Lord Thabet is in her final year studying a Bachelor of Telecommunication Engineering and Internet of Things (Honours) (Scholar) at the University of Wollongong. Inspired by her passion for technology and the determination of fellow engineers in her family, Lord will graduate this year and pursue a career with an employer who puts career growth first.
Q1: What is the value of this engineering degree to you?
Studying this degree helped me to discover my real passion for technology, especially my passion for network engineering and security. This degree not only gave me the engineering fundamentals but helped me to improve my soft skills – specifically research and self-learning.
Q2: Who are two engineers you most admire and why?
The two engineers that I most admire are my older brothers. Fadi, my oldest brother is a network Engineer and Majd, my younger brother, is a project Engineer. They both work for the same company, Goodman Fielder. They are my role models not only because they are engineers but because of the passion and determination that helped them to study their degree twice to become an engineer. My family is originally from Iraq. We left Iraq in 2014 because of the persecution that was happening there at that time. Fadi was two exams away from graduating with a Bachelor of Telecommunication Engineering and Majd was a year away from graduating with a Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering. When we arrived in Australia in mid-2016, they took a six-month English course and started studying from scratch at University of Wollongong, the same degrees they did back in Iraq. In 2019, Fadi graduated with a Bachelor of Telecommunication Engineering (Honours) and in 2020, Majd graduated with a Bachelor of Mechatronic Engineering (Honours). Their determination to succeed and their love of engineering make them my role models who I’m always proud of.
Q3: If not engineering, what else would you have studied?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a doctor, but after growing up and discovering how technology is shaping our present and future and my love of maths, I decided to be an engineer and I think it’s the most successful decision I took in my whole life. So, if it wasn’t engineering, then I would have been a doctor.
Q4: Favourite subject in your engineering course and why?
My favourite subject in my degree is Network Engineering. This subject helped me to understand the basics of network engineering by studying large scale IP networks and considering ISP architecture and networking protocols including MPLS and software defined protocols. My ideal job is to be a Network and Security Engineer.
Q5: What is the most important thing you will look for in an employer?
I would look for a company that is focused on helping customers and providing career growth within the company and the team. I don’t want to work for a manager or a boss, I want to work for a leader who helps me to grow, develop my knowledge and improve my skills. That’s why I chose to work for Hearing Australia. It cares endlessly for customers, and they have helped me grow a lot in the six months since I joined them. My manager is the perfect example of a leader who cares about his team and gives you the opportunity to grow by helping you to work on your weaknesses, so they become strengths.