Brush with a geology class paved the way for Natalie

News > 24th March, 2023

SIMEC graduate program leads to dream career

When SIMEC’s Natalie Brumby took a geology elective as part of her humanities degree, little did she know she had found her calling.

After studying visual arts for a short stint after school, Natalie took a break from studying, only to return a few years later in a move that would ultimately lead her to SIMEC’s Tahmoor Coking Coal operations in the Wollondilly Shire.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school. I studied visual arts but ended up not really enjoying it as much as I thought, so I dropped out and continued to work in the retail sector for a while, but I thought one day I might go back and study,” she said.

“So, 2nd round at uni as a mature age student, I enrolled in a humanities degree majoring in Japanese for a change, but after randomly selecting a geology subject in Term 1, I completely changed up my degree again to Environmental Science and didn’t look back! I just absolutely loved it. “

Natalie graduated three years ago and started at SIMEC in a graduate role before being promoted to Environmental Officer last year.

“I love my job; there’s something different every day and different challenges to solve which makes it really enjoyable and keeps you on your toes!” she said.

“And the people here are great. Right from day one everyone has been really friendly and helpful; I’d go up to people on site and have a question, they’d point me in the right direction and make sure I got what I needed.”

Having progressed through SIMEC’s graduate program and now a member of the Environment and Community Team, Natalie has some sage advice for young people making decisions about their future.

“The most important thing, is to do what makes you happy and do something you enjoy. It might take a while but don’t give up searching. After doing that one random geology subject, I realised this was exactly what I wanted to do and I’m lucky enough to be able to do this as a job now.”

For more information on careers with GFG now and into the future go to our careers page or email recruitment@gfgalliance.com 

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