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Guelph Graduate Engineering Symposium…A Stepping Stone for Students

Nick Mocan, an Associate with our firm and a proud University of Guelph alumnus, was invited by the Guelph Graduate Engineering Society to be the Keynote speaker at their Guelph Engineering Symposium held on campus this past March 23rd.

Nick on screen pic [1]

The annual symposium provides graduate engineers with a platform to share their research initiatives and hone their communication skills through oral and poster presentations. In addition to this rich technical content, the symposium is a forum to connect with peers, faculty and industry representatives on professional development and career strategies.

As a past recipient of the Guelph School of Engineering’s Mid-Career Award, it was from this mid-career perspective that Nick spoke to the graduate audience on career development– noting, in his opening comments, that he well-remembered being in a position similar to theirs 10 years ago with his own questions about the future.

Nick drew on his Consulting Engineering experience from both sides of the table (and the border) in job interviews and career choices, as well as lessons learned through his personal “Aha” moments and the competitive environment of the industry.  Through this, he invited his audience to recognize the connection between their investment in grad studies and the related confidence it builds in their skill set, emphasizing the transferable value of those skills in the business world.

As one of our firm’s foremost “networkers”, it wasn’t surprising that Nick concluded his talk with a firm assertion as to the value of networking in career advancement.

Not sure where to begin? Not enough time?“, he posed to the audience. ”But you’re networking today!

“It takes time, patience and persistence but connections you make early in your career will become helpful throughout your career” Nick advised, “with face-to-face networking, like this conference, being most effective.”

As the last slide went up, he added “Then of course there’s my other favourites….hockey and golf!”