Floyd Williams

Favourite Quote: "True commitment begins when you reach a point of not knowing how you can possibly go on, and decide to do it anyway." More on Floyd

When you study to be an engineer it opens many unexpected doors. That's what happened to Floyd Williams. He studied mechanical engineering throughout all of his schooling and is now an Associate with a large petroleum engineering consulting firm located in Calgary, Alberta. Since his father was a machinist and one of Floyd's role models, he naturally wanted to do something related to the technical field. He started off as a technician, then technologist, then eventually became an engineer.

"I am not currently practising mechanical engineering.This just proves that your major academic area of study is not necessarily what you will do in the future. In the petroleum engineering consulting industry, the tasks/projects that are assigned to us are not very easy. Every one I tackle needs 110% of my efforts and concentration. There is not a unique solution to each project either and rarely is a project the same or repetitious." His academic background in engineering gave him the tools he needs for his job: good analytical, listening and deductive reasoning skills.

Currently, Floyd works on large international (petroleum evaluation) projects. He reports to the manager of engineering or the vice presidents of the company he works for. "In other words," he explains "I have lot's of responsibilities and I am accountable for my workload especially if the project has tight deadline dates. In the consulting industry, this not unusual - in fact, it is the norm. A good functional professional team strongly relies on each other to get the project finished. Good to excellent communication, writing and interpersonal skills is a must also."

When Floyd was in elementary school he had a teacher that really inspired him to go as far he could in school. Even though he had some difficulties, he still persisted. "I.failed subjects in my academic endeavours. It is only natural to feel down when this occurs but rebounding is a must in order to restore yourself and continue successfully in your studies," Floyd says. He also highlights the importance of asking lots of questions to elders and role models in order to figure out what paths can be taken in terms of careers, "Keeping an open mind is always beneficial and wise"