Scott Parry, Process Engineer

Different types of engineers

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"There are different types of engineers that come out of university. You can work for a consultant and you'll work in an office and you'll do design. That works for some people who are very technical.

"And there are also facility engineers, or plant engineers who will work with what I'm doing, and that's something I prefer."

Workplace images

Where I work

I'm a Process Engineer and I work for Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting* in Flin Flon Manitoba. I started in the beginning of October of 2008 and work in the zinc plant, mainly in the pressure leach area.

We have a full scale mine here. This includes various underground operations, a mill which produces a zinc concentrate and copper concentrate, a zinc hydrometallurgical processing plant, zinc cell house (refinery), and a copper smelter which produces copper anodes.

The zinc produced here has a purity of over 99%, which is one of the highest grades produced in North America

*Note: The parent company name is HudBay Minerals Inc.

Unique Location

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"HudBay Minerals is actually a unique situation because of the location that we're in. The mine started in about the 1930's. It's one of the birth places of industrialization in Canada.

"I came here because I was looking to work in a facility because I'd worked in an office before. My background is from a farm and I prefer hands-on things.

"I like the community. I think it offers an excellent opportunity for somebody my age to experience northern Canada and still be within travelling distance to major centres."

Zinc concentrates

Our product is zinc concentrate, which comes from the mines. The mill separates the copper and zinc concentrates, with the copper going to the smelter and the zinc going to the zinc plant. The mill takes the zinc from five or six percent to 50 percent concentrate.

We further refine the zinc in the plant, using a hydro-metallurgic zinc pressure leach process with electro-winning and casting. We mix the concentrate with water and chemicals, and put all that under heat and pressure. This makes it easier to take out the ingredients we don't want.

We send the purified mixture to the cell house, where electricity makes the zinc collect into solid form. The final product is sent out to customers all over the world for use in various industries, from pharmaceuticals to tires.

Other products

HudBay Minerals is a vertically integrated company, which means we own some of the downstream refining facilities where we send our zinc product.

For example, our smelter products go to our copper refinery in Michigan where they produce the precious metals like gold and silver from the copper anode produced in the smelter.

HudBay also owns ZoChem in Ontario, which produces a high purity zinc oxide used in all sorts of zinc applications.

High powered

Another interesting thing about Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting is that they're the second or third largest power consumer in Manitoba.

For example, when I'm working in the cell house I'm standing on over 200,000 amps of electricity flowing through solution underneath me.

It has its dangers but it's a really interesting place to work.

Rural Saskatchewan

I grew up in Naicam, Saskatchewan, near Melfort. My dad was a farmer and my mom did a lot of the business side of things.

My parents ran the farm, but we didn't live directly on it. We lived in Naicam while our farm was five miles out of town.

We also lived near Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan when I was younger when my parents owned a hotel and bar there.

Small community

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"Growing up in a small town has a lot of advantages. I did a lot of outdoor activities like hockey and just spending time outside.

"I have a very strong farming background so I've worked a lot of time outside and driving grain trucks and that sort of thing.

"It's nice to live in a small town for some things. You know more people. It's a tighter knit community."

Limited resources

One of the disadvantages of living in a smaller town is more limited resources for schools. The school board has a smaller range of courses.

For example, I didn't have shop class or mechanic class or the more expensive things that a city school might be able to offer.

But then, I did have the hands-on experience at the farm with my dad instead of just doing things in a classroom.

Strong work ethic

One of the reasons I did well in university is because I'm very self-motivated and independent.

Much of my work ethic and motivation comes from growing up on a farm. You get pushed to do things that you're not always comfortable with and you work a little bit harder than you probably thought you could.

I needed this through university because engineering can definitely test your limits.

Wilderness survival

I didn't grow up doing a lot of the activities I do now. Since moving to Flin Flon, I've tried a lot of new things like cross-country skiing, fishing, camping, canoeing and kayaking.

Wilderness survival is a pretty big interest of mine right now. I feel that we've disconnected ourselves from the natural environment and become almost like infants, dependent on everybody else for everything.

I don't like feeling I have to depend on other people for things, which is why I am interested in learning wilderness survival skills.

Costly mistakes

I have to be flexible with my schedule. Things come up and I have to be ready to deal with them right away. We're usually running very smoothly.

But I'm always prepared for immediate problem-solving. A problem can cost up to three days of production and that's a million dollars right there.

We're dealing with large amounts of money and any lost time means we're behind budget and production targets.

Plant schedule

My set daily schedule can vary because we work in a plant environment that operates, 24 hours a day year-round. The plant is only planned to shut down once every two years for major maintenance. Everything else - the majority of the maintenance - can be done while we're in production.

