Student Night Summed Up!
February 26, 2020
Our Impressive Expert Panel (from left): Ana Stefanva (Moderator, NAIT), Mark Ropchan (Nutrien), Allen Bauman (Wolf Midstream), Tony Atwood (Keyera), Barry Callele (Enbridge) & Rafiq Ahmad (Moderator, U of A)
On the evening of January 27, 2020 students were energized by career advice from our top-knotch expert panelists...
The ISA Edmonton Section annual 2020 Student Night was attended by over 70 students from U of A and NAIT, plus over 20 automation professionals (including our panel experts) looking to give back by chatting with the students.
In the formal portion of the night, our expert panel was quizzed about the following topics: Graduating! What's Next?, Networking, The Interview & The Economy. Their answers were compelling, so we decided highlight what was said :)
On opportunities for new graduates in automation...
"Look into startup companies, see if you can get your foot in the door with them." - Allen Bauman, Supervisor, Automation, Wolf Midstream
"There are a lot of industries that can benefit from having automation brought into them with an abundance of old infrastructure that needs to be modernized." - Barry Callele, Director Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security, Enbridge
"Manage your expectations. You’re not going to be a CEO right off the bat. You’ll be working on the basics. People skills are so important." - Tony Atwood, Team Lead Liquid Measurement, Keyera Liquids Infrastructure Division
On networking...
"Get involved with organizations that genuinely interest you. It's good to know lots of people that are in the same line of work as you. Building relationships and putting in time pays off. Understand that everyone is in the same boat as you are." - Mark Ropchan, Safety Coordinator, Nutrien
"Starts when you’re born. Foster relationships with one on ones. Be genuine and kind." - Barry Callele, Director Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security, Enbridge
On the interview process...
"Who’s going to be the best fit for our company? Be yourself, sometimes that’s what it comes down to. If you can get the interviewer(s) in a light frame of mood, you’re doing something right." - Mark Ropchan, Safety Coordinator, Nutrien
"Just get your foot in the door first. Take what you can get. Then evolve from there. Do whatever it takes to get you where you want to go." - Tony Atwood, Team Lead Liquid Measurement, Keyera Liquids Infrastructure Division
"Be overly eager to do pretty much anything, hungry!" - Barry Callele, Director Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security, Enbridge
On the economy & our industry...
"It’s a very exciting time to be in automation." - Barry Callele, Director Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security, Enbridge
"Automation has and will continue to change the way we live." - Rafiq Ahmad, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta
A BIG thank you to everyone that attended, especially our experts. Good luck and we hope to see you at another event soon!
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