'I wish I had applied sooner'

When I look back, I often think about how much sooner I could’ve applied to become an ICE Fellow. With hindsight, I wish I had applied over a decade before I did.

Moving halfway across the world from the UK to Australia 13 years ago was an amazing opportunity, but it came with challenges.

When you’re in a new country, you need to build local connections and build up a portfolio of local projects to demonstrate your experience.

When you move overseas, you sometimes have to take a backward step in your career in order to get that first role. Then, you work your way back to where you were at the same time as building your new network.

I was fortunate to be able to do this relatively easily.

But if I had arrived in Australia as an ICE Fellow, this may have been easier.

I knew it was time to apply

Fellowship would have been a universally recognisable benchmark of my level of knowledge and professionalism.

After holding key roles in state-significant projects, I found myself in a position where I could clearly demonstrate my competence across a range of attributes with up-to-date experience.

I knew it was the right time to apply for Fellowship, and I was determined not to wait any longer.

I’ve always been passionate about my work and proud of my achievements.

As I became involved in various ICE committees, locally and nationally, I was surrounded by other Fellows who encouraged me to apply.

Being a woman in engineering

As a woman in engineering, I’ve faced my share of ‘traditional’ attitudes.

This was very different from my educational experience at a highly academic convent grammar school, where the top STEM students were all women.

University was also a supportive and positive environment for me, so it was a bit of a shock when I started working and encountered obstacles simply because of my gender.

I knew that I deserved to be taken seriously, and that becoming a Fellow would support this.

Applying for Fellowship

The process of becoming an ICE Fellow is straightforward, with clear guidelines on what you need to do.

I was fortunate to have many people willing to sponsor me, most of them fellow ex-pats in Australia.

As a Chartered Professional Reviewer, and a sponsor myself, I understand the responsibility involved, especially for those without a personal network to draw on.

The ICE can help you with finding sponsors if you’re not in a position to draw on your own network.

Choosing the right attributes

To become an ICE Fellow, you need to meet just one of the required attributes, but I chose to demonstrate more because of my relevant experience.

Reaching a certain level in your career makes satisfying these attributes achievable.

The key is to be concise but to also fully demonstrate your experience, keeping your responses to a single side of A4 per attribute.

It will be clear if you’re ready

If you’re ready, the process will work as intended, and it becomes clear quickly if you’re not.

It helps if your sponsors know you well, as they can advise you if you’re underselling yourself and suggest ways to strengthen your application.

My three sponsors each took different approaches.

One spoke to me in the same detail as if they were an assessment board member.

Another helped me reframe my responses. And the third simply confirmed that my application was strong enough.

At the time I applied, you needed three sponsors, now it’s only two.

They all knew me from various ICE volunteer roles and trusted my self-assessment.

For anyone considering applying, I recommend going through all the attributes, marking those you believe you can demonstrate, and jotting down examples.

It will quickly become apparent which ones you should focus on.

Mark of achievement

Becoming an ICE Fellow, especially as someone who moved to a new country, is a significant mark of achievement.

It’s like being chartered but represents the next level. It signals to your peers that you’ve reached a higher level of understanding, one that opens doors to new opportunities.

As a Fellow, you’re expected to have a strategic awareness of your projects and the factors that contribute to their success

It’s not just about delivering a project within budget but understanding where that budget comes from, what could jeopardize it, and the broader risks involved.

It’s about being able to take a strategic approach to identify and implement opportunities for a significant programme of work.

Creating opportunities

For me, Fellowship has opened doors to opportunities like becoming an ICE Policy Fellow, where I’ve had the chance to be involved in national and international policy-setting.

It’s incredibly rewarding to be engaged with the profession at that level, learning more about what’s happening globally, and bringing those insights back to my work.

Keep checking in with yourself

If you’re thinking about becoming an ICE Fellow, I encourage you to keep the list of attributes close and check in with yourself regularly.

Ask yourself if you’re ready yet. If you’re the kind of person who’s always seeking out new roles or opportunities, the experience you have already gained might surprise you.

I almost missed out by not recognising the value of the stewardship I was already providing to civil engineering.

Don’t make the same mistake—stay aware of your growth and the contributions you’re making.

Learn more about becoming a Fellow