Jen's Career Story

What does your role involve?

My role involves working with other engineers (hardware, software, systems, mechanical) to design new products to take to market within a few years. This involves a lot of researching, testing and analysing concepts that we may want to use in the final design.

My day to day tasks vary every week. Sometimes I’m very hands on, soldering components and making changes to boards, setting up and running tests on our circuits, welding thermocouples. Other times I will be sat at my desk analysing the data I’ve gathered and writing up reports. My role is not just limited to hardware, as I also have a hand in both test and systems engineering.

I have also decided to specialise in EMC (Electromagnetic Compliance), which is known as the black magic/voodoo of the electronics world. I help to analyse unwanted signals that our circuits may generate and make tweaks to the design to stop them. This also involves organising trips to external test houses on the other side of the country, deciding what we want to look at and what changes to make whilst there. I enjoy the responsibility I have with this and that people rely on me. I will also be specialising in PCB design, as this goes hand in hand with EMC (a PCB’s design greatly effects the EMC signals). This will involve using a software called Altium to lay out all our components and connecting them up.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I love the variety that comes with my job. I learn something new every day; sometimes this might be just a small thing about a specific component and other times it’s about entire systems. I also love being able to work on a multitude of different things at once. My company supports you taking the initiative and wanting to learn more about areas you’re interested in. It’s also given me the opportunity to work in areas outside my primary role; I’ve joined the Quality Team, Health & Safety Team, Social Committee and STEM Committee. I have gained an appreciation for the wider aspects of a company and how it is run.

What inspired you to become an engineer?

I originally wanted to become an engineer so I could improve people’s quality of life by designing medical devices/equipment. This came from a piece of coursework in Year 12 to come up with a concept for a new medical device. I loved the idea of being able to design new things that could help people. Over the years, as I’ve moved away from Bioengineering, I’ve realised that helping people does not have to be with medical equipment. If I can help through a cleaner environment, or safer equipment/vehicles, then that makes me just as happy.

What qualifications did you do after GCSE?

I studied A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths. I had an AS in Design & Technology (Electronics and Control Systems).

What did you study after this?

I went to the University of Sheffield and studied an Integrated Masters in Bioengineering with a Year in Industry. In my second year I specialised into Automatic Control and Systems Engineering

What advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue a career in Engineering?

Follow what you enjoy and find interesting. Don’t be afraid to not know exactly what you want to do and don’t be afraid to change your mind either. There is also no set way to get into engineering, so don’t worry if you’re going about it a different way to everyone else. Making sure you enjoy it is what matters.