I've always been interested in how things work, particularly electrical things. With my father being an electrical engineer, we would often talk about it on when we would drive up to Melbourne to watch the footy. When I got to university and I started different electives, it became very clear to me that i had much more of an interest in the larger scale operations than smaller electronics.
This lead me to the power industry, it provided everything i was looking for. Complex problems to solve, helping the community, and plenty of variety.
Who am I
I am Cameron Finlayson, I grew up in regional Victoria, in a town called Warrnambool.
I love getting outside, whether it is camping, fishing or playing sports.
I always try to on a couple of fishing trips every year.
Work is great and I get a lot of fulfilment from it. But having interests outside of the industry help me relax and reset.
Why I chose a career in power
I chose a career in the Power industry so I could play my part in ensuring consumers have safe and reliable power for generations to come.
Where it all started
I studied Electrical Engineering at RMIT university.
I loved my time in university. I had a great group of mates, a few of us were from regional Victoria, so we all ended up moving in together. We were all studying electrical engineering so we were able to leverage off each other so much which was a huge help.
A few of these mates also ended up in the power industry, and I have got to watch over the years as their careers have taken off, in similar, but different ways to mine
Before i started at university i did vacation placement at ALCO Aluminium smelter in Portland Victoria.
I also completed work placement while at university at United Energy which I was able to access through my API Bursary Scholarship. From there I never left.
My work experience.
What's next?
I currently am working for United Energy as a Senior Asset Engineer.
I look after Substations throughout Victoria. The team I am in is responsible for maintaining approx. 150 substations through western Victora, the Melbourne CBD and the south east suburbs of Melbourne.
As part of my role I investigate failed assets, identify which need to be replaced, and aim to maintain an ever aging fleet of assets and ensure that customers have safe and reliable power.