ENGINEERING A BRIGHT SPARK WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS PROFESSION? Growing up, my dad repaired computers: watching a computer being taken apart, seeing the “intelligent” pieces in my hands, and trying to understand how all the parts fit together to form a computer intrigued me. I had the need to understand how it worked, sparking an interest in engineering.
“The feeling of being able to see and hold something in your hands that you helped develop is indescribable”
WHAT DID YOU STUDY? I studied Electronic Engineering at UKZN, and I am currently completing my Master’s in Engineering. My master’s degree is focused on fully optimising a building’s energy usage using renewable energy.
DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY ON THE JOB Firstly, nothing is typical in engineering!! A somewhat normal day starts with a quick team catchup, checking if anyone needs assistance, if their task is more urgent. Following that, a day can range from developing new products, to investigating improvements of existing products. Checking on component orders, circuit design reviews, building Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs those green boards you find in computers), and testing the PCBs.
IS THERE A TYPE OF PERSONALITY BEST SUITED TO THIS WORK? Anyone with a passion to learn, who has a strong, creative yet curious mind, and will not give up at the first failure.
IS EXPERIENCE AS IMPORTANT AS FORMAL TRAINING? Yes, understanding the theory is as important as being able to implement the theory into a practical setting.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT WORKING IN THE ENGINEERING FIELD? I learn something new every day! The collective knowledge in my team cannot be found in books or online searches, a conversation about why a resistor is chosen can snowball into why a circuit was designed in a particular way. WHICH ASPECTS ARE YOU LEAST ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT? Report writing of documents.
ULIKA NAIDOO ELECTRONIC HARDWARE ENGINEER CONLOG (PTY) LTD
WHAT’S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT? Fault finding on a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and actually finding the fault! The feeling of being able to see and hold something in your hands that you helped develop is indescribable. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE STARTING OUT? Learn as much as you can,
listen and ask lots of questions. Within every engineering branch: chemical, computer, electronic, mechanical, and so on, there are many splits. Be sure to explore your options and try to “engineer” at home.
YOUR JOB IN THREE WORDS Interesting • Challenging • Satisfying P O S T M AT R I C 2 0 2 1 | 2 7
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