Case studies: Software development project leader: Ian Mussell

Ian's sandwich degree at the University of Hertfordshire gave him the opportunity to undertake a work placement with Airbus and he's not looked back since...

After I finished my degree, I contacted the staff member I had been doing my placement with, and even though they did not have an advertised position, they offered me a temporary contract in software development as a component engineer.

I worked for three years on a temporary contract before I was made permanent. I think my degree really helped me in finding this position as the placement gave me chance to prove myself and my degree subjects were very relevant. The degree also gave me the basis to understand what the software needs to do from an engineering perspective and this is useful in my present job.

As a project leader, a lot of my time is taken up by negotiating with suppliers and subcontractors and then planning with the internal team of engineers to ensure that all software requirements are done properly and testing is of the required quality.

I enjoy dealing with the customers and it is very satisfying when you have completed a project and you hand it over. However, managing costs and time is always a challenge as you don't want to compromise on the quality but have to work within limited budgets and tight deadlines.

I have also completed a Masters in aircraft engineering from Cranfield University, which I did part time and was sponsored by my company.

My advice to graduates planning to get into this sector would be to take up any opportunity that comes up in terms of placements or voluntary work as they can lead to more productive openings. It may be that some people don't feel confident about their skills or their abilities or are not sure of what they want to do, but they should keep an open mind and carefully consider opportunities that present themselves. 

AGCAS

Sourced by Ayesha Peeran, Cranfield University

Date: 

July 2012

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