Work experience

benneally

hi guys. im starting an engineering degree later this year (if i make my hard offer) and i am looking for work experience in the mountian biking world. I want to design bike components, and work for a British brand, like hope of orange, or even cotic. Does anyone have any suggestions for other brands i have not thought of? Hope would be perfect, but its all the way north and as i live in sunny little rutland, i was looking for somewhere a little closer to home!
Cheers guys!

dave_hill

Can't really help with suggestions for companies, but can I give you some advice and/or ask some questions?

First off, does your degree course include any vocational training? The reason that I ask is that engineering graduates can find it very difficult to find employment on completion, simply because of a lack of practical skills.

I did a modern apprenticeship, and qualified about 15 years ago with an HND in mechanical engineering. I've worked in engineering design ever since and been able to apply my skills from day one - and I still get a kick out of making prototype parts and meachanisms myself!

By comparison, the company that I work for now employed a graduate engineer last May. Nice guy, very clever and knows his onions in his chosen field (robotics and control systems), but we've had to spend an awful lot of time teaching him about the practicalities and the "muck and bullets" side of engineering. At first he found it very demoralising because he couldn't put his education into practice, but he's gradually coming on and getting the experience.

Also, don't be blinkered by your desire to design and make bike parts! There's an awful lot of crossover between sectors - aerospace, automotive and motorsport, composites, and even shipbuilding can all give you good experience and as a good engineer you will then be able to branch out and do your own thing!

I started out in machine tool design and manufacture, and I now work in packaging and material handling. I've got to the stage where I want to do my own thing and I have one or two ideas (although I can't tell you what they are or I'd have to kill you... :shock: ).

I do hope that all goes according to plan for you, but if you can get some practical training as well as the theoretical it will stand you in very good stead and make your transition from education to working life so much easier!

Nick Dastardly

dave_hill wrote:

First off, does your degree course include any vocational training? The reason that I ask is that engineering graduates can find it very difficult to find employment on completion, simply because of a lack of practical skills.

This is a very good point. I'm just coming to the end of my degree, a 5 year Master's in Automotive Engineering which included a year's work experience. I know a few people that started their degree the same time as me but didn't do the work experience and they've all found it very difficult finding work. My best friend spent over a year looking for a job after he'd graduated, and on the other hand I was offered a job 6 months before I graduate, along with the three other engineers I live with and several other people on my course. There's a definite link there!

Lots of companies offer year placements and you learn more in a couple of weeks than you do in a whole year of lectures.

Good luck with it!

benneally

wow thanks for your responses! The advice is good about finding work after the degree, but I have some help. Firstly its at cambridge, which opens up a couple of doors, and i already have some experience done/lined up. I have done some work experience with the RAF and have some more lined up for christmas. I just wanted to do some in bikes before i start in october....