[Closed] Any engineers in the house?

You certainly have a good understanding in the use of smilies, so go for it. 🙂

Sounds like a plan.

I'm a Section Engineer working for Balfour Beatty, the job can be very satisfying but can (apparently) also be very stressful - to the point where a fair few of the High Street Banks employ engineers as project managers etc as they can handle teh pressures of the banking world with ease and have the organisational skills to match too.

You'll find that in most large engineering companies alot of the senior management & board are former engineers too.

You do get a fantastic feeling when you build something or are directly involved with the construction of a large project when it's finished and you know you're responsible for parts or all of it.

We've just finished a 6 1/2km long new train line in the East Midlands, most satisfying when you stand back and take a look at what you've done (I was lead rail engineer on that job).

Go for it, the skills you develop as an engineer open so many doors outsdie of the pre-defined engineering world it's crazy.

Personally I did computer science, cos like gadgets and technology. I've done work with hardware and it turns out that nowadays most of the complexity is in the software / firmware anyway, so they get a programmer / 'software engineer' (i.e. me) in. Although engineering has a lot of programming in the course nowadays, so they do get a basic idea of how to write software, and they do get to play with some big dangerous toys that us software people don't.

Engineers I knew at uni either went into military / defense related firms, or to city banks. If you don't like making things that kill people / help other people kill people, many engineering careers are a bit limited it seems.

Joe

Well you're going to have to be a bit more specific than "Engineering" as there are many different types of engineer. Once out of university there isn't much call for most of the Maths/Physics and I have to say that it's not exactly the most rewarding job on the planet. Having said that it does pay well, or at least it can depending on the industry, and you don't have to deal with members of the public which means that dress codes are relatively relaxed.

Ultimately it's a job like any other, sometimes it's challenging other times it's dull and if you do your job properly no one will ever know.

Im an engineer in the automotive industry and whilst I am enjoying my job I would recommend not specialising too much i.e. do Mechanical Engineering not Automotive Engineering Design as I did. That way you give yourself more options if the specific industry you are in suffers!

Bit of a greenie, so was thinking Envirnmental Engineering might be of interest? Thought tbh I suspect saving the planet ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Bit silly and trite, but I watch all those programs along the lines of 'Megastructures', 'How do they do that?', 'Scrapyard Challenge' etc and I love them, I really do like seeing what makes things tick; I often find myself looking at things like a massive vehicle/boat/building and being amazed at the fact that it had to be planned and built from scratch etc (even if I don't understand completely how myself, though I guess with education you learn that...)

Are there any particular Uni's that are better than others for their Engineering Faculty? Where'd you guys study?

cheers 🙂

Geotechnical Engineering. Designing foundations for offshore wind turbines, gas platforms, jack ups etc. Bit of a blend of engineering and the environmentally/geography/soils world.
Studied at Newcastle Uni. Was an MSc though - or are you looking for undergrad courses?

I did materials engineering at Leeds uni, and once I had pissed all my money away i found the course to be really interesting, so much so I stayed on and currently doing a PhD in that field. Certainly Leeds have really good facilities and have lots of ties to the commercial world.
Don't go to an open days when choosing you uni, find an email address of a lecturer who's work interest you and talk to him directly, they are all very open guys and while the students are on holiday you will find they have a bit of time on there hands.
Oh i think Leeds has got some descent riding near it:)
Hope that helps.

Well I did mainframe computer field engineering for 20 years. It gradually became a deskilled numpty role, but now the job has all but gone for the vast majority - technology got too cheap and reliable. Engineers were never given much respect and this was reflected in the poor rates of pay and bad treatment. Ok, so £50-60k isn't a bad salary, but when you give up Christmas, Easter, Bank holidays, half your weekends (without knowing which ones, often only hours in advance), the salary looses it's appeal.

I'm sure there are some great jobs is R&D, or in civil engineering.

Pick an industry that is not going to get devoured by the success of it's own technology!

