Hanif is an Electronic Engineering graduate from Queen Mary, University of London. He has recently completed a Automation and Electronics internship and has since been taken on permanently in the role
After graduating with a MEng in Electronics Engineering 2.1 Class (Hons), I jumped eagerly into applying for jobs within my chosen field. For whatever reason I just couldn’t secure a position I wanted and soon found myself in roles like IT and teaching. While I was still practising and keeping up to date with all things Electronic Engineering, this never felt enough. I wanted engineering to be my career not just a hobby. I had almost given up hope, but in the midst of applying for a PGCE I got a call from Step
I had applied for a 12 week internship as an automation and electronics engineer. I had endless help from my adviser Diane with the application process and then later with the interview. It went really well and I instantly loved the environment of the workplace. I found that the company really appreciated my passion for electronics and automation and I was delighted I got a response within a week of the interview. The position turned out to be really satisfying for me as I was given the freedom of exploring my knowledge learnt during university and applying it to real life automation projects.
The company is a market leader in electronic test equipment, offering complete solutions for rental, new and refurbished instruments through to total equipment management. They supply over 8,000 different product lines all over the world with big names in electronics and industries within the aerospace, automotive, defence and telecoms sectors.
I was allowed to get stuck in straight away with calibrating equipment automatically using software tools and using my own experiences/skills in automation, whilst learning the key practical skills and further theoretical knowledge of the job. It was well worth the wait, and the role allowed me to be hands on and practical. I enjoy putting theory into practice, so it was rewarding to be working, week in and week out, on different projects from optics, power supplies, multi-meters, network analysers and signal generators. I even got the chance to use my other skills and experiences within the workplace i.e. IT issues, software and PC diagnostics. I feel really valued within the company as shown by the importance of the tasks that they have given me. Furthermore, since the end of my placement, I have been given the opportunity to stay on! I now greatly look forward to being given more responsibility and continuing to work with experienced engineers.
Step is highly recommended; they will recognise your talents and help you to find the placement that you really want. I would like to thank the Step team and my adviser Diane. Also I’d like to add a special thanks to my manager and supervisor at work for their support and recognition.
Hanif