Still not sure what you want to do? Neither was Annabel.

When Annabel Kim joined TSA Riley’s graduate program in 2021, she wasn’t chasing a clear-cut career path. With an architecture degree and a healthy dose of curiosity, she was looking for experience—different sectors, different projects, and the space to figure out where she fit.

“TSA Riley’s diversity really stood out,” she says. “Just looking at the website, I could see the range of projects. Their grad program gave me the opportunity to explore.”

Saying yes to everything (almost)

Annabel’s first role was in health, working on the Goulburn Base Hospital project from planning through major delivery phases. It built momentum—and confidence to seek more. “I just said, ‘I’d like to move into education.’ And my people manager—who’s a health director—was completely supportive.”

That support opened doors to 2 significant education projects: an $80 million capital works program with the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong, followed by early planning on a large-scale preschool development program.

Then came the one opportunity she turned down— “I was approached with an infrastructure project, and I said no to that… that’s one thing I maybe should have said yes to. I wasn’t confident my skillset aligned with infrastructure, but I think it would have been cool.”

Would she say yes now? “Definitely.”

From curious graduate to trusted team member

Annabel’s next opportunity came over coffee with Atena Meller, a commercial lead at TSA Riley. They discussed Investa’s Parkline Place—a 39-storey commercial tower above Sydney’s new Gadigal Station. Atena believed Annabel would thrive in a fast-paced commercial environment. “It sounded like an incredible project, so I said, ‘Absolutely.’”

Parkline Place was Annabel’s biggest test yet, bringing complexity from every angle: tight staging, live interfaces, and high expectations. But the biggest shift was learning to make constant, high-stakes decisions—without a rulebook. “In uni, problem-solving is abstract,” she explained. “You follow a process. But on a real project, there’s no textbook for the decisions that happen every day—and they directly affect what gets built.”

Parkline was the first time Annabel had seen a project through from start to finish. “Standing in a completed building that you once walked through as a construction site, celebrating with the team—that is a genuine win.”

Now, Annabel is managing project coordination for Atlassian’s new headquarters at Tech Central, Sydney—a 50,000 square metre fitout with global stakeholders in New York, Bengaluru, and Sydney. “You can’t just send a calendar invite,” she laughs. “You’ve got to call people, shuffle things around, reprioritise. Problem-solving starts before you even get everyone in the room.”

But across these commercial projects, the most significant change wasn’t the project scale—it was the shift in how Annabel and others viewed herself. “When your managers let you communicate directly with clients—when you send that first email without needing review—that’s when it hits you: they trust me.”

Positive client feedback helped it sink in. “When clients respond positively, saying, ‘Good job, this was amazing,’ it’s incredibly affirming.” Equally important was Annabel's internal realisation. “I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, but at some point, I knew: I really can do this.”

No coffee runs, just coffee chats

Annabel’s journey at TSA Riley isn’t just defined by what she’s done—but who she’s done it with. “Going into your first corporate job, you think it’s going to be a big, scary organisation. But your project team becomes your second family. You’re working closely with your colleagues and your director. You’re having lunch with them. You’re not sitting on the sidelines. You’re in the conversation.”

It’s a culture you don’t find everywhere. “Friends in other programs tend to stick with their cohort. They hang out amongst themselves. But at TSA Riley, it’s a flat culture—you’re chatting with the CEO, you’re friends with your director, you’re really part of the broader team.”

And her advice to future grads? “Be open to all opportunities. There’s so many of them, and they come really unexpectedly… you just need to be willing to take on the challenge and step outside your comfort zone—infrastructure projects and all!”

Ready to take control of your own story?

Applications for TSA Riley’s 2026 graduate intake are now open – apply now.