Sneaking into the Supercars paddock led Tom to his dream job — here’s how

Not everyone realises their dream job while they’re a kid, and even less people get to actually do that job come adulthood. But Tom has done exactly that — thanks to being caught somewhere he shouldn’t have been, and Swinburne University of Technology.

Tom McCausland is a data engineer at Erebus Motorsport. As a kid, he learned that working in motorsport might just be the career for him, all because he was in the right place at the right time.

“When I was a kid,” Tom tells LADbible Australia, “I snuck into the back of some of the Supercars’ paddock.”

“One of the mechanics saw me there in my school uniform and said ‘Hey do you want to come in and have a look around?’. From that day on, I knew this could be a real career.”

The pathways into Tom’s line of work mightn’t seem obvious, but thanks to studying at Swinburne, he was able to find a clear way forward — a Bachelor of Engineering with a major in Product Design.

“When I found out about the course at Swinburne where I could actually do product design engineering and incorporate creative and analytical aspects,” Tom says, “I thought ‘Yeah, I’m up for this. This could be really cool’.”

But there was more that led Tom down the Swinburne path than just the course itself.

“One of the things that definitely drew me to Swinburne was all the facilities,” he says.

“You’ve got the Design Centre, where you can come up with concepts. You’ve got the Technology Centre, where you can then test those concepts. And then you’ve got the Swinburne ProtoLAB, where you can bring them to life.”

Tom got to know these facilities very well throughout his studies, and turns out his relationship with them didn’t end once he’d graduated. Swinburne helped him in a tight spot as Erebus were preparing for one of the biggest events on the Supercars calendar — the Bathurst 1000.

“In the lead up to the event, one of our critical components on the car had failed during testing,” Tom says.

“I was fortunate enough to still have a really good relationship with the Swinburne ProtoLAB. I reached out and engaged with some of the technicians and they were able to manufacture it for me right away.”

Tom is living proof that Swinburne doesn’t just have the facilities and resources to help you learn exactly what you want, but it also fosters a culture that encourages curiosity and ambition — one that’s stayed with Tom long after he graduated.

To learn more about how Swinburne can help you unlock your dreams, just like they did Tom’s, head to their website and book a one-on-one consultation. A career in your area of passion could be right around the corner.

“Coming from Swinburne,” Tom says, “you have that hunger to learn and to still push yourself and to grow as an engineer and as a person.”

“I’m very proud of where I am right now.”