Any engineers out there
Discussion
Liszt said:
I have a BEng In Manufacturing Engineering.
I have worked for the likes of Ford, Jaguar, DaimlerChrysler and currently with VW Group.
Pay as an nuts and bolts engineer is not great and I have worked solely in IT and am now in the business side of IT.
The pay is a lot better
I have a BEng (Hons) in Manufacturing Engineering with Manufacturing systems. I am a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the IEE. I am a Certified 6 Sigma Black Belt and work as a Business Improvement Team Leader in an 'OFFHighway' Hydraulics Company.
I have worked in the last 15 years for Lucas Industries, Garrett (Turbo's) and an aerospace company. In every job, pay was S H I T.
I currently earn less than £30K a year.
I am staying in this job until I have completed the latest hoop which my manager has set and if he is true to his word I will move into a business unit managers role. If he goes back on his word I will be looking for a move to another company, with a target of £45K.
I think that if cash is important to you you should try another industry.
I was seriously considering doing an B/MEng in Automotive or Motorsport engineering last year, but decided against it because, to me, the engineers' jobs seemed to be some of the most boring in the industries. Would much rather be a test driver 
Not that I am. Still on the lookout for something that really interests me.
Not that I am. Still on the lookout for something that really interests me.NoelWatson said:
I did a BEng in Mech Eng at Southampton and graduated in 1996. After working for Rolls Royce Aerospace, decided the pay was rubbish so went into IT instead.
Similar story.....graduated with BSc in Mech Eng from Sussex in 1988 and worked for British Aerospace for 3 years. Pay crap, company crap so buggered off and did an MA in Leisure Studies around Europe for a year. Ended up in IT...............
Main issue with Engineering in the UK is the lack of prestige and respect it has as a profession. Seems anyone can call themselves an engineer. Try doing it in Germany or Netherlands etc where at least you have to have some real skills, training etc and it is a proper profession (ie a plumber can't call themselves a "heating and waste systems engineer")
I spent five years qualifing as a Design Engineer, subsequently looked to get on the first rung of the property ladder, cast an eye over my salary slips - shook my head despondently 
, knew what my boss was earning so then decided to forego a professional career for a far healthier salary and entered sales....within the motor trade! 
Leapt up the property ladder with aplomb, but the flip side was that I ended up refering to the wife as "her indoors", carrying a wad of rolled-up money in my "sky rocket" referred to as "folding" or "walking about money" and when things go according to plan it's "sweet as".
Anyway "treacle", if you wanna pursue a career in engineering don't expect to earn any serious "wedge" - so fink abaht it.
Gotta "look lively" - need to open the "lock-up", due to meet a "billy" whose "hot to trot".
Whatever you decide career wise.... Good Luck!
apprentice
, knew what my boss was earning so then decided to forego a professional career for a far healthier salary and entered sales....within the motor trade! Leapt up the property ladder with aplomb, but the flip side was that I ended up refering to the wife as "her indoors", carrying a wad of rolled-up money in my "sky rocket" referred to as "folding" or "walking about money" and when things go according to plan it's "sweet as".
Anyway "treacle", if you wanna pursue a career in engineering don't expect to earn any serious "wedge" - so fink abaht it.
Gotta "look lively" - need to open the "lock-up", due to meet a "billy" whose "hot to trot".
Whatever you decide career wise.... Good Luck!
apprentice
fid said:
Would much rather be a test driver
If I remember correctly the test drivers at Lucas's FEN END braking research centre were the lowest paid driving job ever and also it was pretty boring.
Most of the time they had a fixed route to drive accompanied by 100K's worth of equipement logging systems.
Although they had fun showing visitors (me) how abs worked on the skid pan, and scaring them witless down the main straight. (140 MPH to Zero emergency braking- look what the pad temp is now)
jacko lah said:
Would much rather be a test driver
If I remember correctly the test drivers at Lucas's FEN END braking research centre were the lowest paid driving job ever and also it was pretty boring.
Most of the time they had a fixed route to drive accompanied by 100K's worth of equipement logging systems.
Although they had fun showing visitors (me) how abs worked on the skid pan, and scaring them witless down the main straight. (140 MPH to Zero emergency braking- look what the pad temp is now)
"Fen End" was a Lucas research centre???
Was past there the other day and it appears to have ProDrive livery on all the signs these days, have to say I wouldn't mind working there as its not too far away, but the liklihood of being able to live here and work on an engineers wage is pretty remote.
As to my 2p on being an engineer, it will give you a thorough grounding for doing something else, if any of my engineering friends are to go by. I get pissed off when the news talks about a shortage of engineers and people going into engineering when businesses aren't prepared to make sure they get jobs with good money and career progression when they graduate.
If you want to be a high flyer at the top of a business then accountancy is the way to go, look at who run Footsie 100 companies these days. Might be perceived as boring, but it is the truth.
thepeoplespal said:
"Fen End" was a Lucas research centre???
Was past there the other day and it appears to have ProDrive livery on all the signs these days, have to say I wouldn't mind working there as its not too far away, but the liklihood of being able to live here and work on an engineers wage is pretty remote.
As to my 2p on being an engineer, it will give you a thorough grounding for doing something else, if any of my engineering friends are to go by. I get pissed off when the news talks about a shortage of engineers and people going into engineering when businesses aren't prepared to make sure they get jobs with good money and career progression when they graduate.
If you want to be a high flyer at the top of a business then accountancy is the way to go, look at who run Footsie 100 companies these days. Might be perceived as boring, but it is the truth.
Yes, the one near Hockley Heath, was Lucas Car Braking's UK test track and engineering centre.
I was involved in a few meeting there from 1990 to 1996, when I was involved on a project on Varient reduction at the design stage, with one of their OLD school Girling engineers. And later as project leader on a couple of solenoid projects for brake assist reseach. I also did a project at their manufacturing site (Pontypool) on Design for reliability and maintainability, looking at their rear brake caliper line and one particularly crap (british) machine.
They once took me on the skid pan and round the banked test track and scared me completely witless.
LucasVarity PLC was taken over by or sold to Delphi and TRW so I assume that TRW who took the brakes will have already had research facilities hence someone else ending up there.
On a point about Engineers going into other professions remenber that 50% of graduate jobs are for graduates with UNSPECIFIED honours degrees, so even if you chose a career in accountancy or media or the police, studying engineering will stand you in good stead. Mate of mine went into banking and is now a 'financial advisor' and is doing very well thank you.
Oh and if you need somewhere near fen end that's cheap try Chelmsley Wood or Longbridge or frankley.
>> Edited by jacko lah on Wednesday 7th July 09:15
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