As the UK treats engineering as a bit of an oddball profession and because we'd sooner close a factory than preserve it's huge collective skill base, don't expect a stable future.

Avoid anything to do with support at ALL costs, unless you want to give over your whole life for peanuts.

Accountancy or Law are better professions. Stable respectable plod along jobs that command a reasonable income and which can lead to some high flying jobs.

I did Mechanical Engineering - pretty broad course contents so it keeps your options open job wise when you finish uni. Found it pretty hard going at times though.

Check out the uni websites and they shoudl break down each sublect a bit more.

Accountancy and Law may be more stable, but I suspect I might not enjoy them much...

I'll be doing an undergrad degree to start with, currently based in London and would most likely need to stay near here (my wife has a stable job here, though I guess I could live elsewhere and commute down on weekends, not ideal as it would add to the cost for us).

Any London Uni's stand out (Queen Mary, City Uni, Imperial College etc)?

Accountancy or Law are better professions. Stable respectable plod along jobs that command a reasonable income

Maybe, although right now, none of the big firms are hiring many graduates - maybe it'd be okay in 3 years, who knows.

and which can lead to some high flying jobs.

But the high flying jobs = 24hr, ridiculous amount of work give them your soul type work. Much worse than computer support. As a bonus, they have a really high drop out rate as people discover they don't want to spend their whole life at work. Oh yeah, and it can be hard to get the jobs as a mature student, as they don't want people with a strong personality, they want people they can mould into being one of them.

Personally I think you'd be an idiot to go to university just to do something like accountancy or law, unless you are really interested in them. It's like a waste of 3 years, followed by a waste of the rest of your life. You might as well do something that interests you at university.

Joe

I did a very broad based civil engineering degree (Bristol) and have spent my career (so far) working on building structures. Although the job (as any) can have its low points I love being involved in the process of creating a new building.

I work more at the architectural end of the business and find that although the work is not always challenging from an engineering standpoint, finding a solution that satisfies the whole project team, from designers to builders to clients, is often the biggest challenge. Very rewarding when you get it right. Definitely an opportunity to go for green solutions too, with the right client.

In my previous job I worked on the big projects (stadia etc) but found that you are only ever see one part of the project, in my current job work on much smaller things and have complete control over every aspect, something I find much more rewarding. Although automotive/aerospace engineering sounds sexy, most of the people I've met working in those industries are super specialised (met someone recently that designed the toilets in long haul aircraft - what a job!).

The downsides are it's not really a 9-5 job (at least here) and the pay is low compared to IT/finance type people, but I make enough for a mortgage, toys, travel and a reasonably nice lifestyle. No Porsche sat in the driveway though!

Overall I agree with the poster above who said that you should find a really broad based course if you can, you shouldn't limit your possibilities too soon. Engineering degrees are also quite highly rated in other industries, many in my course went in completely different directions, just make sure it's a well respected uni. Maybe try and get some work experience (yes I know you're 32) and see how you feel after a couple of weeks in an office or on site.

Good luck with the decision.

Thanks to all for the detailed replies, appreciated... been having a bit of a gander at the UCAS site and I'm a bit overwhelmed and worried by the selection process... not sure how I'll go, couple of things working against me that I can see: mature student, educated in Australia (so no UK figures to point to)...

Oh and another problem... need to get the blingin application in by Tuesday 😯

For engineering imperial is the best in the country, and 3rd in the world iirc. I went to sheffield and did chemical & process engineering, now work in oil & gas, in a tiny company with a big idea or three, couldn't work for a coporation ever again, didn't like just being a number...

Do you need to go through UCAS? I went into degree (admittedly 16 years ago)from an apprenticeship / HNC route and it was just a case of talking direct with the course leader and being offered a place direct (they were keen to get capable people from different backgrounds rather than regular GCSE-Alevel-degree treadmill).

From a cost and (family) lifestyle point of view things will be much easier if you study somewhere in daily commuting distance from home.

