CAD designer - how to break into the driving world?

[CupraAndy]

Hi all,

Im a Naval Architect in Southampton, do all the 3D CAD design etc in a leisure marine company as the product development executive. Ive been looking to get out and move to an automotive role for a while now, but just been told there will be redundancies at work, so gona take the plunge!

I love cars, ive built and race my own Cupra. Id love to break into Mclaren as a designer or test drive cars (isnt it everyones dream job!) But I know of jobs similar and was just wondering if anyone could help shed any light and where to look?

Many thanks for your help,

Andy

[Cyder]

Apply for a job as a design or test engineer at an OEM, most OEM's will have jobs advertised on their websites.

If you're lucky you may end up with a component or in a role that requires you to do some driving. (Ride and handling would be a good bet, competitor evaluation dept, etc).

If you're in the right dept and it's deemed necessary you might get to do driving assessments and then can get a licence to evaluate/test cars.

Be warned... it does get tedious and isn't all powersliding and driving like a hooligan. Vmax in a C segment car while testing windscreen wipers in the Millbrook bowl is fairly boring after the first few minutes!

Edited by Cyder on Friday 31st August 13:54

[CupraAndy]

Cyder said:

Apply for a job as a design or test engineer at an OEM, most OEM's will have jobs advertised on their websites.

If you're lucky you may end up with a component or in a role that requires you to do some driving. (Ride and handling would be a good bet, competitor evaluation dept, etc).

If you're in the right dept and it's deemed necessary you might get to do driving assessments and then can get a licence to evaluate/test cars.

Be warned... it does get tedious and isn't all powersliding and driving like a hooligan. Vmax in a C segment car while testing windscreen wipers in the Millbrook bowl is fairly boring after the first few minutes!

Edited by Cyder on Friday 31st August 13:54

Thank you so much!!! I have my weekend set out I will go OEM direct, I can understand that it can get tedious - but its for the greater good and able to move up the ladder. Its sounds like youve done it before? Do you have any contacts I could perhaps exploit to help get started?

Thank you for the advice, very grateful

Andy

[StormGrey]

Possibly not exactly what you were looking for, but a good way to get in the door at Aston:

http://www.millbank.com/job/19219

[Cyder]

CupraAndy said:

Cyder said:

Apply for a job as a design or test engineer at an OEM, most OEM's will have jobs advertised on their websites.

If you're lucky you may end up with a component or in a role that requires you to do some driving. (Ride and handling would be a good bet, competitor evaluation dept, etc).

If you're in the right dept and it's deemed necessary you might get to do driving assessments and then can get a licence to evaluate/test cars.

Be warned... it does get tedious and isn't all powersliding and driving like a hooligan. Vmax in a C segment car while testing windscreen wipers in the Millbrook bowl is fairly boring after the first few minutes!

Edited by Cyder on Friday 31st August 13:54

Thank you so much!!! I have my weekend set out I will go OEM direct, I can understand that it can get tedious - but its for the greater good and able to move up the ladder. Its sounds like youve done it before? Do you have any contacts I could perhaps exploit to help get started?

Thank you for the advice, very grateful

Andy

There isn't really a ladder as such on the driving side, it's more of a sideline/Brucie bonus of some of the roles.

There are a couple of guys who have had extensive training who generally work in vehicle evaluation who spend a fair amount of time out driving, then there are other technicians who spend time at the test tracks carrying out dynamic testing on vehicles/parts.

A fair few of the design/test engineers (me included) are trained enough to be signed off to evaluate cars and drive at the test tracks when necessary, although in reality it's not very often we actually get to do it (which is a shame!).

Will see if I can find any useful information on Monday and pm you.

[Engineer1]

At a guess the other option is to get a job at Millbrook, or MIRA or similar as part of their staff, Millbrook has some funky vehicles there.

[CupraAndy]

Thank you so much for the help guys!

Storm - Ive applied for the Aston job, im even up for the 2 hr drive up there thank you!!!

Cyder - any help and info you have will be invaluable. May i ask where you work?

Engineer - thats an awesum idea i hadnt thought of and they arent that far from me either!

Thank you all

[CupraAndy]

Applied at Mira
but No current jobs at Millbrook - ill keep a close eye on their site.

[spikeyhead]

I've known a few people have jobs at Millbrook. All of them have described it as very tedious. Round and round the bowl all day for a week at the same speed. Stopping for a fuel top up every four hours. I'd rather driver a forkift round a warehouse.

