911: How to Break Into Chemical Engineering With Brenda Denbesten, Orica [Espresso Shots]

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Brenda Denbesten has been a chemical engineer in the manufacturing and mining industry for over 15 years. Currently, she is a continuous improvement manager in Australia at Orica. Brenda is also the founder of a YouTube series called “Chronicles of a Female Engineer,” where she explains what engineers do, how to get ahead in the industry as well as how to work in a male-dominated field. She is a Victorian branch committee member of the National Association of Women in Operations. Brenda got her Bachelor of Engineering in chemical engineering from the University of Newcastle. After graduating she worked as a chemical engineer and a health and safety representative at ANSTO, a senior metallurgist and a superintendent production execution at BHP Billiton as well as a shift superintendent at Orica. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:

• What entry level roles there are for new college graduates (4:30)
• What qualities employers in this industry look for  (7:32)
• Why an engineering degree is necessary to enter the field but changing disciplines is still a possibility (9:50)
• Why and when a Master’s Degree would be useful  (11:24) 
• What life experiences are beneficial for an engineering career (14:33)
• What the best part is of working as a continuous improvement manager (17:28)
• Why to watch the HBO series Chernobyl to get a sense of what this field is really like 
• Why to say ‘yes’ as much as possible (21:11)
• If you want to learn more about what Brenda does as a Continuous Improvement Manager at Orica tune in to T4C episode #758