Find out about Lidia Gibbs - MEng Electronic Engineering student on placement as a Maritime Services Electrical Engineer at BAE
What motivated you to pursue an optional placement year?
As an electronic engineering student, I fundamentally knew what my future career as an engineer could look like, but I didn’t really have a proper grasp of the industry environment, since I don’t have any family or friends who work in that sector. I wanted to get that hands-on experience that companies always like to see on CVs, but more importantly I wanted to get an idea of what my future career path might end up looking like. I wanted to be absolutely certain that this was what I wanted for my future and to start exploring particular disciplines I’m most interested in.
How many placement applications did you make?
In total I applied to just under 30 different placements, all across different companies and in different areas of the country. Out of those 30, I was lucky enough to be invited to 5 different interviews before I was offered the role at BAE Systems, which I was eager to accept. Throughout I booked 1-to-1 appointments with the placement team roughly once a month, which was an opportunity I used to get any burning questions off my chest, ask for some advice on the interview and assessment process for each company I was applying for, and even just for some words of encouragement.
What has been the most rewarding part of your placement so far?
I’ve been given loads of opportunities to get hands-on with my experience and apply everything I’ve learnt so far on my course in an industry environment, which has been even more exciting than I could have imagined! It’s been my first real taste of FPGAs, programming in VHDL, and working in the firmware and software side of things, but whenever I look back at how far I’ve come, I can’t believe how much of a difference this placement has made. When I started, I knew next to nothing about industry-standard VHDL and digital engineering, for the most part it was foreign to me, but within just the first few months I’ve been given the opportunity to contribute to several real projects, partake in technical training courses, and work with engineers in many different disciplines, and it’s really broadened my awareness of not only the defence industry but engineering as a whole.
Would you recommend the placement programme to other students?
I would massively recommend the placement programme to anyone who is eligible for it!
But I’d say the most valuable lesson I learnt from it all is to have faith in yourself. It sounds so cheesy, I know, but it’s so easy to doubt yourself and your abilities, especially for me as a woman in what has virtually always been a male-dominated field. Just keep in mind that everyone else applying is in the same boat. The other applicants will be just as inexperienced and jittery as you are. Just put yourself out there, never be too nervous (or proud) to seek help when you need it, and take it all in your stride. The whole experience will all be worth it in the end!