What's your job about?
Alluvium is an environmental engineering, science, and strategy consultant providing advisory services to solve complex and systemic challenges facing our society and environment.
My role mostly involves the use of design and data/water modeling software in addition to assessing bank erosion and structural damage. Currently, I am on a casual contract and only work two days a week to provide time for classes and to focus on my studies at university.
What's your background?
I was born and raised in the southeastern suburbs of Sydney, going through primary and secondary education at schools about 10 minutes from home. I am currently in my 5th and final year of a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering at UTS. During my time there, I have been required to complete two internships. My first was an unpaid UTS-organized program. My second is with Alluvium.
During one of my classes involving a group assessment, I was talking to the group members about where we work and what we do. One of them mentioned doing an internship with Alluvium and listed a few things that she did. I was amazed at how the things she was listing aligned with what I wanted for a career. I asked if they were hiring for internships and she responded that they were and that she would recommend me for an interview. Within a week, I had sent through my resume and had an interview with the NSW regional manager at the Sydney office. Following the interview, I was hired and was to start the following week in June 2022, completing my internship in November 2022.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience of the internship with Alluvium and decided to continue working on a casual contract as an undergraduate engineer. I have continued to work for Alluvium since and am planning to start a full-time career with them, starting in December 2023.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
I don’t particularly think that my job could be done by someone with a different background. So far, I have found that what I have learned at university has not applied to my work. I believe that a university degree is mostly important for filtering out students who aren’t interested in the field. I think the key characteristics that someone would need include having a passion for environmental engineering with a desire to learn how to use a variety of design and water modeling software. They should also have strong communication skills and an enthusiasm to engage with other employees and clients. They should be prepared to learn on the job and develop their skills as they go. They would also be required to have a good understanding of expectations of standards and a willingness to work to those standards.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I love being able to learn how to use a variety of design and water modeling software. I always get excited at the opportunity to learn something new and have been working on developing my skills over a variety of programs. It can sometimes be challenging, but I always like trying to solve any problem.
I also love that this job provides the opportunity to do fieldwork. I have been on several site visits, walking along rivers, sampling water at wetlands, and canoeing or boating down rivers looking at bank erosion and structural damage. The field assessments are always so exciting, and it is great to get out of the office every once in a while.
I also love the community culture at Alluvium. Everyone here knows each other and gets along well. We often engage in out-of-work activities such as trivia nights, swimming, or tennis. I always feel welcomed and supported here.
What are the limitations of your job?
I have sometimes struggled with managing my project and university workload. However, I think Alluvium is understanding of student’s schedules. Personally, though, I don’t particularly have great study habits or work-life balance so if you are in a similar situation, you may struggle to work effectively in a consultancy setting.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
Utilize the study support systems at the university more. They are there to help you understand your lectures and complete your assignments.
Work on developing smart time management methods. This would be applicable advice to myself in high school as well. Procrastination has been a major issue for me, and better time management would make a lot of university life more enjoyable.
Sleep. Make sure you prioritize your sleep a lot more. If the first two pieces of advice are followed, prioritizing sleep becomes easier. Sleep was too often sacrificed over working on assignments or other things. Try to maintain at least 7 hours (8-9 are preferable) of sleep each night.