In our first industry poll we asked our Engineering customers, “What inspired you to become an Engineer?”.

Was it making things with Lego as a child, following in the footsteps of family members or perhaps taking the advice of careers advisors at school?

The results showed a clear winner, with most
respondents sharing that they have always had a fascination with how things work, this was followed by a desire to innovate and create.

We talked to a few of our customers about these results and how they started their career. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“I always had a fascination as to how things work! Having tinkered with motorbikes and pushbikes as a kid, I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great to get paid for this?!’ I applied for an apprenticeship and the rest as they say is history.”                                                    Craig Stewart, Manufacturing Team Lead, FMC Technologies

“For as long as I can remember I have always been using my hands to build things, from Lego in the early days to tree houses in school days. I have always been intrigued by how things work and would constantly take broken house hold items apart with the plan to fix them, they rarely functioned again but I satisfied my curiosity.

At school I excelled at Technology and Design, I enjoyed learning prototyping processes and problem solving. I enjoyed learning how products were designed and manufactured; this inspired me to study Design Engineering. I rarely regretted my topic of study; I enjoyed the hands on engineering aspect and challenges of learning new computer programs. I was lucky that my course allowed me to interact with a range of Engineers and work on complex projects.

I now work in a Research and Development Environment working with a range of engineers, surgeons, scientists and Production staff to Design and manufacture lifesaving medical devices. Working within a multi skilled environment has allowed me to development as an engineer and gain valuable experience to help me progress in my career.”
Escape candidate, placed in 2015

For us, it was disappointing to see that such a small percentage of respondents had been inspired by their experience during education; something we hope will change for the next generation of Engineers with the increased focus on the need for STEM skills in the market and the introduction of new qualifications tackling the industry skills gaps.

With this in mind, we’re curious how you would inspire a new generation of Engineers.

So this month’s question is simply: What’s the best reason to become an Engineer?

Is it the challenging work, variety of career choices, the fact there’s never a dull moment or is there another reason you’d recommend your career choice to others?

Tell us in the box below or email your answer to ask@escaperecruitment.com