all posted on exams and vacation work at Lady Anne!
Study here I come!!
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