National Engineering Month Spotlight - Liam Easterbrook

Liam Easterbrook- Mechanical Design Co-op

National Engineering Month Employee Spotlight Series

For National Engineering Month 2023, we are celebrating our incredible team of Engineers, EITs, and engineering professionals with the intention of raising awareness of the different career opportunities available, and providing advice for those just setting out on their career journey.

Today’s spotlight shines on one of our bright co-op students, Liam Easterbrook! Liam has been a mechanical co-op student with us for eight months and will be joining us full time after graduating this spring from the University of Guelph. He’s taken the time to share with us his experiences as a co-op student and as a young professional in the engineering industry.

What is your role?

I worked as a mechanical designer during my co-op at Quasar. I spent my time developing HVAC and plumbing layouts for a wide variety of healthcare infrastructure projects. Most of my work involved me creating engineering drawings with AutoCAD or Revit, though I also did some work calculating heating loads and sizing equipment for a few projects. There were definitely lots of new things for me to learn!

Can you describe your career path so far?

I was always interested in math and science in elementary school, though I didn't have any idea how I would turn these interests into a career. Then in grade nine, I joined my high school's robotics club. We competed in an international high school robotics competition which introduced me to many of the basic concepts behind engineering design and development. I was intrigued by the concept of having a challenge and then figuring out which possibility would work best to solve it, and the different levels of engineering sparked my interest and inspired me to pursue engineering in university.

What made you want to pursue this career?

For a while I wasn't sure what field of engineering I wanted to work in. From late high school until the latter half of my university degree my interest bounced between a few different potential career paths until I eventually landed my first co-op position in consulting, which was at Quasar. Coming from a co-op background primarily in manufacturing, I much preferred the work environment in consulting which was a lot more collaborative and inclusive.

How has your team supported you in your career growth?

During my co-op, I was able to learn a lot about the technical aspects of building mechanical systems, as well as improve my skills with AutoCAD. Outside of technical learning, the team I worked with ensured I was included in a lot of the project development discussions and project reports, so I was also exposed to the managerial side of consulting. I was fortunate enough to be exposed to a robust mentorship environment, which consisted of weekly one on ones with my supervisor where I was asked for feedback and also given constructive criticism that helped me grow in my role. Ultimately, my co-op at Quasar introduced me to many of the basics of consulting and gave me a good base to start my career.

How would you describe the working culture?

I think Quasar strikes a really good balance between being industrious and being relaxed. I was given more freedom and flexibility at Quasar compared to my previous co-ops, but with that there was an expectation that I would produce high-quality work and have it done on time. I think by having a close-knit work community, Quasar has really good mentorship and accountability between all of the different teams. Everyone's striving to make their work better and improve the company operations. Quasar also has lots of company social events, so we have a lot of fun together when we're not working.

What is one thing you wish people knew/a common misconception about your job?

I don't think many people know just how much communication — written and oral — happens in consulting. I didn't expect my interpersonal skills or writing skills to be as important as they actually were during my co-op.

Any pieces of advice for new engineering students and those early in their careers?

First, really try to invest as much as you can into each co-op you are in. Try to get involved in as many projects or facets of work as you can, and soak up as much information as possible. Second, don’t be so worried about looking good and knowing everything, be okay with not knowing and don't be afraid to ask senior engineers for advice and relish any of the guidance they give you. I've received a lot of great teaching from my superiors at Quasar, and I am very grateful for the time they've taken to help me in the beginning stages of my career.