“Your path you must decide,” Yoda says. Just like everything in life. And your career is no different. Careful consideration and a healthy appetite for change is part of the happiness formula. Did you know you will change careers between 5 and 7 times during your working life? As society and technology evolves, new jobs we’ve never even considered emerge. The great news is that diversity of career options helps us make more choices. And since 30% of workers change careers or jobs every 12 months, this too is important for success.
A more meaningful question arises about the degree of influence you have over your own career. Is it happening to you or because of you? While opportunities and luck will always come and go, being intentional about what you want to accomplish will help you get there. The world changed a lot with the pandemic that had deep impacts on our personal and professional lives. How and where we work has changed dramatically, while others saw changes in their responsibilities, teams, or even companies.
When large-scale disruption occurs, there’s always an opportunity hidden if you can find it. And this is exactly what our consultant Brendan Thorne discovered. In September 2020, Air Liquide asked Easy Skill to find a Project Manager for their ambitious CO2 removal project. After a rigorous talent acquisition process, Easy Skill found the perfect match - Brendan Thorne and the rest is history. We had a discussion with Brendan to explore his career experience and highlight the pivotal moments. Through his inspiring path, may I guide you.
Sustainability is becoming engrained in every industry including the heavier industrial projects. And this is Brendan’s mission today. Air Liquide is championing the design of a purification and processing facility that will supply high-quality carbon dioxide (CO2) to Australian companies. By capturing CO2 created as a waste by-product of routine operations, it can be transferred to Air Liquide for purification before reusing. This solution will benefit companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint and Brendan is proud to be a part of leading innovation and change.
Brendan’s early aspirations were to build a successful career in the music business. Then his goals took an unexpected turn while working as an assistant at Worley Parsons that inspired him to work in engineering. A traineeship role became available in a drafting office for a chemical plant in Melbourne’s western suburbs. “This opportunity fit really well with my maths and science skills that I had put on the backburner favouring my creative art talents,” stated Brendan. Whoever said a creative mind doesn’t blend with a scientific one clearly didn’t know Brendan. This first career move was all about timing.
Having an adventurous soul expands all options including career-wise. According to our latest research, experiencing foreign work life is the most sought-after career goal. Whether it be a little taste of adventure for a short-term assignment or an entirely new lifestyle for total relocation, exploring new regional horizons is a great way to create a global mindset. While working on the PNG LNG (Papua New Guinea Liquid Natural Gas) Project, Brendan visited PNG to conduct several site visits. Experiencing work abroad was a cultural shock, a massive challenge, and one of the most instructive experiences of his career to date. Needless to say it was contagious.
Just like Kevin Bacon coined, life is all about six degrees of separation, meaning we’re a lot more inter-connected than we realise. As fate would have it, Brendan worked on the PNG LNG Project at the exact same time as we did here at Easy Skill. Managing the project remotely from Melbourne introduced many new and unusual challenges relating to accessibility.“The intense remoteness of the project site in the highlands meant that we had unbelievable lag times to access basics. It could take up to 6 months to get something as simple as a screwdriver,” he shared. So Brendan learned to tap into his inner McGuivor and developed a level of resourcefulness that he will always treasure.
The pandemic threw many projects, people, and companies for a loop. And this turbulence inspired some people like Brendan to take proactive measures to safeguard their careers. “In my evolution from Piping Designer to Project Manager to Project Engineer, I enjoyed the journey. Concerns over the global economy inspired me to consider diversify further,” disclosed Brendan. As he saw the workloads shrinking, he decided to take measures into his own hands and reached out to Easy Skill to discover his career options.
Due to the range of his work history, Brendan had accumulated a coveted set of valuable skills that transferred easily to other industries. His strong technical acumen made it easy to switch primary industries. His roles abroad built resilience, open-mindedness, and fostered an insatiable curiosity that makes him a quick learner. “Leading by example for my daughter and demonstrating that we’re all capable of handling any challenge we set our minds to is an important part of my daily motivation,” Brendan explained.
This new role for Brendan marks the start of his journey into leadership and he’s excited to give back. “I’ve learnt so much throughout my career and above all, I value helping others learn and grow,” said Brendan. Gearing up to hire his first team member is a big milestone and Brendan has been consuming leadership knowledge in advance. His commitment to taking ownership and ensuring a successful outcome is a sign of an excellent leader already. We’re confident Brendan will hit the ground running.