How to make the most of your degree: career tips from a graduate engineer

15 October 2018

6 mins

I arrived at Loughborough in 2013, having never studied ‘engineering’ in my life before. I didn’t have LinkedIn, I had never had a job, and I certainly didn’t know what a CV was.

In all honesty, I didn’t really know what I wanted from my Mechanical Engineering degree, I just knew I liked the look of Loughborough, and the department seemed welcoming. In the five years since, I had an immeasurably fun time, got to take part in some fantastic work and activities, and to top it off I now have enough relevant experience to get me to the interview stage of some of the coolest engineering jobs out there.

The next three / four / five years of your life are going to be a rollercoaster. You will have the most fun you’ve ever had, party hard, study harder, and make some lifelong friends in the process. And at the end of it, you’ll come out with a degree.

You’ll emerge, blinking in the sunlight, along with tens of thousands of other graduates across the country. And now, you have to find a job. Sooner or later the cushioning embrace of student finance will end, and the realities and burdens of the real world will start to take hold. It can at times be easy to forget the end goal of studying for all those late nights; to get a fantastic job once you graduate. The problem is, thousands of other students are trying to do the exact same thing. And thus, you need to stand out from the crowd. The sooner you realise this, the better.

But fear not, there are plenty of ways in which you can stand out. Below is a cheat-sheet of some fantastic schemes and pro-tips I’ve come across over the last 5 years, with input from several colleagues too. I hope this will help you to make the most of the next few years, and to help you take the first steps towards an amazing and fulfilling career.

I attended the Seeds for the Future scheme in 2015, and that included a visit to the British Embassy in Beijing!

Summer / Year Placements & Overseas Trips

Placements are, in a word, invaluable. Their effects often ‘snowball’ – getting a summer placement after your first year of Uni can greatly increase your chances of getting a top industrial placement, and so on and so on… Placements are a great way of gaining experience, earning some extra cash, developing your network and understanding whether a company is right for you before applying to a graduate role! The University Careers Network are an invaluable help in getting your CV in check and preparing you for those first interviews.

Huawei ‘Seeds for the Future’ Program

An all-expenses paid 4-week trip to China, with training and networking events all throughout the month. The website is a year out-of-date but they’ve been running the scheme for years so the information and contact details should still be correct.

Global Grand Challenges Summit 2019 (London; TBC) and 2021 (China; TBC)

Some travel bursaries are available for travel to the London and China GGCS summits, coming up in 2019 and 2021 (websites TBC). Some of the biggest names in engineering and technology attend these events, and there is a huge push for student involvement – info on the 2017 summit here.

UK Space Agency SPINternship scheme

One for the space enthusiasts – a UKSEDS and UKSA-backed scheme to collate a huge bunch of summer internship opportunities in the space sector in the UK. Check regularly for new job updates and look up the completed list for an idea of some of the incredible projects available to students.

I took part in the 2018 SPINternship scheme and got to meet dozens of space companies throughout the summer, as well as the chance to present at NEOCONF18.

Adecco Way to Work – CEO for One Month – (EUR 15,000/mo salary)

Scholarships, Prizes and Professional Development Schemes

A scholarship, prize or professional development scheme is a fantastic way of getting a leg up towards the top jobs. These schemes give you extra cash that you can use to seek out development experiences around the UK or even the world, and some even include leadership training courses, or lots of free publicity which can attract recruiters to your LinkedIn.

Apply in 1^st Year:

IMechE Undergraduate Scholarships – (£2k/yr during your degree)

IET Diamond Scholarships – (£1k – £3k/yr during your degree)

Apply in 2^nd Year:

Royal Academy of Engineering; Engineering Leaders Scholarships

£5k scholarship across three years, plus a leadership training and networking weekend every autumn across three cohorts of the scheme.

One of the people in this photo co-founded a company that’s now valued at £1.8 million, not bad for 12 months’ work!

Apply Anytime:

Telegraph STEM Prize – Paid summer internship, chance at £25k grand prize

Look on The Scholarship Hub for more opportunities

STEM Outreach, Positions of Responsibility & Voluntary Work

If you don’t manage to secure a placement or a scholarship, fear not; there is still plenty you can do to maximise your chances. If you can gain experiences in positions of responsibility, in a non-engineering job or as a volunteer, you will often be able to talk about the skills you gained in an interview. At Loughborough, there are a huge range of options;

LSU Society Committees
Programme Rep / President
Sports Club Committee
LSU Executive Committees
Volunteering / Fundraising – STEM outreach (LSU Action, or with a placement company) or Maths Mentoring (via the University Student Ambassador program).

And don’t worry; it is possible to take on a couple of extracurricular roles during your degree, and still have time for a (moderate) social life, alongside getting good grades(!)

Often companies will give you the chance to volunteer as a STEM Ambassador – I volunteered to help organise an engineering residential for 16-18-year olds, for my placement company in 2016.

Networking, Conferences, Professional Registration and Final Advice

Finally, make the most of the professional body representing your field of interest; be that the IMechE, IET, RAeS, IOM3, etc. Try and attend as many events as you can; including the big conferences that seem to have a hefty entry fee. In those cases, give the organisers a call – they often have a few seats available for students at a massive (80-90%) discount, and some even give out free tickets to students. Attending these events can really help to inspire you and get you close to some of the big companies in the UK – even the odd astronaut!

The Royal Aeronautical Society have some great events throughout the year, and you don’t need to be studying Aeronautical Engineering to join. Membership for all STEM students at University is FREE!

It’s a lot to take in, and I can appreciate it can all be a bit overwhelming when you’re just starting out on your degree as an 18-year-old. But take the time to read through this article, and plan the next five years of your life;