From the Editor

Choosing a career can be tough. While a few of us know from early on in life exactly what we want to do with our lives, most of us muddle through it a bit before we figure it out. So, it’s good to keep in mind that for the most part, our abilities are built on a foundation of effort, rather than just ‘discovered’ in some magical ‘aha’ moment.

While you’re in high school it’s a great time to go on some explorations. If you’re struggling to pick one direction to study, try some workshadowing experiences with professionals in careers you are interested in. A few days on the job, and the ability to have your questions answered directly, will give you a good idea of what to expect. At worst, it might help you figure out what you definitely don’t want to do!

EVolocity gives you a great taste of what it might be like to be in an engineering field. You can get stuck into aspects of design, mechanics, welding, electronics and programming. You also learn what it’s like to work as part of a team on a real-world project. So, it makes sense that if you’ve enjoyed aspects of your EV build, an engineeringrelated career might be for you. This year, we have interviewed a range of engineers for our ezine issues. In issue 7, we spoke with engineers in the fields of transport, health, aerospace, electrical, and motorsport, and we also talked to some recent engineering graduates. In issue 8 we looked at what it takes to be a rally EV engineer.

In this issue – our careers special – we have asked a range of tertiary institutions to highlight some of their engineering career options. You’ll read about two of Paihau - Robinson Research Institute’s PhD student projects funded by MBIE’s ‘High power electric motor for large scale transport’ programme in Wellington (p12). Toi Ohomai in Rotorua shares some experiences of students and tutors, right from high school level through to their tertiary courses (p14).

The University of Auckland gives us a peak into all their engineering related study pathways on p24, while the University of Canterbury interviews a recent engineering graduate before highlighting their relevant courses (p18). Both WITT and Wintec talk about the similarities between EVolocity and their own student-centred, project based learning approaches, giving examples of projects and courses that might be of interest (p22 and p28 respectively). We hope that everything we’ve shared with you this year will help inspire you along your lifelong learning journey. Remember, that you need to invest in yourself to maximise your choices in the

long-term. If you build your skills, connections and credentials early on, you will be in a better position to find fulfilment and make an impact in the future.

A STEM career is a great way to make a difference in the world. As previous interviewee and Ara graduate Cat Smith says: “The possibilities are endless, and in my opinion – STEM is real-life magic.”