A global pandemic should wreak havoc on opportunities for trainees and graduates trying to start their career, right? Wrong!

Although Covid-19 seems somewhat behind us, I’ll be the first to admit that being a 2020 PR graduate applying for marketing-based jobs in 2022 wasn’t easy.

Firstly, it was a personal struggle. This was due to having little to low confidence in my abilities since graduating (albeit with a First-Class Honours degree) mainly because of my limited experience working within the marketing industry. Also, a stable graduate opportunity from mid-2020 – early 2022 seemed particularly hard to come by. After overcoming imposter syndrome – I jumped at the chance to apply for the role of Marketing Intern at Fugro.

Trainee Surveyor Elizabeth Davis, standing underneath the Fugro values.

Having zero experience within the energy sector, I was surprised (but delighted) to have been offered an interview at Fugro – let alone receive a job offer. However, shortly after starting at Fugro, I realised that they are a company who are particularly passionate about helping their employees succeed and grow in their area of expertise.

Within the first 2 months of working for Fugro, I have been warmly welcomed by colleagues both in my home office and within the region. I had the opportunity to travel down to Fugro’s Wallingford office to meet the fantastic Strategic Sales and Marketing team, who have provided me with copious amounts of support and helped me to build a greater understanding of the energy industry as a whole. The level of trust and guidance that I have been given when creating my work has been second to none, and I already feel significantly more confident in my abilities to start my new career.

Is it just me?

During my second week of working for Fugro, I was happy to learn that the company had hired several trainees who were undergoing training. With these trainees coming from a range of different backgrounds, the majority seemed to be in a similar position to myself and were young graduates living in a post-Covid world.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting the opportunity to interview a Trainee Surveyor, Elizabeth Davis, before she completed her first rotation offshore. I wanted to find out what led her down this path, her experience within the company so far and what she was looking forward to most in her Fugro journey:

So, what led you to this career?

“I studied Physical Geography at The University of Exeter where I completed modules such as Geography and Interpretation of Hydrographic data which I found particularly interesting. Because of this, my professors recommended a career in Hydrographic Surveying. After researching companies in that field, Fugro immediately stood out to me as they are a leading company in geo-data acquisition. It was a no brainer to apply!”

 What appealed to you most about the role of Trainee Surveyor?

“The offshore nature of the role appealed to me the most because many smaller companies offer predominantly onshore work. Fugro offered me a wide range of travel prospects with the role, and my main reason for wanting to work offshore was my desire to travel. As well as this, Fugro’s Aberdeen office offered experience for trainees within 3 different service lines – Positioning & Construction Support, Geophysical and Inspection, Repair & Maintenance – which I felt would really benefit my career prospects.”

How have you found the training process so far?

“It’s been fantastic coming up to Aberdeen and meeting everyone in the office, particularly the Project Managers and Service Line Directors. So far, I have completed a week of classroom-based training on Fugro’s in-house software StarFix™, which has helped me gain a good understanding of what my role will require. I’m now looking forward to completing a 2-week survey course in Plymouth, where I will get the chance to mobilise equipment, visit the survey vessel onshore and run surveys to gain practical experience.”

Finally, what are you most excited about going forward?

“I’m particularly excited about heading offshore for my first rotation and mobilising survey data, as well as meeting new people such as the senior surveyors. I’m hoping that their knowledge will rub off on me! I am also looking forward to finding out what offshore life is like in general and having the work-life balance of a 4-week rotation. I’m hoping that as my training continues, it will become clear which service line I want to focus on for my career and the path I want to take within the company.”

Advice for my fellow post-Covid graduates

Discussing Elizabeth’s aspirations pre-job search and her experience of working for Fugro so far reaffirmed to me that there is no one “right” path to take after leaving university, particularly in a post-Covid world. As the world opens back up, Elizabeth hit the ground running in applying for trainee positions after graduating - whereas I stayed in my comfort zone until the world seemed more stable, and the perfect opportunity appeared.  

The point is that it is important to feel ready before plunging into the adult world after finishing university – whether this takes months or even years depends on the person and the company willing to take you on. Take Elizabeth and myself, who graduated years apart, but are both working in our desired fields for a company who is willing to help us both develop in different ways and at our own pace.

My hope is that in the coming years, seeking out graduate/trainee opportunities feels easier for the rest of our generation (and for generations to come) and that other companies take note of Fugro’s excellent ability to provide opportunities and career development for people of all ages and from all walks of life. 

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: Fugro