My Stantec Story: Building a graduate career in hydraulic engineering with Balint Sido
July 25, 2024
Balint shares how chemical engineering comes into play in his role as a hydraulic engineer graduate with our Water team
In the My Stantec Story series, our designers, engineers, marketers, project managers, and leaders come together to share how their career journeys at Stantec have shaped their lives and moved them closer to their goals.
Tell us about your role…
My role at Stantec as a hydraulic engineer graduate is a slight departure from my degree of chemical engineering but applies a lot of the principles of fluid dynamics that I covered in my studies. Essentially, hydraulics considers the physics and flow of fluid through a system, which, of course, is a major factor in the water industry. Much of my role involves simulations, modelling, and sense testing systems to establish that fluids will be able to pass the flows they are required to.
What attracted you to a career at Stantec?
I came across Stantec quite accidentally during my job search in my final year of uni. It stood out to me as a strong, forward-thinking, and renowned firm in the engineering industry, which aligned strongly with the kind of company I was looking to work for. When searching for a role, I prioritised finding a company that had a track record of finding creative solutions to the problems of today while working towards a clean future.
Being a large, multinational company, Stantec offers fantastic career progression with mentorship that comes from seasoned and experienced seniors. Particularly in engineering, this is key to learning quickly and effectively on the job. Following my productive interview with my prospective line manager, I knew this company would be a great fit for me!
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What do you enjoy most about your role?
My favourite thing as an engineer at Stantec is that I can contribute to solutions that become realised to help improve people’s lives. There are many challenging and rewarding projects where even as a graduate, my work is respected and used to come up with answers to complicated problems. Especially in the water industry, interesting and unique projects are coming faster than ever and there has never been a better time to learn and become an engineer!
Regardless of your discipline, a support system and mentoring are available to help you reach your professional goals.
How has your personal and professional development been supported at Stantec?
Stantec offers many different interesting and exciting opportunities for professional development, as well as becoming involved with the local community. From volunteering, fundraising events, and school outreach, to in-house talks, training, and learning sessions, there are plenty of options for expanding my knowledge and doing something productive with my time.
As well, Stantec supports a variety of chartership bodies. Regardless of your discipline, a support system and mentoring are available to help you reach your professional goals. Stantec offers great flexibility for grads, meaning you can explore different facets of the business to expand your knowledge and continue learning on the job.
What has been the standout project for you during your time at Stantec?
One of the most interesting projects I’ve worked on so far is a major water treatment works (WTW) in England. This WTW facility uses ultraviolet (UV) treatment at the back end of the treatment process to decontaminate water. The project was unique in that bespoke solutions had to be developed to prevent non-decontaminated water from passing through the site in the event of UV failure.
This project involved modelling of surge pressures—the spikes in pressure following rapid closure of valves. This introduced many design constraints and required creative collaboration from hydraulic, civil, mechanical, and instrumentation engineers.
What are your ambitions for your future at Stantec?
I look forward to receiving my chartership with IChemE at Stantec. There are many interesting projects that are teaching me valuable skills that can be used to advance my career.
I also hope one day to complete some projects abroad. With Stantec being such a global presence, it’s fantastic that I could have the opportunity to travel outside the UK and work for offices in other countries.
What are your passions outside of work?
Being from the countryside in West Yorkshire, I enjoy the great outdoors and love to get hiking when I can. Recently, I’ve gone hiking in the mountains of Montenegro, the foothills of the Alps in Germany, and have completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge with Stantec in support of WaterAid.
I also love live music and have been to many concerts, gigs, raves, and festivals since I was old enough to do so. I’ve found that often, the smaller, unknown artists have been the best ones!
Why should others join the Stantec team?
If you’re looking for a great company that offers fantastic career progression and interesting, challenging projects, then Stantec will be a great fit for you. It’s easy to network and make friends with people from all over the company, locally or far away, young professionals or experienced seniors, in your field or otherwise. And there are so many great opportunities to get more involved with the company and your local community!
At Stantec, we put people first. For Balint, that means exciting professional opportunities and mentorship to progress your career—and even the chance to work on projects outside the UK.