Engineering offers a career where the sky is the limit Wednesday, 02 December 2015

Christine Chen MIEAust was recently named Sydney's Young Professional Engineer of 2015. The award judges were highly impressed of her outstanding contributions towards the safety of Australian soldiers and general public. Christine works as an Electromagnetics/Radio Frequency (EM/RF) Engineer at Thales.

During a quick chat, Christine tells us what inspired her to become an engineer and what does winning the Sydney Young Professional Engineer of the year award means to her.

What inspired you to become an engineer?
I wanted a career that can change lives and the world we live in. Engineering also offers a career where the sky is the limit: you can work for a start-up, or a multinational, in any country you can possibly imagine, and that really appealed to me.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
I currently work as the EM/RF Test Lead for Thales’ Hawkei program. I enjoy the challenge of working on complex problems, the abundance of opportunities to learn and grow, and being able to work with some of the most brilliant minds in the country.

What is the most unique experience you’ve ever found yourself in during your career?
I went road testing on the Hawkei Army vehicle a couple of years ago on a race track in rural Victoria, home to a mob of wild kangaroos. It was a magical experience riding inside a 7-tonne Army vehicle at over 100km/h, with hundreds of kangaroos hopping along.

Complete this sentence: Not many people know this, but I…
also thought about becoming a politician, economist, and mathematician. I was attracted to solving complex problems.

Are you part of any professional association?
I chair Young Engineers Australia Sydney. We have achieved some amazing work this year, including co-writing a paper with the Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering on University - Industry collaborations. We’re also collaborating with 9 professional associations to run the biggest Xmas event young professionals have ever seen on 16th December. I also deputy chair the Australian Society for Defence Engineering, which focuses on providing a forum and serve as a voice for the defence industry.

What does it mean to you to win Young professional Engineers of the year award?
I think it’s wonderful that Engineers Australia and the industry are recognising young engineers, and I’m extremely honoured to have this opportunity to represent young engineers. I believe this award also gives me the responsibility to represent our generation and demonstrate the opportunities available. It’s not something I take lightly, and I hope I don’t disappoint.