It was wonderful to catch up with Georgia Craig who graduated VHS Year 12 in 2009. Enjoy our Q&A.
Where are you working now and in what role?
QLD Bowen Basin as Production Supervisor for BHP.
What do you love about your job?
The best thing about mining is being able to see plans be put into action immediately - you can have a ramp design on the computer which the next day is a reality. You have these huge (200 tonne +) trucks running around and sometimes you really forget about the scale of your work.
Did anyone at VHS inspire you to follow your chosen career path?
I studied and worked as an engineer up until recently. All the teachers at VHS were so supportive of me when they saw my passion was mathematics and physics. I am really grateful for everyone's support. I think Mr Dodd, the career advisor sent me every bit of engineering information he could find! I got the opportunity to go to the Honeywell Engineering Summer School after Year 11 which gave me my first introduction to Mining by showing us slow motion videos of ANFO blasts - so cool!
Did you have many challenges to get to where you are now?
I first moved away from home at 18 to go to university in Sydney. That's actually the closest I've lived to home since! Working in mining means that you will most likely be working in very remote locations but I have been very fortunate to always work a FIFO roster (fly in fly out) and live in first Perth and now Brisbane!
Working a FIFO roster means very long hours when you are working - over 12 hours a day - but then after a week or two you get a week off to relax or go on holiday. I love the lifestyle!
Do you have any advice for our current students?
When I was 18 I still had no idea what I wanted to do, but I spent the first two years of university narrowing down my options. You don't need an end goal right now, but keep your options open! You never know what opportunities will arise. Your field of work might not even be invented yet!!