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William Carter, Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics)

William Carter

When Defence Force Recruiting came to William Carter’s high school in Year 10, he was immediately intrigued by the idea of working in the navy.

Now aged 23 and with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics from UQ, Mr Carter is working at the Centre for Maritime Engineering in Sydney.

He said working for the navy had always been his focus.

“The thought of multiple postings sometimes involving completely different jobs, overseas travel, and the unique experiences of serving at sea, sealed the deal for me,” he said.

Mr Carter received a Defence University Sponsorship, and after university, he returned to the navy prepared to take on more challenges.

“Once I had transitioned back into the defence force lifestyle, I completed an officer-training course, which equipped me with the skills to work as a weapons electrical engineer officer.”

In this role, Mr Carter manages a defence contract, which gives him the opportunity to work not only alongside navy personnel but also a range of civilian counterparts.

“Working as a weapons electrical engineer officer in the navy differs from civilian engineering careers because of the possibilities of being posted to sea,” Mr Carter said.

“One of my career highlights was being on board HMAS Warramanga, in the Rim of the Pacific exercise off the coast of Hawaii last year.”

Conducted every two years, the exercise is designed to test the interoperability with 14 Pacific Rim nations, including the United States, South Korea, Indonesia and Canada.

“The exercise involved us seeing nearly every major weapon system on the ship being fired – you can’t ask for much more experience than that from a weapons engineering point of view,” he said.

“It was something I will probably only see once in my navy career.”

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