I like to spend a lot of time with operators because that gives me a better feel for the actual operations. I still generally work 40 hours a week but, as required, I can work overtime that can be banked for future use to add a few extra days for holidays.

Big responsibility

Engineers generally have a lot of responsibility with their work. I guess that's why it is considered a profession just like a doctor. I make decisions as production problems arise and contribute my technical knowledge to the operations.

It involves a lot more mental labour than physical labour. I'm at my desk working about 60 percent of the time. The rest of the time I am out in the plant observing the production, seeing how things are going, interacting with operators.

But that's just personal preference. Not all engineers have to be out in the plant.

Some pressure

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"Because I'm in an entry level position, the pace and the pressure still isn't that significant. But you have to adapt pretty quickly.

"At any moment a pump can fail and they need to fix it. Or something can happen and you weren't prepared for it and you have re-prioritized your tasks for the day and be able to adapt to that.

"There can probably be more pressure as I get more experience because then I'll be given more requirements for my job. But so far it hasn't been too bad."

Laid back

One way I deal with stress is to stay physically active when I'm away from work. I think that's an important way to release stress.

I feel stress at work sometimes but I don't let it get to me. I just buckle down and get it done. Then the stress is gone. You have to keep an open mind and realize that it's part of your job and just what you have to do.

Worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere. You might as well deal with it and get it over with. I've never been a stressed out person. I'm pretty laid back.

Problem solving

My job requires a lot of assessment, troubleshooting and high-level problem solving. Much of my job involves coming up with solutions we can apply in the plant.

I read and research different types of technical information and write proposals, reports, memos and other documents. I work with figures, graphs and charts to show varying trends over a period of time.

I have a lot of science and math in my background, which is required for jobs in engineering.

Working with people

Interpersonal skills are very important because I interact with people from many different professional areas and backgrounds, such as mechanics, electricians, operators, engineers, technologists, secretaries and accountants.

Engineers tend to have a very strong technical background so sometimes our social skills are lacking. To do my job, I need to be able to communicate effectively with people who don't have an engineering background.

Chemical facility

Working in a chemical facility is different from working in an office. In a plant, you're exposed to chemicals at high temperatures and pressures. But it's only as dangerous as you make it. Growing up on a farm, I learned how to avoid accidents.

My job can be a little bit dirty sometimes, but I'm not crawling around an engine like a mechanic. I'll take a couple of samples here and there if I have to help out with something. The job is mostly technical.

Continuous learning

Continuous learning is essential for my work. One way I've developed this skill is to challenge myself with something new every day. I come at everything with an open mind, creative thinking skills and problem solving.

The really interesting thing about engineering is that the answer isn't always a straight line from A to point B. There might be point A, point C, point D, point E, before you get to point B and maybe point B wasn't where you were going.

You have to leave your ego at the door and be open. Just asking questions is a good way to keep on learning.

Advanced technology

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"Some of the software that I use on the computer is slightly advanced, based on the type of position that I have.

"I use all sorts of handheld instruments. One of the most interesting things I've used is an infrared camera that they use in the cell house for determining where there are shorts in the circuit. It's about a $40,000 tool.

"I can also use volt meters, amperage meters and various types of lab equipment that you would find in a chemistry lab in the university."

Switch to chemical

When I got to university I enrolled in civil engineering, but after my second year I switched to chemical engineering because it is more of a fundamental science. Civil engineering is very interesting, but I didn't feel like I was learning as much as I wanted to while I was in university.

I have a really different understanding of the world around me now because of the scientific background. It's changed my thinking of the world. What I found most interesting about engineering is that you see how science is applied differently in different areas.

Engineer in Training

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"I'm an Engineer in Training (EIT). That will be for a period of four years. It's what's required by APEGS, which is the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists in Saskatchewan.

"I'm a Chemical Engineer. The emphasis at university was on oil and gas, but the fundamentals are still the same. They've just been applied slightly differently towards the metals.

"So that's been kind of a learning curve for me. It's not that I'm unable to do it. I've just got to jog my memory and do a little bit of reading and catch up with it."

First jobs

The first job I had was working for my dad, helping him farm. Then when I was studying civil engineering I worked on some highway construction projects.

I also worked for a geotechnical engineering company that does all the prep work before you build a building, like laying the concrete, the foundations, and the initial design work required to place a building structure on the ground.

After that, I got office experience working for a consulting company in Calgary designing an oil sands plant.

Doing these different jobs I realized I wanted to do more hands-on things.