Automotive test / r&d is fun but rapidly shrinking prospects. Motorsport looks glam but lots of potential for long hours and poor pay. Aerospace looks promising but a bit dull and very niche (you generally work on some little teeny tiny bit of a project). Can't help thinking that currently buoyant military aerospace stuff is heading for drastic Govt order book cutbacks in the next few years.....

Nuclear power looks to be a growth area - lots of jobs overseeing decommisioning and plenty of new build prospects coming up. Guess this could be pretty dull but has potential for living near some good MTB areas!

I spent two years at Imperial doing Mech Eng, hated it. 200 people in my year, all very highbrow theoretical work. Moved to Kings (wanted to stay in London) to do Mechatronics. Very different, class of about 30 and much more hands-on & personal. So if you're set about the degree route, think about what sort of environment you'd want.

I graduated in 98 and moved to a job in the water industry with one of the big water companies, M&E engineering. Moved into the process side after a couple of years and, a short career interlude later, still in it. Don't know about saving the planet, but I can look back with a certain satisfaction knowing I've played a significant part in cleaning some rivers up and generating lots of renewable energy!

My job now consists of a mix of process design work, managing a team of process engineers (I get to cherrypick the interesting jobs for myself!!!), and having a big input to business planning & strategy. It's a good mix. I've been with the same company for 12 years (crikey) and during that time also spent time working in HR (flame away), specifically training and development. So what people say about transferrable skills is abosultely spot on.

My time there looking after graduate and apprenticeship programmes does make me say - don't rush into a panic university application, think about other routes in such as working in a relevant industry (no better way to work out whether it's for you or not) and studying alongside work, supported by your employer. Check out the foundation degree route, they were after all designed as programmes for more mature students to study alongside work (even if many places have replaced their traditional HNC route with them) and lead into conversion to "full" degree.

OK, the job market is not great at the moment but there's always some companies out there who know they need to plan for their future workforce.

Finally, I wouldn't stress about the recentness or relevance of your academic background. Any place worth going to (academic or industry) should value your real-world experience and the fact you've arrived at a mature career decision based upon your situation in life. Worth more than an 18yo applying for a course that their careers officer told them they should do.

I'll shut up now.

Robbydog, thanks for the response, appreciated. I was going to ask the forum about the Foundation degree route, such as that offered by City Uni at their Westminster College... might be a good way to get into the swing of things, seeing as I don't have any real world experience (in Engineering anyhow!).

But in all honesty, I feel ready to just get on with it, not sure I'd be happy doing a 'wasted' first year of foundation before moving on to the degree proper. I know I can do uni (I've been there before but due to various issues I ****ed it up). I know I'm intelligent, but I've just never applied myself to prove it... But I'm ready now, I hope... I just need to get into a degree (and I'm not sure I will through UCAS?)

Not too keen on 'high-brow theoretical work', I'm more a hands on get dirty type of person... Kings, is that University of London?

cheers 😀

I'd second spending some time thinking about this before diving straight into applications. Maybe plan to do it next year, spend some time visiting uni/cities, get into some offices or onto sites and have some convincing things to say at interview - if you send in a scattergun UCAS application they are less likely to take you seriously.

If The Times still publishes their university rating this might be a good start, see where the top rated engineering departments are, have a look at their research rating (good research = good opportunities and teachers).

It looks as though there are a few people here willing to help and offer advice, keep the questions coming.

A

Yeah, I didn't realise the application process closes next Tuesday, I honestly don't think I would be able to get a convincing one done by then 🙁 But I really want to get this underway asap (but am I latching onto engineering unnecessarily? I also enjoy photography and I'm pretty good at it, hobby wise, should I get into this? aaaargh, why are life decisions so ****ing hard...)

i have just finished my degree in civil engineering in bath, very interesting and very broad and plenaty of job offers. had a mature student in our year though he was only 30 haha and he loved it.

Why not apply to Birkbeck, you can do it in the evenings (keep your job) and at the end of it your degree comes from the same awarding body as UCL, LSE etc etc..