• Question: When did you first hear the word engineer?

    Asked by mistorvictor to Graham, Luke, Ruth on 25 Jun 2014.
    • Photo: Luke Fry

      Luke Fry answered on 25 Jun 2014:


      Hi Victor…

      Tough one!! I really couldn’t put an age on it but definitely growing up. When I was younger I probably had the same misconception that seems to be being slowly broken that engineers are all covered in oil on skateboards under a car.
      I first associated engineering with something I wanted to do when I would be drawing out ideas for things and trying to figure out how they would work. I loved mechano and marble runs etc too

    • Photo: Graham Wiggins

      Graham Wiggins answered on 25 Jun 2014:


      mistorvictor – Hi,
      I think I must have heard the word around the age of 12 – and understood what it means.
      I say that as I did a couple of short “saturday morning” engineering classes at Oxford College, one course when I was 14, one a year later when I was 15. Those courses were a couple of classes on ‘lectrics, couple in the machine shop, and a day in the welding bay … 14 and welding 🙂 ….. that was scary at the time, though now I weld at home – in my own little workshop – from time to time, I have actually progressed from the basic electric arc rig at college, ( and later in my apprenticeship ) to a more modern MIG torch Mmmmmm.
      I was also thinking of becoming an electrician around the age of 12, and have blended the lot together now, in a mixed, and varied multi-skilled way. I even have my own small lathe/mill at home
      Work experience went rather well, I got a tad carried away repairing some of the raidos one day, and fixed so many, the shop put them out as “discounted lines” and I got a percentage of that 🙂 so I was a useful engineer around the age of 15/16

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