Why I didn’t see construction as a career option – but should have

By Ally Catterson, Site Engineer, Multiplex

Construction wasn’t presented as a career option to me at school – and that’s something I’d like to see change. Today, I work as a Site Engineer, but I started my career as a nurse in a major Sydney hospital.

After school, I considered engineering but chose nursing instead. It felt like the safer option.

Working at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, I rotated through operating theatres and intensive care units. It was rewarding, but over time I wanted more variety, more potential for career and salary growth, and a different kind of challenge.

The turning point came during COVID-19. Working in a temporary ICU, I saw firsthand how critical the built environment is in healthcare. It was the first time I connected my early interest in engineering with the impact construction can have on people’s lives.

Looking back, construction simply wasn’t part of the conversation at high school. STEM was encouraged but focused on fields like robotics or biomedical engineering. At career expos even civil engineering was mostly presented as just ‘building bridges’. The only other pathway I knew about was going to TAFE and becoming a tradie. Construction management or engineering weren’t really promoted as options.

In 2021, I made the leap and retrained. I studied a Construction Project Management degree and joined the Multiplex Cadetship Program and haven’t looked back.

Today, I thrive on the variety. From retail to data centres, every project is different. Just as importantly, construction is deeply people-focused – collaborating, solving problems and building relationships every day.

It’s also a career where effort is recognised and tangible, and that’s incredibly motivating.

If we want to improve how we build, we need more diverse perspectives – and that starts with making the industry more visible. I’m passionate about showing others, especially schoolgirls, that they belong here. Through programs like Multiplex’s Jump Start, more students are getting the chance to see what construction really offers.

One day, I’d love to work on a hospital project – bringing both my careers together. That would be a true full-circle moment.