Volunteering to learn

In university I worked with Engineers Without Borders doing workshops with high school students because I realized after my public speaking class that I wasn't very good at public speaking.

I knew I'd eventually be working with technical people and I needed to get comfortable speaking in front of people. How do you get better at something you're not very good at? You just have to do it.

I also volunteered at the university, giving tours of the college and talking to people.

Research your career

One piece of advice I'd give prospective engineers is to research the job as much as you can. If you don't know what an engineer does, talk to one and ask what they do.

Spend a day with them, because you're choosing what you'll do for the rest of your life. You should actually see what they do so you understand it.

Also be open-minded about subjects at school. Right now you might not like shop class but maybe you will find out you're really good with woodwork when you get to do your own projects.

Challenging myself

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I probably want most to be happy and live a healthy life and enjoy what I'm doing while I'm doing it.

"At the end of the day you want to think back and be able to say, 'Yes. I lived a good life.'

"And just challenging myself and pushing myself, continuously finding out what my boundaries are. If I'm not willing to push myself and my abilities well then I'm not really living life."

Advanced degree

Once I've got more experience and if I can get some funding I'd like to do a master's degree, maybe an MBA (Masters of Business Administration). My priority is to keep learning. Professional development is very important for engineers.

Eventually, I would like to move up into a more senior position and gain more responsibility and become a practising member of the professional engineering society.

I want to do well at my career and I'm willing to go back to school to gain more knowledge of my field.

A good salary

The salary range for an entry level position before you are professional engineer runs from about $50,000 to about $75,000, depending on the industry, the company and the demand. Lately there's been a high demand for engineers, especially with the oil boom in Alberta. That's definitely pushed salaries up.

In the 1980s newly graduated engineers couldn't buy a job, but now there's a really big demand for engineers. I think this demand will continue because our technical expertise can be applied in so many areas.

Getting greener

One thing I'd like to change about the mining industry is to decrease its impact on the natural environment.

HudBay already uses a pressure leach process, so there are no sulphur dioxide emissions in the zinc plant. But the smelter is still the number one polluting mine in Canada.

One of the biggest problems that engineers face now is how to make the industry sustainable. Energy is not going to get any cheaper to extract out of the ground, resources are not infinite and now we're realizing the impact our society has on our surroundings.

Coming up with solutions to this will require more creative and out of the box thinking.

Exploring Canada

I'd like to get to know my own country before going other places. We've got an incredible landscape across Canada and I haven't seen it all. I look at it this way: a trip to Europe can cost you a few thousand dollars, but two weeks in Newfoundland will cost you a few hundred.

I'd like to go to Churchill to see the polar bears and take the train all the way across Canada, through the Rockies. That would be neat because you can view things you wouldn't while driving. You can see everything a lot better.

Job Market Info

The links below take you to federal and regional government information on employment, education, salary ranges and long range prospects for this career.

The official title for Scott's occupation is "Chemical Engineer" and it's NOC* code is 2134.

Job Futures

Working in Canada Career Research Tool

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the 'National Occupation Classification' code or 'NOC'.

Education

Useful High School Subjects

- Science/Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Computer-related courses
- English

*Source: JobFutures.ca

For those out of school, Adult Learning Centres (http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/aet/learners/index.html) can help you get or upgrade your high school diploma, including adding subjects that are required for work or further education. All Manitobans are normally entitled to four free courses.

Below are links to various programs and courses that will you on the path to a career as a process engineer.

Colleges & Universities

University of Manitoba

Faculty of Engineering

University of Winnipeg

Dual degree Program in Science and Engineering (PDF)

Red River College

Civil Engineering Technology
Instrumentation Engineering Technology
Mechanical Engineering Technology

University College of the North

Chemical Engineering Technology

Essential Skills

The most important Essential Skills* for Chemical Engineers and related occupations are:

- Numeracy
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking

Source: Human Resources and Social Development Canada

*For information on Essential Skills, go to: Essential Skills NOC

Professional Resources

Forward North (Northern Manitoba Sector Council)

Forward North works on behalf of the Northern Manitoba Sector Council, which includes seven mining, forestry and hydro companies that operate in northern Manitoba. Forward North helps match these companies' needs for skilled workers with trained people able to fill those jobs.

Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba

The provincial registration (licensing) body for engineers and geoscientists

Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists Association of Manitoba

The provincial certification body for Engineering Technicians and Technologists

Related Careers

Civil Engineers (NOC 2131)

Civil Environmental Engineers (in 2131 Civil Engineers)

Mechanical Engineering (NOC 2132)