Monique

6.00 AM

I get up and make a tea to start my day, make sure to water my pot plants before I leave the house.

7.00 AM

Get the train and connecting bus to Garden Island Naval Defence Precinct where I now work.

8.10 AM

When I arrive at work and login the first thing I do is check my emails and action any that I can straight away.

8.20 AM

Get started on the task of the day which often includes designing parts to be installed on the ship structure of the naval vessels I work on. It’s pretty exciting. I contribute to the design of parts that go on the Royal Australian Navy’s ships.

9.00 AM

Some days I'm required to actually get on board a Navy ship and do an inspection so I'll put on my hard hat, safety glasses, high vis, and steel-capped boots, and head over to the docks. That’s a really thrilling part of my day – actually getting up close and personal with ship and its technology.  I'll take notes on the ship for measurements and locations as well as taking input from the ship's crew. I may even take some photos of the area to help me understand the issue. This can take all morning but it’s one of the best parts of my job as an engineer here.

12.00 PM

It's lunchtime. The weather is often sunny and the bay is beautiful so I often go and sit outside with some others from my team to enjoy a view of the yachts on Sydney Harbour and birds flying by. 

12.:30 PM

Using my notes from earlier I'll develop an analysis of the scope of my project.

2.00 PM

Time for an afternoon tea break. I keep some Earl Grey stocked at my desk!

3.00 PM

This is the time of day when I often feel lowest on energy so it’s important for me to stand up and stretch my legs when I feel like this. Sometimes just getting some fresh air and going for a walk. That’s a great way to reset and refocus on the task. I’m also able to look at the task from other angles while I’m away from my desk.

4.00 PM

Since it’s approaching the end of the day, I like to try and finish off whatever I’m working on at a good place to pick up from tomorrow.

5.00 PM

Time to grab the shuttle bus and head home on the train.

6.00 PM

When I get home I like to cook dinner so that I have enough food for lunch tomorrow as well as for dinner.

7.00 PM

Depending on the day I'll go for a bike ride with my partner before bed or maybe play Nosome online board games on my PC with friends.