Categories
People & Purpose

Persistence and enthusiasm will get you far: Sam Cheney talks about his career trajectory

Persistence and enthusiasm will get you far: Sam Cheney talks about his career trajectory

Sam Cheney joined ARQ as an Associate Consultant in September 2021. He’s passionate about mentorship and the combination of soft skills with technical skills to help people coming into the technology industry. We caught up with Sam (online of course) to learn more about his backstory. 

Sam Cheney is engaging and personable, and it was these skills which eventually transitioned him out of work in environmental engineering and into the tech world of ARQ Group. 

Sam says he really enjoyed his previous role but was “always working on tech projects in the background.” When handling complex data sets relevant to windfarm projects, it became clear to Sam that he wanted to understand technology from beginning to end. 

Sam credits his prior career to developing his skills in multi-disciplinary projects. Environmental engineering involved plenty of trial and error which allowed Sam to build resilience and clarify his next career step. 

Seeking greater mentorship, Sam was introduced to the ARQ bootcamp through his professional network. The program encourages participants to think about making an impact, not just a living. The two-week camp was “fascinating and intense”, leading teams to rapidly ideate a project over a five-day period. Sam said teams learned to “butt heads in productive ways” and resolve conflicts rapidly to achieve tangible results. 

The outcome of Sam’s time at the ARQ bootcamp has become a passion project which the business is supporting. Sam is developing an internal mentorship tool to connect ARQ employees with structured support and career advice. Sam continues his work on the new product – ARQ Connect – dedicating a portion of each day to its design. The concept creates a common block to facilitate mentees setting up the illusive initial meeting with potential ARQ mentors.  ARQ’s commitment to professional development was something Sam is actively seeking in his new role. 

On reflection, Sam is grateful that ARQ has taken this idea seriously, considering that it was created by a group of associates. He’s motivated by the opportunity to work on ARQ Connect which aligns with his personal values. 

“I find a lot of value in teaching and inclusivity, I want to give back to the people coming up through the job search experience. I had a tough experience that lasted too long, I would love to help others make the transition as smoothly as possible. I love the technical aspect of my work but the human aspect is my higher-level desire.” 

Knowing the challenge of landing a new role, Sam is committed to helping people just like him make career moves into the technology space. Contact Sam via LinkedIn  and find out more about ARQ bootcamps for Associate Consultants here.

 
Share this on Facebook
Tweet this
Share this on Linkedin

More to explore