She may not have known exactly what she wanted to do when finishing school but knowing what she didn’t want to do helped set Katherine Kay’s construction career in motion.

Katherine is a quantity surveyor on the METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line Project and is working towards a degree in construction management.

“Working in this role in unison with my degree means I’m learning things at university I can immediately apply to work and there are subjects I’m doing really well in because of this,” Katherine said.

Katherine embarked on a traineeship after high school followed by a fly-in-fly-out mining exploration role in the Pilbara. She moved from mining to work for project contractor Laing O’Rourke, where she is now working on her third project.

“I became a manager last year, it’s very rewarding and I’m looking forward to getting more experience while working on the Morley-Ellenbrook Line Project.”

As for life beyond graduation, Katherine hopes to remain working in commercial construction and has this advice for anyone trying to find their career pathway.

“Eliminate what you’re not interested in, narrow it down and have a crack. You’ve got to try something to know whether you like it or not.”