When I was at university and the question, “How much of your degree do you use in your job?” was asked, I often heard “not very much, maybe 20%”. Considering my first job and now second, I would have to say I disagree!

I graduated from the Chemical Engineering department in summer 2017 after a brilliant 4 years. Throughout that time I worked hard but also had an amazing time, meeting my now best friends and developing a lot personally. The time at university is the best opportunity not to just learn academic knowledge but also to push yourself in many areas. My advice is to leave university with no regrets as the time there is very little relative to a lifetime, and you won't get the chance to have so much freedom to decide what you want to do or try. So make the most of it.

Throughout my time at university, there was the ongoing pressure of what will you do afterwards. The answer is almost anything. That can be the issue: knowing what to do. My advice is to find out what most interests you by reading more, attending the extra learning opportunities and heading out of the University to talk to people in industry. Also, talk to your lecturers about what they are working on – they’re world-leading researchers! 

That last point is how I got my first graduate job. Throughout my four years I knew I wanted to work in the energy industry. I applied and was successful at obtaining a BP Scholarship, opening my eyes to the gigantic energy sector. Through being interested in the research going on in the School and through a professor, I discovered Highview Power. I attended their pilot plant opening event at the University and was able to introduce myself to the company’s Engineering Director: that was the start that led to me securing a summer internship with them, and later a graduate job.

During my two and a half years at Highview Power, an energy storage technology development company using cryogenic air as the storage media, I was fortunate enough to join the company as they were finishing their demonstration plant. Thanks to this good timing, I had the opportunity to work on-site and experience the last stages of the project, including the mechanical electrical installation, commissioning, testing and then operating. I was very nervous about being on-site at first, but quickly gained confidence and knowledge to be able to successfully manage contractors. I worked with some great colleagues through challenging problems, to achieve brilliant success.

At Highview I worked on the design of their first commercial plant. The knowledge and experience I gained in this very different environment was incredibly valuable, especially in developing my people skills as I worked with external contacts for the first time.