Newly Chartered electrical engineer, Ram Timari, shares his engineering career from gas turbines to battery storage.
Ram Tiwari MIEAust CPEng
What is your current role / position?
I am an electrical engineer, currently working for Alinta Energy as a Project Manager in Power Development. Within this role my I work on a lot of interesting projects, one of those being a large scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
What has been a career highlight to date?
My journey as an engineer started in India in 1996 where I worked on a gas turbine power project. This was a big learning opportunity for me and I always remember that as my first project.
I came to Australia in early 2008. Making such a large career move allowed me to push out from my comfort zone and adopt a new lifestyle and work culture. Working here has provided me with numerous professional development opportunities and invaluable work experience on Hydro, Gas Turbine and Coal Fired power stations in Australia. Battery Storage will be a new addition to these experiences.
Why did you become Chartered?
By attaining my Chartered status and being peer assessed I have received validation of my many years of work experience. This credential also all provides acknowledgement of my ethical and engineering competencies as a professional engineer, and is recognised internationally.
What value do you think Chartered Status brings to the profession?
I think this is not only a credential and recognition of the ethical practice and competence I have demonstrated, but also the assessment process itself adds value by providing a good opportunity to review one’s own work through the lens of professional competencies and ethical standards expected from a Chartered engineer.
What advice do you have for someone who is just starting their Chartered journey?
I found the most difficult part was to have the intrinsic motivation to start the process of becoming Chartered, but once I started the journey it was not that difficult. A good piece of advice is:
“Begin, for half the deed is in beginning;
Begin the other half and you will finish,” Ausonius.
Have you changed the way you practice as an engineer as a result of becoming Chartered?
I am more informed and aware of my responsibilities as a Chartered professional engineer. The process has further reinforced my decision making and my application of ethical behaviour.
I notice you are also on the National Engineering Register. Why did you sign up for the register?
I have applied for NER registration as the registration demonstrates having nationally recognised engineering competencies and also a requirement in North West grid codes (NWIS) where I am currently doing my project.
Any advice for young engineers just starting their career?
Not all knowledge is gained in the classroom or from the books, you will learn important lessons in the workplace by working with your colleagues, not necessarily just engineers but technicians, operators and contractors too. Respect their experience and ask a lot of questions and you will benefit in learning from them.
Knowledge like a sword, it loses its sharpness if not used and polished regularly so continuous professional learning and getting yourself involved with engineering works that challenge you to refresh or expand your knowledge base is also important.
How do you achieve work life balance?
I try to plan my work well in order to avoid working overtime, however when I travel interstate and spend time on project sites work-life balance is difficult to maintain.
I find at least half an hour every day for myself for things I like, including listening to music or a short prayer to thanking for the life I have. I think the key is I enjoy the work , making it easy to relax and maintain balance.
Image caption: Engineers Australia Business Development Manager, Jason Thornhill (L) presenting Ram Tiwari (R) with his Chartered credentials.