yo, any students or people here previously done a year in industry? I’m really looking forward to starting mine just be good to hear from people who have actually done one…

cheers

I did one, was worth it for the experience, knowledge and contacts. I work where I did on my placement, I was struggling to find work and got in touch, they gave me a job straight away! I also really enjoy my job which is always a bonus.

The downside to my year in industry – where I work people commute from all over the place and there are very few people local, as well as also being few people of my age (especially during industrial year) so I found it pretty difficult to meet people outside of work. I picked up riding bikes again midway through the year which meant that I had something to do and met a few people though.

I did one mid way through my degree… in Vancouver. Best year of my life, I loved not having anything to worry about after finishing work at the end of the day. It meant that I could go biking on the North Shore or skiing without thinking of deadlines etc (as is now the case in final year).

The drawback for me was that I didn’t meet lots of people in the industry (in the UK) so now that I’m looking for a job I don’t have immediate contacts.

I used to help train lads who where studying Hnds, and degrees in industry, one important thing is ask lots of questions, keep a notebook,be nice to everyone, be freindly,LISTEN TO INSTRUCTIONS,do as youre told,and as an old timer once told me when i started my apprenticeship, 4 most important people in a works, canteen staff for getting bigger portions at lunch, stores men for getting stuff for free,security staff for letting you get stuff out,and your supervisor for getting a good report.It all worked for me.

Oh and finally muck in, dont be affraid to get your hands dirty, we had one lad, who refused to carry anything, who refused to work anywhere dirty or dusty, and was a general prat, he lasted about a week, and was sent back to the airplane industry, where he walked round all day dressed in a white coat, complete with name badge.He was happy,we got told.

I did a year placement in Chorley. Tiny wage = no car = taking up biking to make the most of what there was to offer locally (Rivington). Didn’t hang out with people from work because they all commuted, and the company had no idea what to do with me so I was pretty bored for a lot of the year.

Having said that, the experience was what landed me my first job before I even got my final results. Didn’t build contacts where I did my placement because the company only had a few years of work, and I didn’t want to go back to Chorley 😉

I did one. After 3 moths I got offered a full time position in the company and they paid for the last year of my degree. I’m still there now 5 years later. Best thing I have done for my career so far. What Project said pretty much hits the nail on the head, think of it as a 12 month interview, and get involved.

I did one – ended up working for IBM for a year in Hamburg. Hard work it was, but in terms of life experience, knowledge gained in my chosen field and giving a boost to my CV that has stood me in very good stead for many a year, it has been priceless.

I came very close to quitting my degree and staying working in Germany – it is something that I regretted for the final year of my course – which seemed rather false and pointless after working. In retrospect, however, I am very glad that I stuck with it.

Good luck in your placement.

Thanks very much all – all very positive stuff! Glad to hear of the significant improvement on your CVs it added as well.

I’m at Uni in Nottingham and luckily enough my placement is only down the (train) line with E.ON at Ratcliffe on Soar, so weighing up staying here with my pals!

The role is very interesting (mainly emissions/contamination etc) but the potential opportunity to get involved with other on and off site jobs – potential of getting covered in coal fairly high 😉

I’m damn lucky and extremely grateful of the opportunity!

All the best all,

Patrick

well worth doing and a good opportunity but remember you are just the boy / girl and may have to do things you don’t want to do would do a different way yourself e.t.c.

I enjoined bits of mine hated bits of mine but I learned a lot. Pay is obviousnessly very low but there is chance you can cost the company you work for money so you just have to suck it up. Enjoy it and take the good points and ignore bitter miserable people like me who moan when tired. 🙂

Not been there yet, but I’m tempted. You doing Geography Patrick?

well worth doing and a good opportunity but remember you are just the boy / girl and may have to do things you don’t want to do would do a different way yourself e.t.c.

fwiw I’d still suggest my way of doing things. At least then they can explain why not to do it that way or may even have just not thought of it/know about it.

Pay isn’t too bad if I’m honest, just a bonus to the experience.

@ sambob, no. I’m do Sustainable Built Environment, which is mainly building services engineering, but had modules on fuels/waste as well as a few in the geography school. Get on it – very popular I was lucky that they sorted it out for me. 4 weeks ago I hadn’t even applied..

Thanks for the input everyone.

Professionally- I’d very much recommend it. As a uni, our case studies show a big improvement in employability. It’s not universally good but in the majority of cases, any negative side comes from a bad placement rather than it being a bad concept.

I get you, that sounds pretty good. Doing Geography from September, planning to sort something out, even if it’s just a summer rather than a full year in industry.

I enjoyed every second of mine. It made me realise that work colleagues are invariably complete knobs.

