What path has your career taken since graduation? 

Cafe work 2018
Internship abroad in South Korea in cosmetic ingredient company 2019
2020 Covid and lost my job!
2020 September PhD in fluid dynamics in human lungs at Coventry University
2023 quit the PhD (academia was not for me!)
2023 started at Quick Release, a product data management consultancy mainly in the automotive industry

What is your current role?

Project Analyst - work for a big client (Ford) in program management. Lots of different software systems holding all sorts of data, and lack of single source of truth (there can be data discrepancies). I work to take that strain off engineers so they can actually do engineering work! I do a mix of data analysis, business analysis, so I get to play around with raw data but also transform it into good looking dashboards which is very rewarding, especially once you see trends start to pop up.

What experiences do you feel helped you get to your current position?

My numerate skills from being in an engineering degree really benefit me, working in numbers comes naturally to me and I can ace any Microsoft Excel based interview. My degree also shows evidence that I have these numerate skills.

How have you used the skills and/or knowledge developed during your degree in your career?

Fluid dynamics helped me get my PhD, and general numeric skills helped me greatly in all lines of work. I don’t work in any relevant industries but my engineering degree helped me think creatively and solve problems in an efficient manner.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in your area of work?

Don’t feel married to the usual career paths associated with your degree! I couldn’t get any chemical engineering job when I first graduated, I would always make it to the final stage and not get picked. If you’re interested in something that wasn’t covered in your degree, definitely take it up! For example, coding camps if you’re interested in data. Likewise, if you want to change industries never feel guilt for doing so, this is your path and you can and should make of it what you want to.

This profile was published in May 2024