Diversity, equity & inclusion
At Aurecon, people at the heart of all we do. Learn more about how we are building a workplace where everyone is heard, and feels valued and connected.
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Joining the workforce for the first time can be a daunting experience. While former intern Stefan Mathews felt overwhelmed when he first joined Aurecon, the diversity of people he worked with helped him learn to adjust and gain his confidence to explore different opportunities and become a better engineer.
I’m Stefan and I’m a civil engineer in our Aotearoa New Zealand Land and Water team. I studied engineering because I enjoy maths and physics, and I felt that the core purpose of engineering is to benefit someone, whether it’s an individual, community or the environment. I’m passionate about the environment and I think it’s important to preserve what we have now and give back to what we have taken from.
I was a part of the Land & Water team during my internship. I wasn’t initially sure what discipline to focus on and was planning to pursue structural, but after my internship and further thought, I realised that civil engineering, especially the water sector, is where my passion is.
"After my internship, I realised that civil engineering, especially the water sector, is where my passion lies."
The land and water team is quite a broad team, so I was able to get involved in a variety of work including land infrastructure and water projects. I learned about creating drawings on AutoCAD, surveying data, water network modelling and hydraulic calculations. It was a great experience because doing all sorts of work helped me find out what I enjoy the most and where I wanted to take my career.
The highlight of my internship was being able to go on site to a very large subdivision that was near completion. Being able to see such a large project and its direct impact on the community and environment let me see how important the work we do is. That really fired up my desire to pursue engineering and made me even more passionate about my career.
I think it’s important for everyone to be themselves because that encourages you to build your skills and utilise your strengths. I realised that everyone has a different style or ways of working, and you don’t need to be/or work a certain way to be effective.
For example, I take and spend a long time to understand and analyse the problem while others are very quick to move forward, but this never discouraged me as I know that taking that time upfront often led to less issues later. It’s the diversity of thought and skills that help teams come up with a unique angle to solve our client’s problem.
There is no clear right or wrong. In university, you can usually figure out most tasks on your own with the provided materials because there is often a set task with a set solution. However, at work, there are many variables and unknowns, and sometimes you don't have all the information you need.
"I used to spend time worrying about not knowing the right answers, when in reality, no one really knows the answer as there is no set answer."
I used to spend time worrying about not knowing the right answers, when in reality, no one really knows the answer as there is no set answer. Sometimes you just have to communicate with others and let everyone know there’s a problem. Ultimately, everyone is happy to help to solve the problem together.
Just be yourself and try to do your best. You don't need to know everything or be the fastest but showing your willingness to learn and utilising your personal strengths will help you succeed.
Another piece of advice I'd give is to take advantage of every opportunity. If someone asks for your help with a task, even if it’s not something you’re interested in, just go for it. Get involved as much as possible. This will eventually help you grow your network and discover your passions.
At Aurecon, people at the heart of all we do. Learn more about how we are building a workplace where everyone is heard, and feels valued and connected.
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