Having relocated from Latvia in the pursuit of a Civil Engineering degree, Megija Cekule took the plunge and pursued a change in career.
We sat down to talk about what it was like to join the Cambria Civils team for her year in industry – and what she plans to do at the end of the twelve months.
Where did your career take you before joining Cambria?
“The first degree I pursued was Business and Economics, in Estonia. Afterwards I took on a number of very different roles – from working at Luminar Bank as a Culture Implementation Manager, to working in a children’s hospital Riga, Latvia as System Process Manager.
“Ultimately I decided to change career, and I went back to further education at the age of 26, when I studied civil engineering at Cardiff University. I fell in love with engineering and that is now where I see myself.”
Can you describe your role at Cambria and how you became part of the team?
“I reached out to Kiron when I was looking for a placement for my year in industry – and I’m really thankful he decided I would be a good fit at Cambria.
“As I am just at the beginning of my career in engineering I expected I might be limited in terms of the tasks I’m given, but actually I’ve found everyone has been really great at giving me new and challenging things to do. I feel like I’m building up my civil engineering expertise and getting involved in a wide range of projects and tasks as the months go on.”
What do you enjoy most about working with the Cambria team?
“I feel that I’m building a specialism here and joining projects from the early stages, which is rewarding. I want to continue to build up my knowledge so that I can better anticipate client needs and map out projects from the get-go.
“It’s also great seeing a female director and a woman leading the team, and it’s great that Cambria supports any needs you have outside of work, like childcare. I also have to say that I receive really excellent mentorship from my manager, Ben who is one of the Directors at Cambria.”
Where do you see your career progressing?
“I am really enjoying the diverse range of experiences I’m having at Cambria and would like to stay on the Civils side as that is where I am most passionate. I’m particularly drawn to the opportunity to minimize the environmental impact of projects – for instance preventing roads from flooding and optimizing water flow, which can ultimately conserve water for the environment. The ability to make a positive impact on both people and the planet is incredibly valuable, and it’s a skill I want to continue developing.”
If you had to pick a favourite project or task you have worked on so far, what would it be?
“That’s a really hard question, but if I had to choose, I’d say Newport Road. I used hydraulic design software to determine the most appropriate channel size, which included creating catchment plans, construction details, and ultimately putting together a comprehensive package for the S104 SAB application. Additionally, working on the proposed drainage plan for Channel View was both a highly responsible and engaging task.”
