Student vigil
Former journalist shares excitement over career change
Never in her wildest dreams did Charlotte Flaherty imagine she would retrain, at the age of 44, as a mechanical engineer. But that is what happened when the former Otago Daily Times journalist decided to go to Otago Polytechnic to switch career.
Flaherty’s interest in engineering sprang from her time working at the Dunedin City Council.
She joined the transport department there and worked on the council’s cycle skills programme after leaving the newspaper.
“I just saw what the engineers were doing and how they applied logic and reason to issues, and I really liked that. I found it really appealing as a way of thinking,” she said.
“[My work] offered me the chance to do some papers for a diploma while I was working, so I did part-time study. I did it for, I think, two years but it was so tough working fulltime and with children who were quite young and studying. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be a fulltime engineer.”
She enjoyed the problem-solving components of the course, and after taking papers towards a diploma in civil engineering, beginning in 2009, she progressed on to a degree in engineering technology, specialising in mechanical engineering, which she took fulltime.
Flaherty was able to take summer school papers at the polytechnic before she began her degree to get her maths up to scratch.
“Fulltime study is quite tough when you’ve been in work for years.”
She was based at the Dunedin campus, and found polytechnic a “really diverse” environment, saying
I just saw what the engineers were doing and how they applied logic and reason to issues, and I really liked that. Charlotte Flaherty, mechanical engineering student
there were a huge number of nationalities and ages among the student population. “I never felt out of place. I immediately felt that I fitted in and was good to go.”
She was not the only mature student taking the degree, with many in their mid-20s and older. “Within the engineering degree I’d say about a quarter of the people are older.”
Now in her final year of study, Flaherty was working on collecting energy from flowing water, using a piece of electric material.
She had also worked on the polytechnic’s Van RV-12 kit plane — a work in progress which began in 2017 — working on its health and safety plan.
Flaherty did a placement at global firm Stantec this summer, and when she completes the degree, the thirdyear student has been offered a place there as a graduate engineer.
“I can’t tell you how exciting it is. It’s a massive thing making a really big change-of-life decision. I feel like doing cartwheels.”
Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker said the average age of students at the polytechnic was 27 or 28.
The Capable NZ course had between 350 and 400 fulltimeequivalent students, all over 40.
“We are strong in the whole adult learning in the workplace,” he said. “It’s a growing area for us.” Otago Polytechnic had built a “strong identity as a provider that for students gives really good work opportunities”, and had a distinct culture, Flaherty said.
“It produces students who can work and who know how to work.”
Engineering lecturer Matt King, an associate professor, said the polytechnic was “always looking for what our community needs” and trying to meet regional needs.
In the case of the engineering department that included some Dunedin Hospital rebuild work, with a medical technician programme being explored for next year training people to calibrate and repair medical equipment.