After moving to Perth in 2015, Khang Tay observed that Australia’s roads are safer and less congested than in his home country of Malaysia, before commencing his career with BG&E’s Perth civil engineering team as a graduate in 2019.
He says, “My ultimate career goal is to develop my technical expertise so that one day I can contribute to safer and better roads in my home country.
“I thought BG&E was a good place to start if I wanted to sink my teeth into challenging and interesting infrastructure projects, while working alongside leaders in the field in a boutique consultancy environment.
“Honestly, the team has been very patient with me, and I’ve found it’s a great place to start my engineering career.”
Leveraging the opportunity to rotate to different roles and areas of work within the BG&E Perth office as a Graduate, Khang claims he thrives on the diversity of tasks and exposure to projects his role entails. The tangible benefits of his work also prove rewarding.
He says, “One of my favourite projects was the Leach Highway and Welshpool Road Upgrade, which will deliver a new interchange at one of Perth’s most congested intersections.
“I thoroughly enjoyed working on the project from the tendering phase, through to completion of the detailed design and even construction support.
“Whenever I drive past the project, I’m struck by the realization that 55,000 drivers a day look at something I contributed to.”
Khang’s work and career progress benefits from the fact that he is a genuinely curious person who tries to ask as many questions as possible.
He says, “I won’t hesitate to ask around the office and annoy my seniors if there’s something I don’t know or need help with, and thankfully I haven’t been told off for annoying anyone yet.”
In addition to wisdom and experience, Khang believes there is also a lot to learn from the way older generations of engineers work.
He says, “I feel that my generation are often too focused on speed of delivery.
“Our seniors in the field are often more patient and have a good eye for fine details.”
When not working or learning as much as possible, Khang is always keen to stay active by playing badminton, swimming, and trying new things.
Although, movement is his preference, he is not averse to occasionally binge watching Drive to Survive and Succession.