|
• Tell me about your background, education, work of choice.
Education:
Electronic & Electrical BEng, doing an MSc in System Level Integration (to get chartered engineer status with experience)
Work:
Placement, United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Prototype Fast Reactor Dounreay
Safety reports, plan for a new ultrasonic probe system.
Placement, Rolls-Royce, Design Office, Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment
Unifying report on configuration management systems used across the site (alot of books in that one!).
Placement, Rolls-Royce, Main Coolant Pump Facility, Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment
Alot of different tests (instrumentation mainly, setting up power analysers and so on) for the suitability of some of our plant to be used for another series of tests.
• How did you get your first job as an engineer? Contacts, adverts etc?
Contacts, and word of mouth was how I found out about the placement scheme (applied then got an interview). And the job was because of performance while on placements.
• How did the job interview go? Was it as you expected?
It went pretty much as I'd expected one HR and one engineer. No really surprising questions. I thought it was important to not seem too slick, simple honest answers all the way.
• How did you get your current job?
I've been offered the job I will be taking up by taking part in the undergraduate engineering placement scheme of the company basically.
• Why did they choose you?
In the first instance because I fitted the education profile and was enthusiastic and easy to work with, after that because of performance on placements.
• What kind of qualities in a person does your employer appreciate?
First priority is the education, you have to have that first obviously. Then it is pretty much all about how well you can work with people, while also being motivated enough to carry out the work.
• What is your current work assignment?
The last one I did was in my last placement with the suitability testing.
But the first thing they want me to do when I start is go off on another course! That’s basically to specialise me in their area (Naval Nuclear), but it's not cheap for them and it's not easy. So failing at that would not be a good idea (even though I'll have had 1 week off total since last year until the end of the course). It's taught by the navy so the standards will be high.
• What kind of responsibilities do you have within the company?
Right now none, but when I'm back at work it could be for a number of things, probably for signing off other peoples work and requests for work really, and organising people.
• How large part of the work is of technical nature?
Very little, but you need to have the background to understand what you are talking about with the technicians and so on. But most of the work will be more management style stuff.
• How do you work? Alone or in a group? How is the work divided among the people?
Normally there are a few different projects on the go at once so in some on my own and in others with groups or teams of people. It just depends how big the overall project is.
• How do manage to have both a private life and a working life? How do you prioritise?
Put simply when I'm at work I work. When I'm not I'll have fun (mostly at the weekend).
• Do you still have any contact with people from your education? Iss it in private or for work?
From my first degree, not a huge amount I've moved city and I'll be moving again. I speak to them on the internet sometimes but since I don't stay in the same place anymore or work with them. and it is a case of out of sight out of mind really.
• Is there any advice you would like to give to an engineer student today?
At every opportunity get any work experience possible. When you do go to work don't take any preconceptions about your role, or how much you know.
One of the most important things to remember is university, to me anyway, is just a big test that teaches you a few skills. It is unlikely that you will use the vast majority of what you learned. Do not assume you are going to wade in and straight off be able to do things.
For the first few years (possibly) of work you'll just be learning how to fit in with company learning the language of the business and the different structures that make it up.
Give the utmost respect to anyone (at whatever level) with experience. The guys at the "bottom", if you treat them with respect will be more willing and probebly more able to teach you than people "at your level". In some cases you'll be talking to guys with 20+ years of experience (many of whom are actually pretty smart!) and they will have forgotten more than you'll have learned in your degree. Learn from them.
|
Any graduate (University trained) engineer?
