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Who do you work for?
Construction Testing (A NATA lab subsidiary of Queensland Cement Ltd).
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What does your job involve?
Quality testing of manufactured products as well as various other products in the cement/concrete industry.
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What do you like most about your job?
A steady routine and plenty of opportunities to take on personal assignments to streamline lab functions. I also enjoy being the unofficial Computer Technical Support Officer.
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What are the perks of your job?
The high wages, free Internet access and using cement and aggregates for personal use.
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What is the most unusual or fun thing you’ve done in your job?
Learning a new workstation and then ripping out all the unnecessary paperwork and streamlining it to a spectacular degree compared to previous work practices.
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What inspired you to choose a career in this area?
The local industry and the fact that the tertiary qualifications were structured around studying for six months and working for six months until completion of the course.
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How did you get to where you are now?
I finished year 11 and then studied at TAFE for the first Semester and worked as a Laboratory Assistant during the sugar crushing season. I did this routine until my course was complete. I retained a full-time seasonal position as an Industrial Chemist at a Mackay Sugar Mill after I finished. After this I relocated to Brisbane where I am currently employed full-time as Lab Technician, Level Four.
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What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
“Why don’t you go be a Cane Tester?” - my Mum.
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What training/qualifications do you have/need?
Advanced Certificate of Laboratory Techniques (Sugar), Mackay TAFE – Sugar Technology Dept. Unfinished degrees in Chemistry and Information Technology.
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What subjects did you study at school?
Advanced Maths, Physics, English, Physical Education, Marine Studies and Geography.
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What are your career goals/plans for the future?
To stay with the company and try to pursue self-improvement through work (eg learning Oracle Database programming for the laboratory’s new LIMS).
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What career opportunities are there for people in your field?
No real opportunities for advancement without considerable personal study or effort to learn other areas outside the laboratory such as Information Technology or field test work.
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What is the average starting salary for a graduate?
$25-35K
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