What's your job about?
Western Power is a state government-owned corporation that builds, maintains and operates the transmission and distribution network in the South West corner of Western Australia. The Western Power graduate program is three years long, and during this time, graduates rotate into six different roles within the business. This provides a deeper understanding of how the business works.
I am currently in my second rotation which is with the Grid Transformation function. My work involves network planning. For example, if a builder wants to build/connect power to an apartment, they will send a request to Western Power. Depending on the request, I will check the network grid to see how/where or whether we can connect that new customer to the nearest network or not. If unable to do this easily, I will try to find suitable but more complex options to connect with that customer.
Then our Customer Connection designer makes that connection feasible by considering environmental and land constraints. It feels so good as we are serving our community and helping people in powering their lives.
What's your background?
I grew up in India and being a curious kid, I always tried to explore new technology and inventions. I had done my Bachelor's in Electronics and Communication. During my undergrad, I became more interested in power systems and control engineering. I followed my passion and came to Perth for my master's in both electrical and electronics because I want to learn more about electrical engineering. I worked for six months in an electrical company that designs switch boards, where I became aware of and learnt more about the standards and quality of work that a company like Western Power expects. I, therefore, applied for their graduate program to understand more about the work that Western Power does and how they engage with the community.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Western Power employs people from a variety of backgrounds, so the answer is yes. However, if you are employed in a specific area, you must acquire the necessary technical and time management skills. i.e., if you don't have any background in electrical engineering, you should start with the fundamentals because you need to be familiar with technical words when discussing projects or attending meetings.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The coolest thing about my job is learning and implementing new theoretical knowledge in practical aspects. Even as a graduate, I have the opportunity to work on significant projects and with individuals from different disciplines. I can lead my projects and tackle them in my own way, and I always have guidance and support from my team members. The flexible start and finish times and the supportive team environment are also other perks of working with Western Power.
What are the limitations of your job?
A limitation of my job is the rotation duration. Especially if the rotation includes a core electrical project, then six months can be a very short time. Time flies so fast and every day, I learn something new. It’s so exciting to see how far I’ve come at the end of the rotation. Sometimes the first few weeks are spent merely getting used to the new team and adjusting to different work cultures.
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