My Cadet Perspective: Pumped for work experience with Ben Martin
December 15, 2022
{
"description": "",
"ideasArticleShareLabel": "Share",
"networks": [
"linkedin",
"twitter",
"email"
]
}
Learn about Ben’s daily journey as he builds his knowledge and strengthens his engineering skills through wastewater pumping station design
{
"text": "
Stantec in New Zealand (NZ) pays cadets to work for the Company as well as paying their student fees, meaning graduates come out debt free, work-ready, and qualified.
Ben’s currently a cadet in our Dunedin office. By working at Stantec while he studies toward a bachelor of engineering technology at Otago Polytechnic, Ben is gaining hands-on civil engineering experience—site visits and all—while achieving his qualification.
Read Ben’s My Cadet Perspective story below for a sneak peek into life as a Stantec cadet. Feeling inspired? Come join us!
6:30 AM
Mostly, I wake up around this time, but sometimes I indulge in the occasional sleep-in. If the weather is good, I’ll usually have a cup of tea or coffee outside on the deck before I get ready. After an hour or so, I head to work on my bike—my ride to the office is one of my favourite parts of the day.
8:00 AM
I enjoy starting work earlier because it usually means I can head home earlier! Once I sit down at my desk I check emails, reply to messages, and review my to-do list to prioritise what I need to do for the day. One of the largest parts of my job is CAD (Computer-Aided Design), so I spend the quiet part of the morning drawing up plans and designs for different projects.
" }Share
{
"description": "",
"ideasArticleShareLabel": "Share",
"networks": [
"linkedin",
"twitter",
"email"
]
}
{
"altText": "Ben Martin working at his desk.",
"captionStyle": "ideas",
"large": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D1.jpg",
"medium": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D1.jpg.transform\/medium\/image.20221215.jpeg",
"placeholderDescription": "Open the dialog and add the title and the description.",
"placeholderTitle": "Drag and drop an image from content finder.",
"showPlaceholder": false,
"small": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D1.jpg.transform\/small\/image.20221215.jpeg",
"title": ""
}
Ben works on technical drawings for a pipeline.
{
"text": "
9:00 AM
The office is looking busier, so I use this time to catch up with my team, discuss project progress, and divide the work amongst ourselves. Currently, my focus is on the design of a renewal for a wastewater pumping station. This involves creating drawings with AutoCAD for the project, coordinating with other engineers, and making edits to the drawings based on their feedback.
" }
{
"altText": "Grace Beatson and Ben Martin reviewing drawings.",
"captionStyle": "ideas",
"large": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D2.jpg",
"medium": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D2.jpg.transform\/medium\/image.20221215.jpeg",
"placeholderDescription": "Open the dialog and add the title and the description.",
"placeholderTitle": "Drag and drop an image from content finder.",
"showPlaceholder": false,
"small": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D2.jpg.transform\/small\/image.20221215.jpeg",
"title": ""
}
Ben and his workmate Grace Beatson review changes to detailed drawings and plans for a design proposal.
{
"text": "
10:00 AM
Morning tea break. It's of the most important times in our office. Our receptionist supplies biscuits every morning and a good portion of the team comes in to have a cup of tea, catch up, and do the morning quiz—starting every day at 10:06 AM sharp. It’s a great time to have a laugh with the team.
" }
{
"altText": "Grace Beatson, Ben Martin, and Sean O\x27Brien talking.",
"captionStyle": "ideas",
"large": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D3.jpg",
"medium": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D3.jpg.transform\/medium\/image.20221215.jpeg",
"placeholderDescription": "Open the dialog and add the title and the description.",
"placeholderTitle": "Drag and drop an image from content finder.",
"showPlaceholder": false,
"small": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D3.jpg.transform\/small\/image.20221215.jpeg",
"title": ""
}
Ben (middle) with colleagues Grace Beatson and Sean O’Brien doing the daily quiz at morning tea.
{
"text": "
11:00 AM
Off to a site visit today. I'm supervising the construction of a new water main pipeline in a town just outside the city. A senior engineer from Stantec and I meet with the contractors on-site—he acts as my mentor for site visits and teaches me about the different aspects of construction and pipeline design. Today’s visit is only a quick check-up on a drilling rig, but we’ve previously spent almost an entire day out here doing pressure testing of pipes, chlorination, and general site supervision.
" }
{
"altText": "Sean O\x27Brian and Ben Martin (right) in PPE vests.",
"captionStyle": "ideas",
"large": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D4.jpg",
"medium": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D4.jpg.transform\/medium\/image.20221215.jpeg",
"placeholderDescription": "Open the dialog and add the title and the description.",
"placeholderTitle": "Drag and drop an image from content finder.",
"showPlaceholder": false,
"small": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/career\u002Dideas\/0002\/cadet\u002Dperspective\u002Dben\u002Dmartin\u002D4.jpg.transform\/small\/image.20221215.jpeg",
"title": ""
}
Sean O'Brien and Ben get ready to meet a senior Stantec engineer onsite.
{
"text": "
12:30 PM
Arriving back in the office, I gather up a few workmates for lunch. Sometimes we head out to a local cafe or restaurant in the city centre, but today it’s lunch I packed the night before.
1:30 PM
After lunch, I sometimes take the time to chat about my polytech work with colleagues. There are around 75 people in our office, with many different disciplines and career stages, so I find it incredibly helpful to ask questions about polytech content or assignments that I’m struggling with. This is probably one of the best parts of cadetship—you have a wealth of knowledge in the form of people who are always willing to help you out. After a brief discussion, I get back to doing some drawing.
" }There are around 75 people in my office, with many different disciplines and career stages and it’s incredibly helpful to ask questions about assignments that I’m struggling with at polytech.
{
"text": "
2:45 PM
Today I have a two-hour afternoon class at Otago Polytechnic, which I take study leave for. I pack up and bike down to the engineering block to make the 3:00 PM class.
5:20 PM
After biking home in hot weather, I’m ready for a shower. I relax for a while before cracking into some study. Later, my partner and I have dinner and wind down with some board games.
10:30 PM
I’m getting tired, and I like to have a decent amount of sleep, so I get ready for bed. I’ve got another class to attend tomorrow as well as a team meeting—I pack my bag tonight to ensure a stress-free start to my busy day.
If you want to learn more about how to join Stantec as a cadet, study as you work, and graduate with career prospects and a work-life balance like Ben’s, visit our Students & Graduates page.
" }