Get on the ladder: engineering

Fascinated by how things work and love to solve problems? A career in engineering could be perfect for you! In this guide, Lynsey Dickel (Student Recruitment Officer at Dyson) gives us her insider tips on the skills and experience you’ll need to stand out from the crowd and get started on prepping for your dream job.

Who works in Engineering?

At its core, engineering is about finding, creating, and designing solutions for real-world problems, and there are different types of engineers to tackle these problems:

• Chemical and materials engineers use their knowledge of chemistry to convert chemicals or other raw materials into more useful materials, like cleaning solutions or fuel.
• Civil engineers design and build infrastructures like bridges, roads, or buildings.
• Mechanical engineers work on the design, construction, and use of machines.
• Software engineers help build software and apps.
• Electrical engineers design the electrical, electronic, and electromagnetic systems that power our technology, for example, batteries or sensors.

There are also a wide range of roles in engineering, for example:

• Acoustics and vibration engineers design products to limit unwanted noise and maximise the quality of any desired sound.
• Aerospace engineers design and develop things like aircraft, spacecraft, and satellites.
• Design engineers use CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) tools to create prototypes of a product.
• Data engineers help to collect and analyse data from tests performed on a new product to see if the design will work.
• Energy engineers design and install energy systems like solar panels and wind turbines.

Sophie, an acoustics and vibration engineer (and former apprentice) at Dyson, explains what she enjoy s most about her role:

‘I particularly enjoy the practical application of problem solving. In my team there’s a clear link between theory and practice, and it’s really rewarding to see physical tests matching a simulated or theoretical solution! I also love seeing products that we’ve worked on being launched to market, especially when an acoustics claim is a selling point! One great example is Dyson’s Purifier Cool Formaldehyde. For this project, I took a lead on the acoustics and aimed to create a 20% improvement with no compromise on fan performance. Seeing this project make it to market was a real highlight!’ 

What skills will you need to demonstrate?

Employers in the engineering sector will often look for:

• Problem solving and Creativity. Engineering is all about finding answers to problems. You need to use your creativity to turn challenging tasks into profitable solutions.
• Teamwork and Communication. Engineers work in teams with different types of engineers, designers, and project managers; teamwork and communication skills help keep projects on track.
• Numeracy. Engineers need a good understanding of things like algebra, trigonometry, and differentiation, as well as the ability to apply these concepts to real-world scenarios.
• Digital literacy (specifically using computer languages). Engineers work with computers to manage data and automate tasks, so you’ll need to be familiar with high-level computer languages, like MATLAB or Python.

 An engineer at Dyson explains why it’s important for engineers to think creatively:

‘Creativity allows you to step away from a problem, and look at it from different perspectives. It means keeping an open mind and looking past the obvious. Apply creativity to any problem, and you get innovation!’

How can you get experience?

Through school, college, or university

• Join a robotics, engineering, or STEM club. If your school or college doesn’t have one, have a chat with your maths or science teacher about setting one up. You’ll be able to take part in challenges, learn things you wouldn’t find out in class, and build your skills.
• Enter an engineering competition. If you’re at school or college, ask your teachers to get involved in The Great Science Share for Schools. There are six weeks worth of activities you can get involved in, you’ll be learning alongside students across the world, and you could have your questions answered by top scientists like Brian Cox! If you’re at university, you can get involved in Formula Student as part of your degree and test yourself with challenges at Silverstone! Or you can sign up to the Railway Challenge to live test your skills!
• Join a student society. If you’re at university, whether your passion is aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, or electrical engineering, you’ll very likely find a student society that suits your interests.
• Develop other skills. If your school or college doesn’t have many STEM-related opportunities, develop other skills like communication and teamwork, by joining a sports club or music group.

Elsewhere

• Volunteer. Your volunteer placement doesn’t have to be STEM related – if you’re passionate about the environment, for example, get involved with Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth. It will still look great on applications, you’re likely to pick up some useful transferable skills, and if you do end up working in environmental engineering, you’ll have tons of experience!
• Get MOOCing. Check out Unifrog’s MOOCs tool and select ‘Civil and Environmental Engineering’, ‘Electrical Engineering’, ‘Mechanical Engineering’, or all three, and learn something new! You can also look for relevant courses on our Courses tool. If you want to develop computer language skills, check out Free Code Camp.
• Attend webinars. EXPOs are large, international exhibitions, and many are specific to a certain career sector or industry. They’re a great opportunity to talk to different engineering companies, and find out what their work involves.
• Get some work experience. Workplace experience can include anything from a day spent shadowing an engineer through to a 12-month industrial placement. It could be paid or voluntary – it all counts! Many companies in the Engineering sector will take on students for work placements, even if just for a week. You’ll get valuable insight into working in a particular area of engineering, and be able to try out different areas to help you decide on the right path for you.
• Get a part-time job. Even if it’s not directly engineering-related, you’ll still develop a range of skills that engineers need, like problem solving, teamwork, and communication skills.

Remember, you can use Unifrog’s Activities tool to record any academic or extracurricular activities you’ve done and link these to skill on the Skills tool. This makes it easy to use these examples in any job or education applications you make after leaving school or college.
 

Routes into the industry

Internships during your degree

If you plan to study engineering at university, look out for degree programmes that have an internship or year in industry built in. You’ll learn valuable skills, build your experience, make valuable contacts in the industry.

Apprenticeships

If you’re certain that you want a career in this industry, consider doing an apprenticeship. There are usually a range of paid apprenticeships across different areas of engineering giving you experience, a qualification, and lots of great contacts. Use Unifrog’s Apprenticeships tool to search for engineering apprenticeship opportunities.

Dyson offers a four-year engineering degree-apprenticeship where you’ll earn a BEng (Hons) Engineering degree and learn on the job. Check Nathalie’s story to find out more including how to apply to the programme.

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