Value Driven Decisions

Mastering the art of questioning is essential in creativity and development. Engineering as a career path has transformed and shaped the endeavours of some of society’s most well-known developments. Barnabas Ilko, Senior Structural Engineer of Golder tells us how his career evolved and gave him the confidence to navigate complex problems, focusing on his ‘why.’

I became an engineer after graduating from university but according to my parents, I’ve always had a passion for building things. I do remember asking the question "why" often and fortunately answers were given by family, friends and teachers at a later stage. 

At high school, I already knew I wanted to be involved with construction but had no idea where I would be most useful if I would happen to work on a construction site. I was also after money and my mother suggested I start from the bottom as a labourer,to see how I handle early mornings and sometimes the 16-hour shifts. So, I worked for a family friend, doing various tasks around construction sites. I later installed plasterboards, assisted with bricklaying, concreting and did a stint on a site where I was involved with an earthworks project. During these years, I learned that construction is hard work, you need to be disciplined, committed, focussed on deliverables and most importantly follow through.

Having now completed high school, I wanted to become an engineer, so I went to university to study structural engineering as I had a passion for mathematics, physics and solving problems. All the structural engineers I knew told me there would be ample problems to solve throughout my whole life. Those years I spent at university, prepared me for my career as an engineer solving technical problems, but very little in business - a partial reason in making the unconventional move to the United States where I worked in customer services to better my English. I learnt to speak with people at various levels; making quick decisions and problem solving. I was fortunate to meet a diversity of people as many of the guests were bankers, high profile business people, politicians, movie stars and members of various sports clubs. The General Manager of the resort used to be an executive at one of the world's biggest engineering companies, and he also gave me a lot of valuable advice.

I returned to Australia on a cold and rainy winter morning over nine years ago where I embarked on an exciting journey. I was to work on the Air Warfare Destroyer Project as a Production Engineer. We fabricated and completed the structural fitout of the building blocks of the Hobart-class destroyers that could be seen on Garden Island - that is,if they are not patrolling the coasts of Australia. It was undoubtedly a unique experience primarily because of the complexity of the internal fitout to the vessel as well as the coordination, logistics and complexity of the job required from all partners that worked around the clock from multiple cities, states and continents to deliver the project. Some of the key learnings during this time were the communication and management of individual packages and I developed a good understanding of the development of a programme and its impact on the overall project budget. It also provided a lot of engineering challenges that a young structural engineer is not always exposed to, however, I had a lot of support from senior and principal peers that explained how the design I carried out worked in life. I also had the opportunity to witness lifting and turning of these large blocks, as I remember how nervous I was when the first couple of designs I developed were executed.



I visited friends in Perth for Christmas in 2012 and I liked the city so much, I decided to move there after my holiday. Finding a job was relatively easy, but little did I know the mining boom was coming to an end. I worked on mining infrastructure projects as a site engineer and later assisted the project managers on various projects. I must admit it was a highly stressful part of my life as we had constant deadlines, and we worked around the clock in harsh environments that were unforgiving at times. I had a few fantastic people around me that taught me the basics and applications of planning techniques, as it can be overwhelming to plan out a given day on a construction site in which you are accountable for tens, sometimes hundreds of people. It was a steep learning curve on how to extract information from specialists that knew how long tasks took and when to be conservative in presenting progress to the broader team, management and clients. I was fortunate enough to work with dedicated people that were highly skilled at their job, and my curiosity helped me learn a lot about how certain tasks can be carried out. Every time I completed a new cost schedule or programme, it was easier than the previous development. Unfortunately, as iron ore prices collapsed, my role was made redundant at the end of my last project.

I decided to go back to consulting and, after a short stint with a small engineering consultancy in Perth, I decided to change the scenery and moved to Darwin. It turned out to be one of the best moves I have made in my life. In a small town, there are always significant opportunities. Working on small to large scale construction projects, I had the opportunity to take on significant roles on projects and look after multiple tasks rather than only one aspect of a job. The engineering and construction community was also vibrant in Darwin, and I could meet anyone in town for a casual chat privately or via networking events. During this time, I received more exposure to the dynamics between consultants, contractors and clients as I developed my understanding for why excellent negotiation skills are crucial and how to make sense out of contracts. As an engineer, I had excellent peers that generously passed on knowledge and found time to develop my understanding. I worked on a wide variety of projects while in the territory, and I am very proud of my involvement in all of them.

