“What advice would I give my graduate self?” – Niluka Fernando, SA Power Networks

Niluka Fernando graduated from the University of South Australia as an Electronics & Telecommunications Engineer in 2009 and is currently pursuing his Masters in Electrical Engineering (Power Systems) at the University of Adelaide.

Niluka’s first job in industry was with SA Power Networks (SAPN) as a graduate telecommunications engineer on their 2 year graduate rotation program. After successfully completing the graduate program, Niluka started as a Substation Engineer in the Engineering Design & Technical Services (EDaTS) group at SAPN. EDaTS generates engineering solutions for South Australia’s electricity infrastructure including distributed generation, transmission, distribution and communication systems.

In this podcast, Niluka gives his graduate-self the advice that has established himself as a substation design engineer after starting out as a telecommunications engineer. Establish a solid technical foundation to create a launch pad and then just add fuel - like a Masters in Electrical Engineering from an Australian Group of Eight (Go8) research-intensive university!

If you're an engineering student looking for the secret sauce to career success, eat some of Niluka's yummy risk-taking, personal-challenge recipe and get involved with teams - early. In their career-building phase, engineers should be risk takers not just play it safe.

With annual revenues in excess of $A1B and more than 2,000 employees, SA Power Networks is South Australia's sole electricity distributor serving over 900,000 customers across the State.