By Hussein Khimji

At college I studied Maths, Chemistry and Biology in anticipation of reading Pharmacy at University.  I didn't study separate sciences for GCSE but a double GCSE of combined sciences which was great. However I later found that I didn't enjoy biology and that Chemistry wasn't great either so Pharmacy wasn't for me.

Not knowing how to progress my education further someone mentioned engineering to me, I researched into it and it was a subject that appealed to me, specifically mechanical engineering.

Maths and Physics is a must for an engineering degree.  I had to apply for a foundation course in engineering as I didn't have an A Level in Physics.  The foundation course normally consists of three A levels, Maths, Further Maths and Physics condensed into one year.

If you have maths and a physics A level you can normally proceed onto an Engineering degree.  After completing my foundation in engineering I embarked on the actual mechanical engineering degree which was a sandwich course (three years study and a year in industry).

The first year of study is generic to most engineering courses and if the areas of engineering you have chosen doesn't suit you, you can normally switch to a different type of engineering degree before you start your second year.  Engineering is so diverse that there is always an area that you can go into, chemical, biomedical, civil, aerospace, manufacturing, software, defence and the list goes on.

The second year of study concentrates on the field of engineering you have chosen to study.  Mechanical engineering consists of Finite Element Analysis (computer simulation for engineering analysis), Thermodynamics (analysis of particle motion in systems with regards to temperature, pressure and volume), and Fluid Mechanics (study of fluids and forces on them) which are mandatory modules.  Aerospace engineering would be based on similar modules but with an aeronautical slant.  Civil engineering would consist of structures and materials, manufacturing and safety modules.  Most engineering courses have a financial module attached to them also as well as a group project (however, course content varies from university to university).

The third year for me was my placement year working for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in different areas having an engineering interest.  Working for the MoD was quite interesting and eye opening to say the least, it was based on three different departments (RAF, Private Company and a R&D facility).

Getting a placement can lead to the company offering you a job once you have finished university if you impress them (most careers advisors will tell you it's a one year interview)!  And when you graduate employers want a candidate who has some engineering experience rather than just a degree, so a year in industry will do your engineering CV good.

It is very hard to get a placement with some of the top companies such as Aston Martin and Atkins as all engineering students from UK universities apply for the few positions these companies offer.  Placements can vary; some of my friends had placements with Kodak, Jaguar, Airbus and Corus to name a few.  Some financial institutions also recruit engineers.

My fourth year of study was my final year and the hardest in my opinion.  The subjects that you study in year two are normally carried forward to the final year but taught on a deeper level as well as undertaking a final year project which counts towards two modules, not forgetting looking for a job for when you graduate!

I graduated from University with a BEng (Hons) degree a year after my placement.  Initially I wanted to go into mechanical design and development, but having a year with the MoD made me more suited to Defence oriented companies.  I joined my first company, a defence consultancy four months after graduating and attained consultant status after two years.  I stayed with the company for a total of three years before moving on to an independent engineering company that is defence based.  I now specialise in ARM (availability, reliability and maintainability) engineering and Whole Life Cost solutions.

With my job I always have to travel as the majority of defence consultancies/companies are based in open areas and hardly ever in a built up environment.  At the moment I have to commute approximately 90 miles a day which takes up about three hours of my day.

Travelling to and from clients is also essential in this field, I have had to leave home at 5.30am to get to early morning meetings  at a clients on the south coast, this happens about once a month for me so its not an everyday thing although it is tiring.

With the projects that I work on I do see some fascinating work, I have previously worked on the new bomb disposal robot and also focused my final year project at university on ‘the alternatives to anti-personnel landmines'.  It is certainly not your everyday job.

Other interesting jobs in engineering is a company who specialise in explosive testing on bank safes, and a company that makes armoured vehicles that are bullet and explosive resistant for people like our premier, Mr G Brown.

Other areas of engineering which appeal to many people is the engineers who design theme park rides and control systems, going to Alton Towers as your place of work sure beats sitting in an office 9-5, but the responsibilities that come with a job of that nature are enormous and not to be taken lightly.

Engineering jobs are available all over the world, the Middle East is a hotspot at the moment for recruiting engineers especially in the oil and construction industry.

Overall, engineering is a good profession to go into and easy enough to move into a different area.

If you like designing, creating, testing or even breaking things, and are a good problem solver, engineering could be the way forward.