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Monster: What made you want to be a Structural Design Engineer?
Thomas: From an early age I was always fascinated by how things worked. Never content with the fact that they did work, I needed to know how! With a natural liking for Mathematics and Physics it was a logical step to move towards the engineering industry and, due to a life long love of all things that fly, I decided to specialise in the Aeronautical field.
After leaving University, where I studied Aerospace Engineering, I managed to find a three month industrial placement with a local company who offered me a full time job at the end of the placement. I initially started with the company as a Design Engineer concentrating on a variety of disciplines but later became more specialised due to company requirements.
What skills and education are essential to your job?
In terms of educational requirements, a University Degree, or equivalent, in an Engineering subject is essential to becoming a fully approved Design Engineer. A good grasp of Engineering procedures and processes is also a must. Other skills that are used on a daily basis include an understanding of engineering drawings, advanced mathematics and the ability to deal with stressful situations in a calm and controlled manner.
Time management is also critical, very rarely will I complete a job from start to finish without being interrupted with urgent work that requires me to drop everything I’m doing. As a result, you end up having a large number of tasks that need to be prioritised and completed as efficiently as possible. Design Engineering is a job in which you will never stop learning; there is a significant amount of on the job training in order to keep up with the latest technologies being brought onto the market.
What advice can you offer someone wanting to become a Structural Design Engineer?
Due to the large amounts of money associated with an aircraft being delayed or grounded, and due to the seriousness of any problems occurring, working in the Aerospace Industry can be very stressful. If you are intending to work in the industry, especially in the design sector, make sure that you can cope with these stressful situations. I would also suggest trying to get some hands on experience working as a technician or mechanic. As someone that came straight out of University having never worked on aircraft I found that there are some processes and procedures that are difficult to understand without that hands on experience.
What are the best and worst things about your role?
As I have previously said, the job can become very stressful with long hours involved, often being called into work in the middle of the night or over the weekend. However, these negatives are outweighed by the fact that every day is different and that every day is a challenge. I would soon become bored if my work was the same day in day out; having to actually think and work hard at something makes your job a lot more rewarding and also makes the day go a lot quicker.
Are there any perks to the job?
My job often involves travelling around the world surveying or assessing aircraft damage. As I enjoy travelling, even if it is for work, I see these trips as a perk. However, a majority of airlines will also provide free or discounted flights for their staff as well as having deals on travel insurance, currency exchange, etc. Just working in a BAA owned airport will make you eligible for discounts in a large number of high street shops and retailers as well as amusement parks and attractions.
What is the end goal in your career?
There are many positions available to somebody with my form of training and experience but I would personally like to see myself in an educational role. I have always seen teaching as a very rewarding vocation which I would like to combine with my current job. Obviously, to teach someone to do a job you need to have extensive experience and knowledge in that field so I think it will be a few more years before I take a step in that direction.
Finish this sentence. "This week I have been mostly…”
“...dealing with two aircraft that collided whilst being moved during maintenance causing extensive damage to critical aircraft structure."
Fancy following in Thomas' footsteps? Check out our latest Structural Design Engineer jobs. |
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