On reflection, having the experiences gained in my career so far, I decided I wanted to work on an iconic, postcard project. In 2016 New Zealand's largest construction company recruited me to work on the New Zealand International Convention Centre as the Engineering Manager. It was an opportunity that changed my whole career and mindset on construction. Having spent over two years in Auckland on this project,I faced many challenges and unfortunately, we had a relatively large turnover of people, but the project required numerous solution sof which kept me engaged day-in, day-out. I got to meet the best of the construction industry and I cannot be thankful enough for the handful of individuals that challenged me every day by providing feedback when it was necessary and found time to create outcomes together. I was able to utilise everything I learned in my previous roles by applying the knowledge gained through the steel structures and heavy lifting from the AWD project; planning, understanding of health and safety requirements and project management from the mining infrastructure and being an all-round design engineer as a consultant. During these years, the implementation and use of digital engineering as well as communication tools prepared me for the future. The biggest joy on a personal level was completing complex engineering tasks and having the opportunity to talk to concreters, steel fixers, carpenters, riggers, crane operators, site supervisors and the list goes on. I believe it is crucial for people working in the construction industry to understand how we build so we can improve our techniques and delivery methods onsite. It is easy to overuse the word innovation, but a contribution to the implementation of improvements to the best of our abilities drives real innovation.

At the completion of the primary structure of the New Zealand International Convention Centre project, I decided to return to Melbourne and in the past year, I joined Golder, where I have the opportunities to be exposed to a range of new challenges, keeping me busy and motivated every day, and even sharing my own insights as a thought leader in the structural engineering field. We have a fantastic team of individuals and leaders, as well as technical experts who are always open to discuss ideas, problems and challenging situations in all things project delivery. I firmly believe that in this industry it is particularly important to choose who your peers, mentors and managers are, as they can not only accelerate your career, but equally slow it down if you happen to choose the wrong people to follow.

Over the last fifteen years, I have been entrenched in the construction industry across various levels of which I have gained significant lessons. The support from my parents, friends and teachers at an early age were essential and I am glad I skipped piano lessons and other lacklustre activities to explore more interesting things (to me) that helped develop my cognitive skills. My mother has always encouraged me to do the physical labour to help me better my appreciation for the work people do on construction sites. My detour to work in hospitality allowed me to establish the foundation of communication skills that,to me, is the most essential in the industry. The technical knowledge I reaped from university was a good starting point, but I still remember when I finished my master's degree, my mentor telling me the real learning starts now and you will need to learn until you retire otherwise you will be left behind. My curiosity and drive to solve problems have certainly helped me to get there where I am today. Finding industry peers, mentors and coaches during my career was key to excel at tasks, and some people say that it was probably pure luck. I do not believe in luck. I believe in creating your own opportunities to set yourself up for success. The industry is full of knowledgeable and driven people that are happy to share their knowledge and develop the leaders of tomorrow. I am fortunate enough that I met and reached out to some of these people, and I have stayed in touch with some of them. They have become my mentors and, in some instances, friends too. 

This leads me to the most important aspect of working in the industry: its people. The people you talk to every day, the people you thrive on challenges with, the people you laugh, with and the people you celebrate success with. They are the engine room behind the skyscrapers, bridges and tunnels that shape our built environment. These are the people that make you want to wake up every day and go to work. 

This piece was curated for The Construction Coach blog by Meghraj Mahida


Barnabas Ilko

Senior Structural Engineer

Golder

Barnabas Ilko is a Chartered Professional Engineer (AU and NZ) with post-graduation work experience gained in consulting, construction, heavy engineering, resources industry and shipbuilding. During this time, he worked on tender phase support, through to the development of detailed designs, construction staging and interpreting specifications and drawings onsite with construction personnel. During this time in the industry, he worked on major infrastructure, residential, commercial, industrial, mining, defence and government projects. Through these years of experience working with contractors and stakeholders on developing safe and effective construction methodologies, Barnabas learned from industry experts how to solve complex permanent and temporary works elements, risks associated with them and reduce construction costs with simple solutions.

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