• Question: When did you realise that being an engineer was the right job for you

    Asked by Emma to Aisling, Colin, Laurence, Ned, Niamh on 9 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Laurence O'Rourke

      Laurence O'Rourke answered on 9 Mar 2016:

      Good question Emma, I guess I only found out when I was doing a masters. Up to that point, my time was spent trying to learn what was presented to me in lectures in university and trying to pass the exams. In the masters, it was the first real opportunity to use what I had learned and do something with it. Practical experience is where you really find out whether you like the job or not.

    • Photo: Aisling Shannon

      Aisling Shannon answered on 9 Mar 2016:

      Hi Emma, it was a gradual process for me. I enjoyed some of the subjects in college more than others, so as I went into my final year, I knew which areas really interested me. Then I kind of got swept along, everyone was applying for jobs, trying to do their best on their thesis and study for exams. I did all of those and got a job in England straight out of college, so I just went with it and soon realized that I had luckily found something I really enjoyed doing. Others in my class have gone in a few different directions before finding their niche. It can take time and work experience to find the right role for you. Transition year can be a good opportunity to try to find some work experience to see what engineers do.

    • Photo: Ned Dwyer

      Ned Dwyer answered on 9 Mar 2016:

      Hi Emma, it was probably when I was working for the European Space Agency (ESA). I qualified in electronic engineering and worked on that in England for a while. Then with ESA, I discovered I loved working with satellite images and photos of the Eath . It was like having a bird’s eye view of Earth. I enjoyed that work so much that I went and did a Masters in the subject in Edinburgh and afterwards a PhD in it in Italy – so after all that study I hope it was the right job!!

    • Photo: Colin Shirran

      Colin Shirran answered on 11 Mar 2016:

      I think I realized it was when I was doing my first practical project in my undergraduate degree in Carlow IT. We had to make a hand thrown glider airplane stay stable as you threw it. We had the designs to follow for one type of airplane but ours was slightly different so it needed a work around. It was during this time where we discussed the issue, proposed a work around and then implemented it to get a working system was when I realized that it was the right job for me.

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