Recent graduate

Nigel started his professional career - after graduating with a BSc in chemical engineering in 2015 - at Imperial Oil as an asphalt supply scheduler. During this time at Imperial, Nigel was privileged to have what he would now classify as one of the best supervisors he could have - teaching and demonstrating the proper way to think and behave in business.

In the end, the desire to explore and see another side of himself overtook Nigel resulting in a six-month trip to Europe and another round of school.

Now, he is embarking on a brand new professional journey as a software developer at Pason after completing a master's degree at UCalgary. Having been a tutor in the past, Nigel hopes to continue helping students achieve success through advocating more positive personal values.

How did UCalgary’s Schulich School of Engineering prepare you to be an engineer?

The new software engineering master's degree gave me a great base for a career in software engineering. I feel like a really strong Java programmer now because I know core Java. In the future, I won’t need a significant amount of training for any specific framework, because I have a strong foundation.

What were your Schulich School of Engineering highlights?

The four-month-long capstone project. There was a stark difference between being able to apply what I learned in a real situation for a real company versus just completing assignments. It was so rewarding that I hope to see it more closely integrated into the curriculum in the future!

Who were your UCalgary mentors?

Too many to mention and go into detail, but the top ones are Dr. Hadi Hemmati, Dr. Mohammad Moshirpour, Dr. Alex Bruton and many many TAs. They all supported everyone’s success in the program.

What is your advice for new engineering students?

An unattributed quote goes, "Passion does not result in action. Action results in passion.” I think too much emphasis is put on finding “your thing,” but what will result in happiness and success is merely an applied dedication to what you’re doing. If it doesn’t feel like “your thing,” put that feeling behind you and keep moving.

What is your life beyond engineering?

I tutored high school students during my master's degree and it was incredibly rewarding. Although I don’t foresee myself continuing with that, I would like to continue to advocate for academic success and encourage students, even if it’s not directly helping them.

What does it mean to you to be an engineer?

An engineer is just a person who puts the time into the work that they care about. It doesn’t matter what it is, they know that their ability isn’t an inherited trait that only belongs to them. It’s a dedication and life-long struggle to accomplish the tasks ahead. That’s it.