How to Choose the Right Industry - My personal story of becoming an Engineer

Are you a budding engineer facing the daunting task of selecting the right specialty to embark on a fulfilling career journey? The world of engineering offers a vast array of pathways, each with its unique challenges and opportunities. Deciding which specialty aligns best with your interests and aspirations is crucial for your professional growth and success. In this insightful guide, we will explore the intricacies of choosing the right engineering specialty, focusing on traditional disciplines within Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering.

The Tony Stark Influence: Why I chose Mechanical Engineering

Every engineer has a unique origin story that influences their choice of specialty. Picture this: a young engineer with a vision to be a real-life Tony Stark, inspired by Iron Man's technological prowess and innovative creations. This is my story for how my path was shaped. One day when I was around 15 years old and doing terribly in all my GCSE subjects, something sparked in me that made me sit down and think about what I really wanted to do with my life. I wasn't very social, I wasn't doing great at school, and I had always said something like a Police Man or a Soldier.

I remember this one parents evening in particular, where my Maths teacher was telling my mother that I should not be thinking about University (as he chuckled) as he said it was well beyond my capabilities. He suggested working as an Apprentice would be my only hope in life. But on a random day, after I had already taken some GCSE exams and received bad results, I had an awakening. I don't know what came over me, but I just decided to think about who I aspire to be like. As you can tell from the images on this post, I decided "Iron Man is quite cool". This led me down a trail of curiosity, asking myself questions about what would Iron Man have studied at University. I did some searching on Google and found that Tony Stark would most likely have done Mechanical Engineering. Then I questioned more... What do I need to know to study Mechanical Engineering. I need Maths and Physics in particular but great grades across the board in general! I had a PANIC ATTACK. I had already failed some subjects, I was not on track to being able to get into A-level Maths and Physics.

The next day when I got to school, after spending the whole night becoming existentially aware and gaining consciousness for the first time - I went up to all the teachers that I had already taken some exams for and BEGGED. I said please so many times. I just needed them to allow me to retake everything. The teachers thought it was pointless letting someone like me redo exams, my grades surely would not change that much regardless. Sure enough, luck struck me. They gave in and accepted the shot in the dark. I had a chance to change my fate. After this day, I began to study and I never realised how easy everything was before. All I have to do was learn some methods and memorise some facts? I studied so strategically that I examined the syllabus itself to focus on essential knowledge only. By the time my GCSEs had ended, I managed to turn a bunch of Ds and Fs, to 20 GCSEs A* -A (I won an award for this too, handed to me by the town Mayor).

This allowed me to choose the A-levels that I needed to choose. I did A-levels Maths, Physics, and Economics. I would have done Further Maths too but the deputy head teacher told me no because they felt they were already taking a chance on me by letting me do Maths and Physics. The teachers were so shocked that I actually made it into their A-level classes, that one day, they stopped me after class to tell me when they saw my name they laughed! It is fair to say this all flipped a switch in me. I got all A's at A-level too, studying strategically to maximise efficiency in exams. I was finally eligible to study Mechanical Engineering after the last 2 years that had shaped my mindset today.

My story for becoming an engineer was not tinkering with lego, or watching dad fix cars. It was a sudden rapid desire to question EVERYTHING about the world, who I am, what I want to be, and What do I need to become to get there. From these questions, led to more questions, and the pursuit of answers. All the nasty words from teachers telling me what the limits in my capabilities were, really put me on a campaign to show the world what I can do. To this day, the words of all my doubters are stained into my mind, giving me a relentless desire to prove that there are no limits to what I am capable of. Hence another reason to choose Mechanical Engineering as it is the discipline with the broadest options and no limitations to what industry I could work in.

How do you choose an industry?

You need to discover yourself. There are hardships in your life, there are things that you love, there are places that you want to be in. If you want to work in London as a Mechanical Engineer for example, the major opportunities here are Building Services Engineering. Where you will use your Mechanical Engineering knowledge to design HVAC systems, plumbing systems, and more within skyscrapers and Data centres. If you know you want to work in Dubai for example, your major options are Oil and Gas or Building Services Engineering. So how do you decide? Here are some questions that you can ask yourself:

• Decide if you prefer working in cities or in remote locations.

• Decide if you like working doing design and calculations or managing and analysing the requirements.

• Decide if there is something you feel in your bones that you want to change in this world. For example, you really want to create the next generation of renewable energy technologies or planes.

• Decide what perks you'd like! For exmaple, if you work at Formula One, you get some free tickets every year to go to Grand Prixs. If you work at BP, you get to fly out to rigs in the ocean sometimes. If you work for a consultancy you can work for multiple international clients and get flown out to many different countries to meet clients sometimes.

No matter what you choose, there is a lot of money to be made by someone that is passionate about what they do and attracts the highest bidder for doing it.

Making the Right Choice

Choosing the right engineering specialty is a pivotal decision that can shape your career trajectory and professional fulfillment. Consider your interests, strengths, and career goals when exploring different specialties. Seek mentorship and guidance from experienced professionals in your desired field to gain valuable insights and perspectives. Remember, the journey to becoming an accomplished engineer is an evolution of learning, growth, and continuous exploration.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as you embark on your engineering journey, embrace the opportunity to discover a specialty that resonates with your passions and aspirations. Whether you are drawn to the intricate design of Civil Engineering, the innovation of Mechanical Engineering, or the electrifying possibilities of Electrical Engineering, the path you choose will define the impact you create in the dynamic world of engineering. Dare to dream, innovate fearlessly, and strategise a pathway that brings you success in your pursuit for answers.

** Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the author of this post, on this blog and community are solely his own and do not reflect the views of any past, present, or future employers or any other organisations with which he is associated. The content here is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional advice. **