July 25, 2019

Mechanical engineering graduate’s career to lift off with Boeing

At UOW, Michali Simnadis helped to build a race car, soon he’ll be building planes

University of Wollongong mechanical engineering graduate Michali Simnadis has always been interested in the way things work.

During his spare time at University, through UOW Motorsport, he worked with a team of students to build race cars. It was a bizarre experience, to drive something he had helped to build, and one of his greatest achievements.

“It’s applied mechanical engineering, every year we build a race car with very little input from academic staff,” Mr Simnadis said.

“We race it on a tight track, hard cornering, we go fast with it, up to 100km per hour.”

With a natural aptitude for maths and science, and a group of friends equally as enthusiastic about mechanical engineering, Mr Simnadis aced his university degree.

“I enjoyed studying mechanical engineering, it’s not like I suffered from it,” he said.

“It’s good to have people you know in the course.

“There was always people you could talk to about the work, there was always help available.”

His graduation ceremony on Thursday, 25 July marked the end of an era for the Berry local.

Mr Simnadis has landed a coveted entry-level job at Boeing, and will move to Melbourne in upcoming weeks.

He spent last summer at a coal mine in Tahmoor, knowing the internship would help his career prospects. What took him by surprise was how much he enjoyed the work.

In the first 12 months of the graduate program at Boeing, he will rotate through various sectors of the company, getting a taste for a number of permanent positions on offer.

He’s excited about the opportunity and keeping an open mind.

“I’ll see where it takes me,” Mr Simnadis said.

“I’ve definitely learnt over the past few years I can’t predict what I’ll enjoy.”