Graeme Garvin: Dad, Farmer, and P.Eng.

31 Jul Graeme Garvin: Dad, Farmer, and P.Eng.

Congratulations to BKL acoustician Graeme Garvin, who earned his professional engineering licence from Engineers and Geoscientists BC this past July. Completing a P.Eng. isn’t easy, and Graeme did so while also being a parent, hobby farmer, and acoustical consultant. Recently, we connected with Graeme to find out how it all came together.

BKL: Has it been hard to juggle being a parent and working on your P.Eng.?

Graeme Garvin: Yes. We have two children under five and a third on the way. When they are awake it is non-stop action, so it can be challenging to get high concentration work of any kind done.

BKL: How did you structure your time?

GG: Most of my studying and prep was completed in the evenings after the kids were in bed. A little bit each night and eventually it was done!

BKL: What are some notable projects you’ve worked on during the last few years?

GG: I worked on the baseline noise assessment for the Highway 14 improvement project; consulted on architectural and mechanical acoustical design for an office space fit out; assessed Telus Victoria’s emergency generator; and tested STC and IIC, reported the findings, and presented them at the AGM for a condominium building in Victoria.

BKL: Did the pandemic affect your P.Eng. application process?

GG: Yes, in-person testing facilities were temporarily closed, so I was given a choice to postpone or conduct the test at home through virtual proctoring. To ensure the kids didn’t interrupt during the test I had to lock myself into our home office.

BKL: What did you get up to when you weren’t working on your P.Eng. application?

GG: Getting things done on our hobby farm including setting up a vegetable garden, building a horse round pen, and preparing to build a new shed for the hay equipment, as well as activities with the kids, such as Lego, reading, biking, and snowboarding.

BKL: Any tips for current EITs?

GG: I had brief notes (one or two lines) on each project, and I found it helpful to reference these when filling out the 34 competencies. I would recommend reading the textbooks first, then taking the online seminar in multiple shorter sessions in the month before the test.

Thanks so much, Graeme. And congratulations on completing your P.Eng.!