What I Do I work as a Project Manager for a company called Collins Aerospace, in one of their UK sites. The project that I am currently working on involves re-designing the galleys that go inside the Airbus A350 aircraft.
Why Engineering? I've never really had a calling and throughout high school I kept weighing my options, trying to keep as many paths open as possible as I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do. In the year before uni I was thinking about studying Publicity and Public Relations, but my parents told me that they were concerned that it would be more difficult for me to get a job with this degree than for example an engineering degree, as I got on well with Maths and Physics. (At the time my parent's guidance made me angry, but now I'm glad, they were definitely right about my fit within engineering more than other lines of work). I also thought about studying Architecture because I enjoyed the architectural part of History of Art, but when I saw they had 6 months (a full semester!) studying foundations and groundwork I decided it wasn't for me. So, everything pointed towards engineering and it made sense really, I've always felt more logical than creative and I was doing well with Maths, Physics and Technical Drawing. But the question was: which engineering? In Spain, where I was going to study, engineering degrees are quite specific. So I looked at the full list and narrowed it down to Electrical Engineering, as I had an amazing teacher for Electromagnetism and was really enjoying learning about it, and Aerospace Engineering, as I have been lucky to fly since I was young and it seemed like an interesting field to get into. So I applied to universities in Spain with the degree that required best grades to get in first (Aerospace), followed by Electrical and was accepted in Aerospace! I never had a clear moment of "This is what I want to be," but taking on smaller questions and narrowing down options I got to Aerospace Engineering and I'm pretty sure I made the right choice!
School Days I studied a Bachelor in Aerospace Engineering at Universidad Carlos III in Madrid, Spain and then continued to study a Master's degree in Astronautics and Space Engineering at Cranfield University in the UK.
My Day At Work I've worked in three different roles since I started working and in each role I've had different activities. As a design engineer I would take information from the what our customers are requesting and use computer software (CATIA) to create the models of the parts and how they would fit together and inside the aircraft. As a manufacturing engineer I had a variety of tasks, but mainly I was creating and updating documents that describe the procedures that we used in manufacturing (bonding, painting, priming, etc.). It was great as I had a lot of interaction with the shop floor. As a project manager I am now heavily involved in planning. I help create project plans (from start to finish, what steps are we going to take to complete the project) and also to track that we're going through the plans like we should. I link different teams to help solve issues when they come up, and the most challenging part (for me) I report on the status of the project. I report both to the customer (in my case Airbus) and internally, to my bosses and the bosses above her too.
Best Part I like that I've taken an engineering approach to my life! I plan how I complete a task to optimise it, I've used my engineering knowledge to design DIY project and I love that it has given me background knowledge to participate in conversations filled with curiosity.
Proud Moments I think the proudest moments of my career have been when I have been offered a job role. It feels like a reward for all the hard work I have put in to make myself the best candidate! I think the day I fly on an A350 will also be a very proud moment (but it hasn't come just yet)
Challenges I think the biggest challenge I faced was finding my first job. I didn't have the opportunity to do a placement during my degree and I believe the lack of "real-life" experience may have affected my job hunt, so I would 100% recommend a placement if you have the option during your studies. Or alternatively an apprenticeship (as they are called in the UK), which combines study and work, so you acheive your degree with ample professional experience! And if you don't have any professional experience when you finish your degree, don't worry :) I'm happily working now, it just felt like a big struggle at the time.
My Family My dad, Gustavo, is a forestry engineer with a PhD in genetic improvement of Eucalyptus trees. My mum, Monica, is a computer scientist with a specialisation in geographical information systems (mapping based on satellite images). My younger sister has recently finished a degree in International Business and will be going on to do a Masters degree in Business Intelligence.
Dreams and Goals My short term goal is to become a program manager, next progression step for my role, and to improve my skills in communication skills and customer relations. The long term dream is to work as a program manager within the Space Industry! I would love to be involved in a space exploration mission.
Want to be an Engineer? Go for it! If you want to do it, there's nothing stopping you :) There's no hiding the fact that there is probably going to be a bit of hard work along the way, but don't let that put you off. You will learn so many interesting things and you'll get tools to build a really fulfilling career!
Hobbies I love hiking, but unfortunately I don't live near the mountains. I still enjoy being outside as much as I can, running and walking in local parks and woodlands. I also started indoor rock climbing a few years ago and I do quite a bit of that when the English weather gets grim.