Growing as an Engineer on the Frontline of the Energy Transition
After graduating in chemical engineering, Tanja joined Shell’s Graduate Programme to develop her skills in the energy sector. She shares her story of personal growth and finding her voice at Shell and how it helps her fuel her passion of contributing to the energy transition.
Gaining foundational knowledge through exposure and training
Tanja describes her first six months at Shell as being a steep learning curve, “but I wouldn’t have it any other way”. This enthusiasm to learn is what defines Tanja, a chemical engineer.
She started her career with the Shell Graduate Programme. One of the reasons she chose Shell was the extensive three-year training and growth plan, in addition to the opportunity to work with many teams around the world.
Six months into her role, Tanja was assigned to a range of projects and disciplines. This included Shell’s QGC business, one of Australia's leading natural gas producers focused on developing Queensland's world-class onshore gas reserves, as well as at multiple operational sites. The exposure to different parts of the business has helped her gain the foundational knowledge to enable her growth, and develop her problem-solving and communication skills, she says. “Project engineering is new to me. It’s not taught at the university. After having experienced it in my rotation, I know it is the type of engineering that suits me the most.”
Training to tackle the energy transition
While still in school, Tanja was fully aware of the conversations around carbon emissions and the need for energy efficiency and transition. Her approach to the challenge, however, was uncommon. “As a young person, I see the need for the energy transition and the most I can contribute to the change is by working in the sector,” she says. At Shell, she can see how her work can tangibly power lives in communities around the world and contribute to the energy transition by optimising energy production and increasing the efficiency of assets.
After completing her training, Tanja hopes to gain foundational knowledge to help Shell tackle important challenges that it will face when working towards driving the energy transition, to meet the growing demand for energy with lower or zero emissions.
Taking inspiration from experienced colleagues
At Shell, Tanja says, she appreciates the opportunity to observe how her colleagues communicate with team members and industry peers and hopes to use these lessons when the time comes for her to lead her own projects.
What truly inspires her, however, is seeing how her experienced colleagues maintain their passion for learning. “When I see them equally excited about learning and sharing their knowledge, I am reassured that the time I spend learning is not slowing things down.”
An example of this is the experience she had on a construction project where she would go to the site with a notepad to write down every detail her team members mentioned that was new to her. On returning to the office, she would ask senior colleagues to clarify her doubts. “They would explain everything in great detail,” she says. “In fact, they would even give me additional resources like engineering drawings and 3D models so that I could prepare for the next time we visit the site.”
Finding a voice in an inclusive culture
The inclusive culture at Shell helped Tanja find her voice and passion for the career path she has chosen. “When I get into a conversation with a mentor or a senior leader, I start to see them get excited and talk passionately about engineering. It just tells me that I’m on the right path and like them, I will enjoy my work as much in the future as I do today.”
She appreciates the culture of recognising people in projects. “We have a weekly recognition session where work done by people is acknowledged. I've been recognised a couple of times. One of the recognitions, which was for the preparation and successful execution of a quality management audit of our contractor out on site and for writing a nomination form on behalf of a contractor for an internal Quality Recognition Award, which went on to win globally,” she says.
Setting long-term goals that align with Shell’s vision
In the future, Tanja hopes to lead renewable energy projects, but she also understands that the transition to a lower-carbon, multi-source energy system can’t happen overnight.
“As an engineer, I understand the complexities involved in transitioning to a new energy system and I’m glad that a large organisation like Shell is using its resources to develop energy solutions for the future. I believe I can power my progress by being a part of the journey towards new and renewable energy solutions.”
