David

Hi! My name is David Tennent and I work as a graduate Engineer in the Stability, Hydrodynamics and Support Craft (SHSC) Cell in the Directorate of Navy Engineering. I studied a Bachelor of Science majoring in Physics from the University of Otago (New Zealand) and a Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace) at RMIT (Melbourne). I began work at the Directorate of Navy Engineering in 2021 as a graduate through the Navy Civilian Engineering Development Program (CEDP). 

7.00 AM

I usually wake up around 7.00 am. I’ll have brekkie and jump on a bus to the office. Before I start work I’ll typically head downstairs to our office gym for a quick workout. This is a great chance to shake off the morning cobwebs and get ready for the day ahead. I’ll have a quick shower in the gym facilities and then head upstairs to the café. 

8.30 AM

In the café, I’ll meet up with the other grads who work in our Canberra office. We grab a quick coffee and head upstairs to our desks. I generally begin work around 8.30 am although my team is very flexible; some days I’ll start later and just finish up later in the evening.  
When I get to my desk I’ll check and respond to any outstanding emails, read through the daily briefing, and have a quick scan through the Navy News. This helps me to keep a finger on the pulse with what’s happening across the organisation. Once I’ve got my bearings I’ll check my daily to-do list to see which tasks need to be completed.

I’ll work on priority tasks or small manageable work items before our 10.00 am meeting. These tasks could be either administrative or technical, often my day will include a mix of both. If there are no urgent tasks to be completed then I will use some of my morning time to review any relevant research papers and documentation to familiarise myself with a topic or subject matter area. 

10.00 AM

I will have my team meeting with other members of the cell. This is typically an informal meetup, usually, we sit around the meeting space and discuss any outstanding project issues and brainstorm potential solutions. We go around the group and share what we have been working on and what work we have upcoming. The team focuses on the stability and seakeeping of the vessels in the fleet. The work that team members undertake may include anything from planning an upcoming inclining experiment to running a simulation of a vessel operating in a tropical cyclone. 

Generally, we also have a brief presentation at the end of the meeting from a team member. We treat this as a knowledge-sharing exercise and team members are encouraged to present on a wide variety of topics. These meetings are typically a great time to pick the brains of the senior engineers. If I’m having any issues with my work generally I can discuss it with the group and try to determine a solution.  

11.00 AM

Typically before lunch, I finish the tasks I was working on in the morning. I’ll log onto the Engineering Network so I can begin my technical work for the day. I work in the Hydrodynamics section of the team and so we may be involved in evaluating the performance of a ship through simulations, analysing data collected from sea trials and experiments, reviewing documentation.

12.30 PM

Lunch downstairs in the café with the other graduates. All the grads in the program are spread across different engineering teams. They may be involved in everything from aviation to autonomous systems. Chatting to them over lunch is a great way of finding out what is happening across Navy Engineering.  

1.00 PM

Typically in the afternoon I’ll jump back onto our Engineering Network and continue with my work. On any day we may be working on more than one project at once. There is a fair degree of flexibility as to how I allocate my time between projects. Sometimes I’ll set up a simulation in the morning for one vessel in the fleet and then use Computer-Aided Design packages to evaluate and modify certain elements of another ship. My work involves a fair amount of programming and so often I’ll spend the afternoon writing, testing, and modifying code.    

3.00 PM

As the day begins to wind down I will often consult with my supervisor on any issues I’ve been having with my work. This is another great opportunity to ask questions and seek feedback on my work. 

4.30 PM

I typically finish work around 4.30 pm. The last thing I do before I finish work for the day is write out a list of tasks that need to be completed. This will be one of the first things that I consult when I arrive at the office tomorrow. 

6.00 PM

On Tuesday evenings I play mixed sports socially with a group of other public service employees. Keeping active is a fantastic way of winding down at the end of the day and sports have been a great way of meeting new people since moving to Canberra. The sports centre is a quick bus ride from the office and so I’ll head straight there when I’m done. 

Photo of HMAS Canberra. This was taken as we departed the ship for Jervis Bay. We had spent four days testing equipment on-board the vessel.