Where are they now?
Chasing my dream
My name is Philip Silva Dias. I graduated from Cecil High School in 2008
My high school years
During my high school years I always had an interest in aviation. I was initially learning how to fly at the then Hoxton Park Airport, this unfortunately no longer exists covered now by distribution centres and suburban areas. I flew every week gaining hour after hour of flight experience. During high school, however, I was not the most attentive student but, as the heading rightly states, I had a dream and that was to be working in the aviation industry. I have now been working in the airline industry for the past five years in various functions and departments. Not only have I achieved my dream, but I hope to continue to grow and one day become a pioneer in the airline industry.
My journey
Currently, I have been working in Qatar Airways Cargo for the past four years, managing destination launches in the freighter and passenger networks, infrastructure projects, strategic initiatives, system development, business development. The list goes on.
Since I started on my journey, I worked hard every day. I said yes to every task that was thrown at me. Some of which I had zero experience in doing.
But the embedded Cecil Hills High School motto of “We Believe in Success” pushed me to succeed and surpass expectations in all the tasks that were given to me. I developed a reputation for being a reliable, results driven member of the cargo team. My experience expanded exponentially, I worked with other divisions in the company from the most basic functions such as facilities management to complex departments such as strategic planning.
In my personal life I continue to feed my thirst for knowledge by studying a Masters in Applied Project Management, building the theoretical knowledge on top of the practical experience that I have gained.
How did I get there?
In Year 11 and 12, I studied hard so that I could enrol in the Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) at the University of NSW, I was successful. However, flying became a little mundane - boring if you will. I then thought, why be a pilot when I could one day run the company in an industry that I have a passion for instead. I then began to study Aviation Management. This achievement didn't come without its ups and downs, being young and somewhat immature almost got me suspended from the dream that I had worked so hard to reach in high school. I knuckled down. I worked hard and achieved outstanding results in the next two years of my degree.
Towards the end of the degree, I was interning with QantasLink in flight operations. I was responsible for preparing rosters for both cabin and flight crew, definitely a great experience. At the same time I was headhunted by Qatar Airways to work in Doha, Qatar. I initially attended the interview to test my knowledge and gain interview experience. To my surprise I was called back for a second interview - held in Qatar. Everything was catered for, hotel, flights and even restaurant dining as some of the most prestigious restaurants in Doha. I prepped for my interview, and had gotten a tip that there would a panel of VIPs and senior managers present to assess whether I had what it takes to join the airline, no pressure!! Three weeks later they offered me a job in Qatar.
I never looked back
My biggest achievement so far was meeting the love of my life in Doha. I never expected to meet my future wife in a country half way across the world. I have now been married for almost 2 years and have enjoyed every moment of it.
Another achievement that I have accomplished has been travelling the world. I have been to countries in Asia, Europe and the USA. I have explored these countries their cultures and their history. The best one being spending two weeks in the USA for my birthday, a personal goal that I always wanted to achieve.