McCarthy says he was lucky to miss GFC.

This week, we caught up with Consultant Engineer Karl McCarthy, from Co Kerry.

Where are you from in Ireland and when did you come to Australia? Under what circumstances?
Lixnaw, Co Kerry. I first came here in 2004 on a working holiday visa and stayed until 2006 after getting sponsored. I left to work in London for a while before my old company brought me back out in 2007 on a 457 visa. Luckily I just missed the GFC and the mayhem that followed at home!

Are you single, married? Do you have kids? What do you do for a living?
I’m engaged to Michelle, a Tyrone woman. We’re marrying next April… provided we don’t fall out over football this year! We’ve no kids. I run my own project management consultancy called Acies Project Services. It predominantly deals with civil and marine construction projects.

Describe your career path.
After completing my engineering degree and post grad in Cork,
I got my first “real job” here in Sydney for a large civil engineering company as a project engineer. I then went to work in London as design engineer before coming back to Sydney to work on the desalination project. I’ve worked on a few projects since, most involving marine structures. I started my own business at the start of this year and have no idea where my career path will go next!

Was it easy to use your Irish experience to get a start in Oz?
I found it difficult at the start as I didn’t really have a whole pile of work experience as an engineer at home. In general though I think the Irish are very well regarded here in terms of skill level and work ethic. A few years experience at home would go a long way to getting someone a job here. I know my previous employers were very keen to employ Irish engineers.

Is Australia a good place to pursue a career in your industry?
Absolutely. The mining and energy industries here ensure there will always be a demand for new wharfs, jetties, offshore pipelines, and other exporting infrastructure. Unfortunately a lot of the projects are in remote areas and I think that is the biggest drawback.

How would you advise someone coming to work or live in Oz?
In terms of working, I would advise people to be prepared to work hard and they will be well rewarded. It’s a pretty good place to live with a great outdoor lifestyle. From walks along the coast to surfing, AFL or GAA, there really is something for everyone here.

What, if anything, do you miss about Ireland?
It’s a bit of a cliché but family and friends would definitely be what I miss the most. On a more trivial level, I miss a good pint of Guinness, Clonakilty black pudding and homemade brown bread.