Category Archives: Engineering and Product Design

Ian, Engineering and Product Design

Engineering, Engineering and Product Design

Ian, Mechanical Engineering student, applied to the Career Mentor Scheme to received guidance, support and insight in the Engineering Industry. Though the scheme, Ian was matched with an Exeter alumnus who is a self-employed Technical and Commercial Consultant. This mentor is also a Chartered Engineer and has a BSc in Physicals and Pure Mathematics.

“The career mentor scheme keeps you on the right path.”

Ian achieved all of his objectives including a personal objective of widening thoughts in terms of potential engineering fields to research.

Ian told us more about his experience:

What were your highlights of the scheme?

The advice that I received from Peter has been invaluable.  From his guidance about my CV to opening my eyes to possible other fields has been great.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

The advice and discussion about different engineering internships.

What message would you give to a student thinking of applying for the Career Mentor Scheme?

It is a great opportunity to speak with an industry professional. Due to all the work that we do we can lose sight of the end goal. The career mentor scheme keeps you on the right path through this period to keep you focused and motivated for the future.

Louis, Engineering and Product Design

Computer Science, Engineering and Product Design

Louis, Computer Science student, applied to the Career Mentor Scheme to learn about the different roles within the industry and gain and understanding of the day-to-day activities. Through the scheme, Louis was matched with the Head of Product for Crowdcude Ltd.

“I am sure this will help me with future applications to internships and jobs.

Louis shared his experience:

What were your highlights of the scheme?

A highlight of the scheme for me was the interview practice my mentor gave me. It made me aware of many aspects recruiters might look for I would otherwise have not known about. It helped me to better understand which areas I will have to work on to improve and I am sure this will help me with future applications to internships and jobs.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

I found the insight my mentor could provide me into the role of a Product Manager particularly useful. I did not know that such a role exists and how relevant it is to many successful tech companies. Over the last couple of months I learned much more about this and found that it is an incredibly interesting career to pursue.

What message would you give to a student thinking of applying for the Career Mentor Scheme?

It is time well spent. You can learn a lot from someone who works in a job related to your own aspirations and this understanding will definitely help you to write better applications.

Preslav, Engineering and Product Design

Computer Science, Engineering and Product Design,

Preslav, a Computer Science student, was interested in pursuing a career in the Information Technology sector and so wanted to build strong contact within the industry, learn more about different aspects of the sector and gain realistic insight. Through the Career Mentor Scheme, he was matched with the Head of Product for Crowdcude Ltd. This role involves leading the Product Management team and coordinating the design, development, and launch of products for users. This mentor also has worked as Product Manager for Google in both Sydney and California, and Sustaining Development Engineer for Sun Microsystems.

“You can only benefit from this scheme.”

Preslav achieved all of his objectives including broadening his knowledge about what it is like to work in a big company, improved personal development skills and increased knowledge of sector entry requirements.

Preslav shared his experience with us:

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Learning more about the Mentor’s experience, talking about future technologies with him, getting a clear understanding of what interviewers expect from the candidates and how to stand out from the crowd.

What message would you give to a student thinking of applying for the Career Mentor Scheme?

You can only benefit from this scheme.

Dimitar, Engineering and Product Design

Engineering, Engineering and Product Design, ,

Towards the end of his third year Dimitar, completing a Civil Engineering degree began his mentoring partnership with a worker of Mott MacDonald.

Having completed BEng Civil Engineering at Cardiff University, followed by MSc Civil Engineering Management at Plymouth University this mentor’s main responsibilities include design of engineering solutions, monitoring of budgets and communication with clients.

skyscraper-construction-1221448

Dimitar gave some great feedback about the scheme.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

After a couple meetings, my mentor invited me to help him and his team at the South West Big Bang Science festival in June. There he introduced me to his collegues and we had a productive networking session.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

The relationship you build with your mentor. It stays for longer than the Career Mentor Scheme duration. Me and my mentor still exchange emails and make plans for future meetings.

What message would you give to a student thinking of applying for the Career Mentor Scheme?

GO FOR IT, APPLY! With capital letters.

The highlight for the mentor was:

“Interesting insight into on-going research and helping develop how this might be applied commercially.”