Careers can be tricky. Some people know from an early age what they want to do, and their career roadmap is easy to define. A straight path with smooth sailing. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for most people. It’s neither easy, nor always intuitive and can take some seriously unexpected twists and turns. On average, workers change careers 12 times in their life time. And 72% of Canadian workers wish they had chosen a different career, while 49% have already made a radical career shift.
Today finding your career path takes some serious soul searching to figure out who you are as a person and where your calling is. Career coaches, counsellors, and advisors have sprung up everywhere to help people figure out the path to fulfilment. Gone are the days of linear career progression in favour of radical career moves. With every choice comes a new set of opportunities, new people, and eureka moments along the way.
A fulfilling job can make work better and maybe not even feel like you’re working. Work is no longer seen as a trading time for money, but a place we also demand meaning and satisfaction. Did you know we spend on average 90,000 hours at work? So that’s a lot of time to be investing in something. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle,” said Steve Jobs. Sage advice. If you're going to spend forty hours each week at work, why not find a job you love?
The story for our consultant, Jérôme De San Nicolas looks quite the same. In fact, this is how he landed his current assignment. Hungry for the latest knowledge in his chosen industrial modelling career, Jérôme set out to learn how Building Information Modelling (BIM) engineering can transform projects. Managing the complexities of large design projects is tough with so many key players each working on a portion of work. “What attracted me to BIM is that you can troubleshoot issues before construction starts," he explains. Eliminating issues enables a smoother, faster design and delivery, while producing a better end project.
Although intuition is lacking in scientific backing, the more aware of your gut feelings, the better decisions you make according to Scientific Reports. From a young age, Jérôme had a passion for 3D modelling, so he followed his early passion and specialised in industrial 3D modelling. His mechanical engineering background led to programming and mastery of software like Solidworks. A broad skillset pays off. Diversifying and becoming multi-skilled makes Jérôme sought-after in petrochemical, nuclear, and power plant industries to manage technical data.
A nonlinear professional path starts in one direction, but zigs and zags through insights, discoveries and happy accidents. An off-road adventure of sorts. Earlier this year, Jérôme embraced change to work on an ambitious nuclear project as a consultant. Project managers were on the hunt for an extraordinary team of engineering experts that had specialised knowledge and could also deliver in deadlines. Coming from a long history of industrial modelling in other industries, his wealth of accumulated expertise made him the perfect fit for the nuclear project. Although Jérôme was out of his wheelhouse he was ready to rise to the challenge. "I've never experienced a schedule as tight as this one. We can't miss even one of the given deadlines!" he exclaims.
Change is constant and learning is a lifelong endeavour. A healthy sense of curiosity fuels our natural drive to explore, learn, and grow. Jérôme has an insatiable appetite for learning to use new technology. Imagine a world of BIM combined with virtual reality. An engineer who could see cables, pipes, and ventilation through walls using smart glasses. It would revolutionise maintenance operations. "Do you know what the most exciting part of my job is? In the final project, BIM will be coupled with technologies that don't even exist yet," states Jérôme. Seeing into the future and the unlimited potential is inspiring.
As the demand for engineers increases, the future for engineering consultants looks very bright. There are many fields of engineering to explore and the lack of qualified experts in each discipline creates the perfect environment for transferring across industries. Experience is worth its weight in gold. The more you try, the more you learn about what you like and don’t like. And this is the secret to finding your happy work place. Being brave enough to try new things with a sense of adventure and open mindedness to see where it takes you.
At Easy Skill, we know that happiness comes before success. Happiness is an inside job and happier people outperform their less happy peers. So we work tirelessly to understand our candidates, their ambitions, and values so that we can find the perfect job opportunity. When we align the right people with the world’s best projects, anything is possible.
Are you ready to find your happy workplace? Apply to our opportunities now.