[CupraAndy]

I studied marine engineering / Naval Arch at Uni. First job was as a naval arch designing a warship for the MoD, now work in the leisure marine designing just parts for yachts - pretty boring but least it was an income. Close to work and kinda just got settled

[Slyjoe]

I was always considering going the other way - from Cars to Boats (Sunseeker eventually)- I guess that industry is not doing too well in the current climate?
I started at British Leyland on drawing boards, and am now a composite designer in F1.
as far as I'm aware Jaguar Landrover at Gaydon design centre are doing really well, nad still hiring.
Are you on Linkedin? If you tailor your CV correctly you should get loads of contacts in the contracting line of things.
AFAIK Catia is more or less the industry standard.

[CupraAndy]

Slyjoe said:

I was always considering going the other way - from Cars to Boats (Sunseeker eventually)- I guess that industry is not doing too well in the current climate?
I started at British Leyland on drawing boards, and am now a composite designer in F1.
as far as I'm aware Jaguar Landrover at Gaydon design centre are doing really well, nad still hiring.
Are you on Linkedin? If you tailor your CV correctly you should get loads of contacts in the contracting line of things.
AFAIK Catia is more or less the industry standard.

Yer the marine industry is pretty aweful at the moment. Spose since ive done it for a long time, and my personal passions have shifted from boats to cars i want my work to follow too.

id LOVE to be a composites designer in F1!!! wana swap? lol!! But seriously, im gona apply at McLaren too so fingers crossed. Just want to keep all options open really.

Im on linkedin "Andy Lang" and my profile pic is my yellow cupra. I need to sort it out so it looks worthy really! Ive used Catia at uni, its much of a muchness to Solidworks so im confident ill be able to swap over.

[CupraAndy]

doogz said:

CupraAndy said:

I studied marine engineering / Naval Arch at Uni. First job was as a naval arch designing a warship for the MoD, now work in the leisure marine designing just parts for yachts - pretty boring but least it was an income. Close to work and kinda just got settled

Fresh out of uni, you were designing a warship for the MoD? Surely you mean you were designing little bits, working on a project for BAE/VT/Babcocks/similar?

Or were you actually designing hull forms, in which case you're a clever bd, and would be wasting your talents driving cars in circles all day.

Yes I was part of the design team, fraid i cant say what else i did. But I have designed hull forms and the hydrodynamic properties. Ive done it, I need a new challenge and love the Automotive world. F1 design is the goal - just need to start jumping through the little hoops first!

[CrashTD]

MOD would be ProE and if thats the case your best bet is CAD Contracting in Automotive to get some relevant experience. Very limited ProE Automotive but it exists.

As for a job which is design and test. Extremely rare. Either you are a designer so shut up and get behind the telly or your a driver so stop distracting the office staff and go outside.

Try matchtech.com for Eng jobs. Be prepared for a million phone calls from 3568124 different agencies offering you the same job if they see a word they like. Swings and Roundabouts though as amongst the st will be a suitable job.

[CupraAndy]

CrashTD said:

MOD would be ProE and if thats the case your best bet is CAD Contracting in Automotive to get some relevant experience. Very limited ProE Automotive but it exists.

As for a job which is design and test. Extremely rare. Either you are a designer so shut up and get behind the telly or your a driver so stop distracting the office staff and go outside.

Try matchtech.com for Eng jobs. Be prepared for a million phone calls from 3568124 different agencies offering you the same job if they see a word they like. Swings and Roundabouts though as amongst the st will be a suitable job.

Haha thanks crash, Yup im proficient in ProE, Rhino (used at the MoD when I was there), Solidworks & Catia V5. Yes im a designer but I want a change. Already all over matchtech. Id LOVE to be a test driver, thats the dream! But my CV is very CAD design biased, so automotive design would be a wonderful change and perhaps lead to driving one day. Ive done boats for a good part of 10 years, Now my passion lies with cars did the aerodynamic design for my Cupra trick aero mods! haha!

[Slyjoe]

CupraAndy said:

But my CV is very CAD design biased, so automotive design would be a wonderful change and perhaps lead to driving one day.

I get to take the F1 car home on alternate wednesdays .
Your Linkedin profile doesn't seem to want to connect to anyone you don't already know - so that will prevent agents from contacting you.

[CupraAndy]

Slyjoe said:

I get to take the F1 car home on alternate wednesdays .
Your Linkedin profile doesn't seem to want to connect to anyone you don't already know - so that will prevent agents from contacting you.

Arr thanks buddy, ill look into the settings!

HAHA is it a little model F1 car and you sit there and make "waaarrrrrmmmmmm" noises