Communications Engineer Review

I’m a cabling engineer for fibre optic cable. Most days I’m sent a job pack the day before on what cable needs to go where and how many sections there are. We usually work in a gang of 3+ and operate heavy machinery sometimes to get larger cables in via winch or hydraulic assistance

I believe I have certainly learnt skills that are required for the role. I have also improved basic skills such as communication, team work and brainstorming ideas. We always face new challenges in this role as there almost always an obstacle to overcome. It’s also a place where you are always improving and developing or furthering your skill set

The program was interesting, it covered a wide variety of subjects. I wouldn’t say it’s developed in conjunction with what my role is but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The programme encourages you to look at the broader engineering community and cover a wide range of subjects.

We were hopping all over the place to complete the programme. It definitely required more structure and planning to make it a better learning environment. Feels more like checking off boxes than actually having discussions and improving your skills as one team. Everyone stuck to their own screen is not my ideal learning platform

In terms of providing time to complete the programme my employer was very good. On the job learning however was very poor. I’m not sure if that’s because there’s not many experienced members in my rural location but there wasn’t much pickings on who you could learn off

I did find my training provider very helpful but it did take a while to receive any replies. Maybe because they were overworked but you did have to chase questions down a lot. This was during the pandemic when face to face sessions were cancelled and questions were taken over Skype or email

I’ll be honest I don’t think the qualification adds much benefit to the role. Maybe a bit more team work elements and enabling you to communicate through IT equipment. I wouldn’t say the qualification is very useful to the role at all

No, half of my employment has been through the pandemic so no events have been taken. I’m not really into mixing work like and family life anyways and having a family does tend to take a lot of your time anyway

Yes

Brilliant place to work with lots of potential. Love the job so far and it’s my first professional job I can be proud of and I actually look forward to going to work and seeing my workmates the next day. You also get to see a lot of your local surroundings on your travels

It might seem a bit overwhelming or worrying joining a big company and not knowing where to start but just don’t forget to ask questions and get your head stick in if that’s what’s needed. You will be rewarded in the end with a comfortable job where every day brings a new challenge