Alex Fahy is our Senior Consultant, within the Building Services Division. Here, she sits down with Elsie Baderinwa, a Senior Electrical Design Engineer, at CAD21 to find out about her role, advice for entering the industry and her sector insights.
Tell us about yourself and what inspired you to pursue a career in Electrical Engineering?
I grew up in Nigeria and moved to the UK aged 16 to study A-level maths, biology and physics while living with a host family in Brighton. I’ve always loved these subjects and was torn between going into medicine or studying engineering.
When it came to university after a lot of research I went on to study Electrical & Electronics Engineering at The University of Sheffield. It was the best decision I made.
What are the key skills required to do your job?
In addition to the technical skills, a lot of which you learn on the job, it’s the softer skills that are key. While attention to detail is important, it's communication which I think is crucial within my role.
When working on a project, you need to be able to effectively communicate with clients to understand and capture their requirements - whether that’s a written report or technical drawing - in order to brief your team and others involved.
Negotiation skills also come into play. Projects often involve a lot of people from different stakeholders to clients, architects and other engineers all with different ideas, timings and requirements. Therefore, being able to manage requests and create a holistic approach that everyone is happy with as challenges arise is important.
What does your job entail day-to-day?
Day-to-day I have several meetings with clients to understand their requirements as well as with my team to ensure projects are on track. When at my desk on emails, I respond to enquiries and manage ongoing projects.
I’m currently working on a variety of healthcare and residential developments in the Midlands as well as a project with the University of Manchester. When on site I review the different stages of the projects and if I’m visiting a refurbishment, I inspect what needs updating and consider how best to carry out the work.
When back at my desk, I’ll carry out my calculations and confirm my plan before then putting my design into a drawing for review. Report writing and specifications also come up throughout the day as well as reviewing the team’s work to ensure quality assurance.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I like the versatility. No two days or projects are the same. Your day is never set. Exciting new developments often come up and you’re constantly meeting and learning from a variety of different people.
The balance between the office and on-site is also something I enjoy. Working on a project basis means I’m not only working with my own team and clients but external contractors who offer a different perspective. While in the office I enjoy supporting the development of my team.
I also love how my role within the Building Services industry means I get to see my work in person once a project I’ve been working on is complete. It’s so satisfying.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about a career within Electrical Engineering?
Just go for it! There are so many different opportunities and directions you can go in your career whether you want to focus on a key specialism or go into project management.
I know so many people who started out as electrical engineers who have gone into a range of roles, especially the programming side of things, automating the calculations and tools we use to make our work more effective. So don’t limit yourself. Explore and find out what you like as you can carve out an exciting career.
How has the sector changed since you started out?
While there is an increasing focus on low-carbon technology the industry is still adapting and shifting following the Covid pandemic. Following lockdown, how we work has been transformed. There’s now greater flexibility and hybrid working is fast becoming the norm. Everyone is now embracing new ways of working for example 360 cameras are now used to capture sites more accurately helping to cut down site visits. These changes are helping the industry to become more efficient.
What do you see as the future of your industry over the next 5 years?
The adoption of flexible working following the Covid pandemic I think will become the standard moving forwards. However, working in the office will still play an important role especially when it comes to team development and supporting junior engineers to learn and grow.
As technology continues to advance, with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), I think we will see a growth in automation to increase efficiency. The biggest change will be the industry's low carbon technological advancements as we focus on developing our sustainable practices and projects.