Navigating a career in engineering

Craig Hamilton, managing consultant from Page Personnel Engineering and Manufacturing, spoke with Conor Brown, systems manager for Wincanton Defence UK, to ask a few quick fire questions about his career, the challenges engineers face in the current market, and what advice he would give to aspiring engineers.

I am an engineer first and foremost, that’s where I have developed my career and gained my skills. I come from a merchant navy background which has given me a wide skillset that I have been able to utilise in a range of different industries. I have strong management, organisation and leadership skills which gave me the confidence to take the leap of faith and make the change from the machinery side of operations, and transfer those skills into systems management. It was a big adjustment although I’ve worked in the role for a year now and as time goes on the easier it becomes, and the better I have been able to adapt to the new environment.
 

Working offshore and transferring to a land-based position was undoubtedly the biggest challenge. While the fundamental skills of the roles are much the same, the working cultures are completely different. When I was preparing to leave the navy, I was really unsure about simple things I would face working back in the UK, I didn’t really know how it all worked back here. Luckily enough, it didn’t take long for me to adjust to my new environment.

My team and I are a vital cog in the business. We are an essential part of achieving a larger goal and develop systems that others are going to rely on. I like that I am able to play a key role in creating something bigger, something that’s important to many people. Each day is different and the work is always interesting. It keeps you on your toes and ensures that you are always improving. 

When I was working as part of a project team, there was a great comradery, we were all different in so many ways but got on extremely well - like a family. I was working on the electrical side of things though we were all striving towards a common goal. Once we eventually made it to the completion stage and took a step back, it was amazing to see what we had all accomplished. 

My people skills, I like to talk and I like to get to know other people. This helps as it enables me to step into any project with new people and make things happen quickly, simply because we better understand each other, which has been particularly useful whenever I relocated or moved up in the hierarchy. 

I have taken on leadership roles since I was just 18 and quite often trying to get respect from people can be very challenging. I have a much older head on my shoulders with over seven years’ experience behind me, but often people wonder what someone so young is doing in these management positions. 
 

Many of those I did my cadetship with, myself included, believed we would be working at sea for the next 35 years. The downturn in the industry then brought a lot of us back home, we didn’t have a choice. The roles we had to do evolved and this required us to learn new skills. There was a huge variety of positions we could transfer into. There are new people and new skills coming into the industry where there is currently both a generation and skills gap, and we are helping to fill it.

I find that a lot of people see engineering as a career to make money, which is a good thing, because people are money motivated. However, we also have a trade behind us so we’re very dynamic, we can teach, we can plan and progress into management. Engineering is not just a single career path, it’s a foundation to expand on, there’s a flexibility that just isn’t available in other jobs. When you’re an engineer you can walk through so many different doors. This is something that’s becoming more and more apparent to those currently studying and considering a career within the industry, because people are now prioritising stability and a big part of that is versatility, which engineering offers.

There are two key abilities for success in these industries. The first is people skills, if you can work with a variety of different people, manage conflict and are an effective communicator, you will go far. It’s a matter of being able to communicate clearly then get things done, that’s the bottom line. The other is a combination of being very detail oriented and technical minded while also being highly organised.

It’s the single most versatile career - it can take you in any direction. There are endless opportunities, you just need to be willing to put in the hard work. You can take your career anywhere, you can go abroad, to sea, into teaching or management. With engineering as your foundation, there are so many options. 

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