Daniel Omatsola-Morgan
MEng Mechanical Engineering, 2017
OLE Design Engineer, Atkins
I use CAD to design overhead line equipment (OLE) for the railway. I also produce technical reports, layout plans, cross sections and allocation sheets, which are used by a construction team to build my designs.
What is the best thing about what you are doing now?
After doing OLE design for nearly 5 years now, I have gained a lot of knowledge and understanding of OLE, such that my job has become much easier to do and much less stressful. I also find that my work/life balance is very good.
What made you interested in your current role?
After graduating I started working as a graduate OLE design engineer, and have stayed in my current field as I have learnt a lot of specific information to OLE, making me in high demand in my field.
How has your career developed since graduating from the University of Birmingham?
After graduating, I have been promoted twice and worked for three companies within my field, giving me a large amount of experience and connections.
What motivates you?
I personally like to do my best where possible and to help others, which I find I am able to do really well within my field. I am also motivated by progression and becoming even more specialist within my field, which I get continuously by working within my field.
Why did you originally apply to Birmingham?
As Birmingham is one of the top universities in the UK and I had ties to Birmingham, I believed UoB to be the best choice for me to go to University.
How did you grow as a person by coming to University?
I thought I was independent before leaving home, but I soon learned this was not the case. I missed home a fair amount, but this is completely normal. I definitely gained an appreciation of how important it is to stay in contact with people, and this is also true when working. As I wasn't sure what career I wanted when I started university, I was able to explore different areas that interested me.
What are your fondest memories of the University?
My fondest memory of university was being part of Esports Society, where I was part of a team with four other students, and we competed together in amateur competitive tournaments. We spent a lot of time practicing as a team as well, leading to some hilarious moments, and it always felt really good when we won as a team and played well together.
Did you get involved in any extracurricular activities as a student?
I was involved with the Formula Student (UBRacing), UBRobotics and Esports Society as a student at the University of Birmingham. I learnt several practical, technical and interpersonal skills whilst part of these extracurricular activities, which I have carried forward into my career. At Esports Society especially, I learnt a lot of leadership, teamwork and communication skills, as I competed in amateur competitive tournaments with my teammates.
How did your time at University help you start your career? What was your biggest influence?
The CAD skills, as well as report writing and team collaboration skills, I learnt and developed whilst at UoB are some of the most important skills I learnt and what I attribute to helping me start and succeed within my career.
Career advice from Daniel
“I would advise that you start thinking about what types of careers you would want outside of University and finding all the different ways you could end up in that industry.”
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