I did everything I could to avoid them after work. I made a very independent and fulfilling life for myself outside of work and that is something I’ve maintained since then.

Making platonic friendships with ladies in the office is always a good move if you refrain from knobbing them

We have a guy who is 16 doing one day a week with us. He’s very smart, however, constantly checking his phone. Always turns up tired and yawning. And never says thank you for anything. I like him but I wouldn’t employ him

If it’s an engineering placement it’s definitely worth it. It’ll look great on your CV even if you decide to work in a different industry at the end of your degree.

fwiw I’d still suggest my way of doing things. At least then they can explain why not to do it that way or may even have just not thought of it/know about it.

True. Like most things its not necessaries about what you do / say its how you go about saying / doing it.

I reckon a year in industry should be compulsory for everyone who wants an engineering degree. I still think I was lucky to choose my apprenticeship instead of my degree course.

Listen good – try and find a useful role where you’re not treading on toes, make sure you know how to work a kettle*.

*I’m not saying be the tea boy – but engineering is fuelled by tea – learn the rituals.

Best thing I ever did. Ensured I got a job straight from uni and I don’t reckon I’d be where I am today without it.

I would recommend it, and regularly do recommend it to my students.

The only downside I see, as a lecturer, is that some students lose a little bit of focus on the rest of their studies, if they know they have a job lined up already – but this is on a student by student basis, not universal, but it has been the case that I think they could have got a better classification than they do.

The only people who graduated from my course with a 2:1 were those who did placement years. Nobody got a 1st, and the rest got 2:2 or below. The big thing it gave me was the ability to see through all the crap they set us to do in our final year, and focus on exactly what I needed to do to get the best grade possible. It also teaches you that in engineering, academia is very far from the the real world of work.

I would also echo the comments about knowing your place – nobody likes a know it all undergrad/grad.

I did a sandwich year and it definitely helps and those that did generally got better degrees. Even though the job wasn’t what I wan’t to do (it was CAD draughting for machinery production and I wanted an industrial design placement)it really helped me learn how to manage my time and to target what was important in getting results and what wasn’t.
It was a great year too, I lived in a house with some newly graduated young professionals, cost of living was almost at student levels but I was earning a wage (if only a very small one, I had no responsibility and every weekend was party time.

I was the team principal in our formula student team at uni. I couldn’t tell many of the guys names by the end of the first week, but it was easy to tell who had been on a placement, and who hadn’t. They guys who had were keen, eager and handy.

I did one and it was the best thing I did by far at uni. Engineering degree so hard graft, mostly academic rather than hands on annoyingly, so bit of a drag a lot of the time. Placement put it all into perspective, the skills you get from uni are just tools, don’t forget to actively try and develop your attitude, as many above says get stuck in, be conversational, inquisitive and you’ll get a good reputation. And try to be incredibly thorough in your work (depending on area), although a couple of mistakes always get through, it makes a managers job far easier if they can learn to trust your work.

Finally on job prospects, it depends how hard it is to get a job in that industry. A good engineering graduate won’t struggle currently, so the contacts aren’t essential (I didn’t go back to my placement for full time graduate job, they offered but I took something else), but it’s good to build them up anyway, as the world of work quickly appears to me, very incestuous. Everyone knows a lot of people all over the place, which is where your personality comes into it, building up a good reputation.

i joined Corus, on my first day they announced 5000 redundancies – my new boss reassured us that we still had our placements.

but there was more-or-less sod all for us to do.

i drank a lot of tea.

To add to the points above:

I ended up canceling my year in industry due to a recommendation. Best decision possible as I came out of uni just before the big downturn. Rates of employment in the industry for the graduate year after me fell by something like 50%.

For you, it may well be exactly the opposite and by delaying graduating by a year, you will possibly enter a more buoyant market, increasing job numbers & additionally being more employable due to your experience.

I did one, in IT. I wish I’d chosen where I went more carefully. Whilst I enjoyed it and it was good work experience the actual IT stuff was using fairly old technology. When I graduated employers were only interested in what I’d done in my working year, so I was indirectly forced into continuing my career with the old tech. This was in the back end of a recession so employers could be choosy and I couldnt.

Thanks very much to all of you for taking the time to comment on your experiences.

Certainly has answered my questions!

I shall eagerly await my start at E.ON 😀

I did one in 1999, best thing that ever happened to me. Ensured I stood out from other graduates and had something to talk about and give examples of at interviews.

I did one – spent my third year at a magnesium foundry. Great experience, I got paid and it definitely helped me get a job. It also helped me decide what area I wanted to specialise in for the last year of my degree.