Where to start?
So it’s been a while since my first post, it’s been a busy semester. I have been overthinking where to even start with this blog, and so I am just going to start writing and hope that that bit sorts itself out. Don’t hesitate to tell me what’s good and bad! Let’s start at the beginning. The first time I entered the Engineering world. 2013 I was sat in my year 11 maths class when a Sixth Former came in and did a presentation on the Arkwright Scholarship. So let’s talk about Arkwright. “The Arkwright Scholarships Trust is a registered charity that administers the most prestigious scholarship scheme of its type in the UK.”
Basically, it identifies young engineers currently in school and proceeds to pick the best to get a small but significant grant to spend on that engineer’s progression into engineering. Back in my day this scholarship was £200 a year through 2 years of sixth form college. I spent all £400 on an awesome Hex copter that promptly set on fire on it’s first spin up and has lived under my bed ever since. I keep telling myself that one day I will finally get it working, but at the same time I am not much of an electrical engineer on the best of days. The selection process for me, though may have now changed, comprised of a technical challenge and an interview. The Technical challenge consisted of choosing a design challenge out of a few listed, and then being put in a quiet room for a bit with a pencil and an A3 piece of paper and coming up with some solutions. I can’t quite remember what mine where, but I believe one was creating a bin that could clean up small ponds while being aesthetically pleasing. Being the genius, I am, I decided that a small boat attached to an anchored boy that span in circles with a hole at the front was the obvious answer to this pressing dilemma. Large holes on the bows of ships has never gone wrong. That boat did however sail me into the interview stage. At which point I charmed my way onto the Scholarship, using some BS concerning my “Idol” Mr Boeing in answer to “Who is your Engineering Role model?”. “Myself” was a bit too arrogant even for 16-year-old me. Arkwright also provided me with a Sponsor (Network Rail) who gave me loads of opportunities to go get work experience with them. The work experience days were fantastic, including working beside a railway laying machine in the early hours of the morning and I was even able to score myself some sweet PPE that I still use to this day. Thanks Network Rail! So all in all if you are in year 11 make sure that you get applying!