The vast majority of my work at PA has been in the Energy and Utilities sector, working on green transition technologies like hydrogen, novel refrigerants, and district heating networks.
My main skill is in techno-economic modelling – a rather fancy way of saying I use Excel or Python to calculate the performance of technologies, their cost to purchase and operate, and the variables sensitive to their success. I use my technical background to understand the science, and then combine it with market and financial analysis on a product.
Simply put, the freedom. When searching for graduate jobs, I looked specifically for consultancies that would allow me to experience a range of industries and develop a wide base of skillsets.
Although I’ve worked mostly in the energy sector, that hasn’t stopped me writing python scripts for analysing large datasets, improving the performance of large-scale automation rigs, and building racetracks for a charity event! PA don’t restrict you to a job role or industry, and so I’ve been able to direct my career down a path that I really enjoy and am passionate about.
The ability to influence your career choice through the work and projects I’ve done can be a double-edged sword at times. It’s always tempting to help out on researching a potential new client or contributing to a really interesting piece of internal thought leadership, while trying to work on projects to develop my career.
Understanding my limits meant working in a structured manner, keeping track of my workload and upcoming deadlines, and knowing when to flag that you may need support. PA have a very open culture of collaboration, and wellbeing initiatives, and so I found it important that when the stress ramps up, to check in with project managers, team members, and colleagues to help maintain a healthy life balance.
Chuck yourself in! PA hire on a strengths basis, which means they know you’re self-motivated to learn on the job. After all, no one starts out as an industry expert!
The more chances you give yourself, the more you’ll get out of a career at PA – and that can involve projects, volunteering, and social events. Lastly, keep asking questions. Everyone’s really friendly and it can be a steep learning curve, often a short 5-minute chat with the right person can save hours or even days’ worth of research!
