Daniel Goodman, graduate civil engineer at MWH
Since I was the age of 2, I wanted to be a builder. I loved working with my hands and I simply had to know how everything worked. The prospect of designing buildings and working on construction sites led me to down the path of pursuing a career in civil engineering.
After my third year of study at the University of Canterbury, I received a Geotechnical Engineering scholarship from MWH. On receiving the scholarship I visited the local MWH office and met a large proportion of the MWH Christchurch team. The team was professional and friendly, and many of the projects they were involved in were large scale, exciting builds. I had never previously envisioned myself working in water infrastructure or practising as a geotechnical engineer, but I was really intrigued by the opportunity in front of me. Additionally, I found MWH to have a well-rounded and success driven culture; equally valuing client satisfaction, safety, employee wellbeing and project success. The opportunity to be involved in an award-winning, global company that strives for success was too attractive to pass up, so I applied.
The multi-disciplinary nature of MWH means that I can move between disciplines and gain an appreciation for each. However, this doesn’t mean I spend most of my time floating between roles and not having a chance to be fully involved in any. I found myself fully immersed in projects within several weeks of starting, many of which began construction within the subsequent couple of months.
I have been involved in the Nadi and Suva Road Upgrading Project in Fiji, assisting with the design of road protection structures. This included the detailed design of retaining walls and quantitative risk assessment of existing slopes. It was both beneficial to my learning and really motivating to be able to see a design through from conception to tender and then construction, all within the first few months of employment.
I have also been involved in performing site investigations and creating factual reports detailing conditions present at a site, shallow foundation design and evaluation of conceptual designs for tender.
MWH strongly promotes the development of its graduates. The graduate development program equips you with the skills and experiences required to apply for IPENZ accreditation later in your career. A healthy work life balance is also encouraged at MWH with initiatives from the social club providing a means to relax and socialise with colleagues outside of projects. MWH has a well-defined vision and professional culture that attracts many highly skilled engineering professionals to the firm. This means the knowledge base that graduates can draw from is immense. It is encouraging and helpful to have senior engineers take the time to explain concepts and further your development as a professional.
I would encourage aspiring engineers to make the most of work experience opportunities during their time at university and to avoid locking themselves into a particular speciality too early by the means of subject choice. There are many aspects of engineering that cannot be taught in the lecture theatre.
MWH is a growing presence in the New Zealand engineering sector and is internationally recognised as a leader in the water infrastructure industry. As I start my career I am proud to know that I am part of such an exceptional team.
To learn more about working at MWH click here.
