2016. November 07.
Career choice is not something what is over after choosing the best university for us. After that we have to find the most fitting specialization and the field where we want to find a job.
Gábor Papp was very conscious in that: he written his thesis about the Takata project in Miskolc – that’s how he got in contact with the company where he found a job, and he is working there at the moment. The way of this career turns out from his interview.
Why did you choose being a civil engineer?
As a primary school and secondary school student I used to participate in maths and IT competition, where I usually reached good results, so I’ve always interested in real subjects. I knew that I have to choose a career where I can use this knowledge and studiousness. I got great basics from my ex teachers, that is why I was brave enough to start this profession with confidence. Over this I’ve felt a desire for creation. I’ve always tried to create value with my job, which can help people materializing their ideas. I finished university in building technology and management, which is closer to the implementation part of building industry.
What was the best experience of your university years?
It’s hard to give a good answer to this question (laugh). As a cliché answer I can say, that in the first year parties and being independent from family. But going on from year to year, I found that this is not the most important part of university. After getting my degree, I think the best experience was going through this way of development.
How did your career start?
I was conscious in trying to find a job at a market leader company in Hungary. I was not interested in public sector, but foreign companies came up also for the beginning. When I manage to get a job at home where the work circumstances were good, there was no need to take a look around abroad. My thesis theme was Takata project in Miskolc, where the general implementation was made by Market Ltd. After that my first job wish was not a question any more. After the state exam I attended, waited for 1-2 months, because at that moment there was no recruitment at that moment. I was at the point of giving up and finding another job, when my phone rang – and they called me in.
What do you exactly do? How does your usually workday look like?
I do preparation of project implementations. This is a complex function, it is hard to define it in a few words. My jobs starts with the competition of the subcontractors and ends with the project handover. I am mainly responsible for the financial fulfilment of the project. At this moment we are building the Dagály Swimming Arena as a prime contractor, so we do the design and the implementation also. In this project I do process management and prepare the decisions of my superior. For this engineering knowledge, thinking and point of view is very important. My biggest aim is to reach an economical, good quality, quickly mounted realization, but unfortunately usually we have to choose only two of the three (laugh). I have office and venue tasks, consultations and coordination with the Investors, Designers and Subcontractors are usual.
Do you have free time? What do you do, when you are not working?
I do salsa all year, when the weather is good, I go running – I take part in running competitions with our company (Ultrabalaton, Wizzair Half Marathon), during the winter I usually skating or skiing. I can have more free time for these hobbies in the weekends.
During my holidays I usually travel abroad. Travelling, new places, sights are always inspiring me. I spent some time in more European, American and Asian cities, but Budapest will always stay my favourite. My last target was Zangla where Hungarian volunteers renew the palace of the king. It was amazing to see that in a city of the Third World, where the winter is -35°C cold and there’s no power after 8-10 PM, how do people live their life.
What is the best part of your job?
See that something was existed as a plan yesterday, became a real building for today is invaluable. Building industry of today goes in dizzying pace, because of the new manufacturing and construction technologies. When I led the construction traversals of Hungarian and foreign teams and I say that we started building the Dagály Swimming Arena one and a half years ago, everyone stares shocked. To be the part of this processes is wonderful. I hope, that not only the Hungarian swimmers, but the workers of the building will also privilege pride.
Are you satisfied with your current wage?
Regarding the market and the country, yes, I am satisfied. Of course, regarding the foreign wages Hungarian general wage lags behind, but I think, with hard work you can reach the level, where you can have comfortable living conditions in Hungary.
For whom do you recommend being a civil engineer, especially in implementation?
I recommend for those, who can stand charging and dedicated to their profession.