In 2 years, I have had the opportunity to be involved in more than 15 projects in 10 different countries spread across 3 continents. As a young professional, it is truly a pleasure to be part of great engineering projects around the world! I am grateful to be a member of IRD Engineering and I would like to express my gratitude to all my managers who believed in me from the beginning.
Gökhan, please tell us about yourself:
I was born in 1992 in Istanbul. As the son of an interior designer, I have always been close to construction work. Being in this environment led me to study Civil Engineering. During my bachelor’s degree, I studied in Catania for 5 months with a student exchange program. Living in Catania, where I spent the best days of my life, was the biggest reason for me to move to Rome.
When and why did you join IRD?
My career journey starts in İstanbul where I took the first step to professional life as a Civil Engineer. After working 2 years in my hometown, I decided to move to Italy, which I always dreamed of. In 2019, I completed my master’s degree in Transport Systems Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome. With the reference of my thesis tutor, Professor Paola Di Mascio, I was invited to join IRD Engineering.
What is the nature of your work? In what kind of projects do you work?
Although I mainly focus on project management, I have been involved in a wide variety of activities, from tender preparation to transport engineering. So far, I have had different roles in more than 15 projects that focus on construction supervision, design, and capacity building. Currently, I am playing role as Project Coordinator and assisting lead Project Managers on the day-to-day management of projects, from inception to handover and completion.
What are the biggest challenges you typically have to face in your work?
In project management, you often encounter problems for which you cannot find answers in the books. Or most of the time, the problems require a quick decision process. In such situations, sometimes the job becomes very stressful. But luckily, I have been always supported by my senior colleagues who share their experience and contribute to building my self-confidence in the management environment.
What are the most positive aspects of being part of IRD Engineering?
I think the most positive aspect of being part of IRD Engineering is to have an opportunity to work with people from many different cultures. During my 2 years at IRD, I met wonderful people from different parts of the world and made many great friendships.
As an Engineer in Transport Systems how do you think our services make a contribution towards the wellbeing of the citizens in the countries where we work?
A good transport system is more than just allowing people and goods to move from one place to another. The main goal of a good transport system should be to enhance people’s quality of life. Having a safe, affordable, and accessible system contributes to the well-being of citizens and sustains stable economic growth. IRD Engineering provides inclusive mobility solutions that consider all physical and operational barriers to make transport systems seamless and efficient.
