KATIE AUSTIN - Mechanical design engineer When she was growing up, Katie could often be found under the bonnet of the family car, helping her dad fix the engine. It was this desire to learn how things work that led her into a job as an engineer. “I was so interested that when it came to doing my work experience at school I chose to work in an automatic transmission garage – helping the technicians recondition gearboxes whilst doing basic garage duties,” she says. “When I realised that my grades were good enough to continue my education at college, and potentially university, I began looking into what subject I would like to study and mechanical engineering was at the top of my list.” Katie uses her knowledge of physics and maths to solve practical problems.
“I get real satisfaction knowing that I’ve designed and built something that works effectively to solve real engineering problems,” she says. Katie works for a company that specialises in engineering for the offshore oil and gas, submarine telecom, defence and renewables industries. A typical day involves designing components and doing calculations to ensure they can withstand the extreme conditions of an offshore environment. She is currently working on a multi-million pound project to design and manufacture a large pipe laying system for an oil and gas field development ship.
Katies’s route GCSE Dual award science, maths>A level maths, physics, design & technology and general studies>masters degree in mechanical and design engineering>mechanical design engineer
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