What's your job about?

I am a Graduate Consultant at Argon & Co, a global supply chain consulting firm. We specialize in optimising every aspect of the supply chain, from manufacturing sites to warehouses, all the way to the final customer and everything in between.

As a graduate at Argon & Co you get to experience all sorts of different projects from Warehouse automation, cost reduction in manufacturing sites, reducing procurement spend, upgrading factories and more. Currently I am working on a capital project for a manufacturer of baked goods, they are wanting to double the amount of product they produce at the lowest cost by reusing as much of their existing equipment as possible. My standard day changes from project to project but currently consists of 0.5-1 hour of responding to emails throughout the day. These currently include a lot of interactions with suppliers of equipment, talking through lead times, equipment specifications and payment terms. 2-3 hours of meetings, initially my role was to take notes and send out any actions while learning as much as possible, however more recently it also includes a good portion of presenting (which is still quite nerve-racking!). The rest of my time can be quite dynamic and can be the most exciting part of my day. If I am on site, this time is spent doing a variety of studies on the shop floor. If I am in the office this time is spent data crunching and making the outputs look nice and pretty, ready to present to the client.

What's your background?

Early stages of my life were spent in The Netherlands where I was born but when I was 4 years old my family moved to Frankston Victoria which is where I spent most of my childhood. 

After putting far too much stress on myself during high school, I found myself without any idea of what I wanted to do with my life. This is why a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne was so appealing since there are 50+ majors that can come of it. Year 1 was my trial year where I studied everything from physics and chemistry to mathematics and computer science. Math and computer science appealed to me the most and following these two interests led me to Bachelor of Science majoring in Data Science.

With a year to go in my studies I found myself looking for summer internships and was lucky enough to be connected with Argon & Co. After a year this internship then turned into a graduate role and now, I have completed over 2 years with the company working on 6 projects all incredibly different while equally rewarding.

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Absolutely, across the graduates we have a wide range of university backgrounds including engineering, commerce and biomedicine graduates. Since there is such a variety in the types of projects we do, there is no one degree that best suits this role. People who thrive at Argon are those with an eagerness to learn, enjoy the thrill of problem solving and harness the knowledge of those around them. 

What's the coolest thing about your job?

The coolest thing about my job, which you might have guessed from how often I mention it, is the variety of work I get to do. Every project I get to explore and learn about something completely new that would have never occurred to me without this experience. I was blown away the first time I went to a food manufacturing site and saw the scale of these factories. It feels like you start a new job every 4-6 months which keeps work refreshing and engaging. There is also a great culture at Argon with many social events and post work activities.

What are the limitations of your job?

The most challenging part of my job, like most, can be the workload during times. There are always going to be weeks and days that are bigger than others and sometimes a few extra hours are required to get the job done. 

I can also imagine that for some people extensive travel may be a challenge, but for me this is all part of the excitement. 

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

• Excel runs the world, the earlier you become proficient in excel the better. There are plenty of online courses and YouTube tutorials.
• Time management, treat university like a 9-5. This will help you prioritise and manage time when you get to a corporate setting and helps build the ability to clock off and separate personal and work time, which can be harder than you may think.
• Ask question. Being comfortable admitting you’re lost or confused is something I still haven’t mastered and wish I started doing in Uni tutorials and lectures.