Mechanical design engineer — Chris Stickland

Chris is combining his aeronautical and astronautical knowledge with his design skills to excel in his role as a senior mechanical engineer

What degree did you study?

I studied aeronautical and astronautical engineering with computational engineering and design at the University of Southampton.

How did you get your job?

I found my job through the LinkedIn job board. The role advertised was for a senior mechanical design engineer. I was approaching three years in the engineering industry and while I thought a senior role may have been a bit out of reach, I took a chance and was offered the position after two rounds of interviews.

What's a typical working day like?

It can vary depending on what projects I am working on at the time, but I'd say two thirds of my day is spent working in SolidWorks. The rest of my time is usually spent manufacturing design prototypes or test apparatus.

I'm fortunate to have many rapid prototyping tools at my disposal, these include a range of 3D printers (FDM, Resin and SLS), a waterjet cutter and plenty of common workshop tools and machinery. This allows me to evaluate the standard and effectiveness of my prototypes and evolve their design. I will also generate design drawings when required, and help my colleagues when it is needed.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

While I enjoy the hands-on nature of my role, I would probably say that CAD is my favourite part, especially during the early stages of a design. I love diving into a fresh design brief and letting my creativity run free.

What are the challenges?

I can get too bogged down in the detail and slow my progress worrying about a small aspect of a design. When this happens, it's best to do something to take your mind off it for a bit or work on a different aspect of the project. Get yourself out of that hole and often when you come back to it with a fresh mind, you'll find the answer more easily.

How is your degree relevant?

It's about as relevant as it can get. My base degree is in aeronautical and astronautical engineering - I am working in the aerospace sector, specifically with uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). Then my specialisation, computational engineering and design, feeds directly into the design aspect of my role. It gave me a strong understanding of design practices and computational analysis. Pairing this with a good knowledge of mechanics, aerodynamics and aircraft has allowed me to excel in my chosen field.

How has your role developed and what are your career ambitions?

I'm still just under a year in my current role, but I have developed trust from my manager and peers, and will continue to strengthen that trust. With that, comes increased responsibility and complexity of design work. I'm approaching four years in the industry and I'm still learning and improving my skillset every week.

My career ambition is to reach a level of skill and understanding where I am given responsibility over bigger and more important projects.

I want to gain a complete understanding of all aspects of aircraft design, with the long-term goal of starting my own company one day, designing, building and selling my own aircraft.

What are your top tips for choosing a Masters?

The most important thing is to choose something you enjoy and have a passion for. This will shine through when you interview for relevant positions and eventually land that first job. That passion will also keep you pushing through difficult times and makes the good times feel so much more rewarding. It will push you to get better and better, to achieve any goal you set yourself and reach your ideal job.

What advice can you give to others wanting to get into this job?

• Be patient. Not everything will be easy or handed to you. Sometimes you're going to have to put in a bit of graft to get to where you want to be.
• Believe in yourself. I know a lot of people who thought they weren't good enough or smart enough to pursue their dream career. Whether you finish your degree with first class honours or barely made a passing grade, you still have that degree. That proves to yourself and to others that you have enough of an understanding to make it in your chosen field. Nobody is going to expect you to be perfect as soon as you enter a new role, but you certainly have enough of a skillset to build upon and excel at whatever you set your mind to.
• Don't be afraid to fail. Whether that is failing to get an interview, messing up when you do, or even years into your career - failure is the best teacher. Do what you can to learn from your failures and to better yourself wherever possible.
• Reach out to your preferred employer. You don't need to wait for a company to post a job listing to apply or show interest. If you know there's somewhere you'd like to work, send in your CV, find someone to message on LinkedIn, do whatever you can to make yourself known to that company. Let them know what your interests and skills are, as well as what attracts you to that company or line of work.

Find out more

• Read all about being an aerospace engineer.
• Take a look at the engineering and manufacturing sector.