How would you introduce yourself in one sentence?

My name is Charles. I came to NZ from China around 8 years ago. I have just completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Auckland. I am an easy-going person with a broad range of interests including outdoor sports, road trips and reading. I have recently developed interests in walking and tramping.

Why did you choose to study electrical engineering?

Our Modern society is highly dependent on reliable power, electronics systems and telecommunication systems and electrical engineering is the discipline that provides these essential services.

Personally, I like to learn skills through practical experience and electrical engineering presents these opportunities. I enjoy building small electronics prototypes in my spare time, including audio amplifier, burglar alarm and home ventilation systems etc.

Electrical engineering, more specifically, power engineering had really drawn my attention from a site visit to one of the hydro generators in NZ where I saw engineers utilise their skills to generate power to meet everyone’s daily energy requirements and to push forward the state’s economy, this really determined my willingness to study harder and choose a career pathway towards electrical (power) engineering.

In which projects have you been involved in and outside of university? What challenges and opportunities did you encounter?

At university I have been involved in various technical projects, for example, designing a device to monitor a baby’s cry, a smart fridge door system for Fisher & Paykel appliance and prototyping a new power supply to provide wireless charging for Electric Vehicles. I have also taken part in quite a few system (non-technical) projects, for example, proposal of airport extension, proposal of making a film to showcase NZ’s engineering expertise and a water project to address NZ’s draught problems. I have gained various skills from these projects. The biggest challenge and opportunity was being able to work within a team. It was always hard to work with different people in a new team environment at initial phases of a project, however, I have gained great teamwork and interpersonal skills over time to have myself adapted to different team dynamics.

During my summer internship at Meridian Energy, I worked on a CVT replacement project and that was my first real-life power system project. The biggest learning experience I gained and opportunities that I encountered was the collaboration with the engineers from different engineering disciplines within and outside of the company as large scale power system projects usually involve parties from different fields.

I have also been recently involved in a project aiming to help students find an internship within a large scale company. As a key speaker, I found it really challenging to deliver a presentation in front of a large audience. However, I have gained enormous confidence from it and it prepared me well for my future presentations.

How would you like to contribute to the electricity supply industry in the future?

In the next three years, I will be working as a graduate electrical engineer at Meridian Energy where I will be working closely with some major hydro stations and wind farms which provide nearly 1/3 of NZ’s electricity from 100% renewable resources.

What is the most important piece of advice you would give to high school students willing to start a degree in engineering? And to university students willing to specialise in power engineering?

To high school students: Engineering is fun, but be prepared to work hard. Be proactive not only in study but also in gaining work experience. Gaining engineering-related work experience is never too early. Having exposure to an engineering environment at an early stage of your engineering degree or even before your university starts can give you an insight of real engineering environment, which will provide you a better linkage to the material that will be covered in the lecture. More practically, more work experience will be beneficial when it comes to securing a graduate engineering role in the future.

To university students: No matter where you work in the future, utility or consultancy, power engineering is always heavily involved in project management as told by some senior power engineers. University students willing to take power engineering are highly recommended to gain some management skills along with the theoretical study and technical proficiency throughout your engineering degree. This is also the area that I am hoping to learn and consolidate during my up-coming graduate engineering program.