Graduate electrical engineer — Rachael

While studying a degree in electronic and electrical engineering at the University of Strathclyde, Rachael did a summer internship with BAE Systems, which has led to her landing the role of graduate electrical engineer (electrical power systems modelling)

Why did you decide on this career?

Throughout school, I had always enjoyed maths and physics. I researched different career paths that would combine both - resulting in me looking at engineering.

I then got the amazing opportunity to join the one-week Scottish Space School residential programme at the University of Strathclyde and gain work experience with my dad, a telecommunications engineer, which resulted in me deciding to study electronic and electrical engineering at university.

How did you get your job with BAE Systems?

I first came into BAE Systems as a summer intern for 12 weeks between my third and fourth year of university. During my placement, I was placed under the electrical functions teams and got first-hand experience of working directly with the teams within the discipline. After really enjoying it, following my degree, I decided to come back to the company on the graduate scheme. Since I enjoyed power systems and the software side of my degree, I ended up in the electrical power systems modelling team.

What's a typical day like as an electrical engineer?

My team fulfils a variety of tasks and responsibilities, including the de-risking of complex electrical systems through analysis and computational modelling.

A typical day involves data analysis for complex test scenarios and presenting the findings to senior management and highlighting any areas of concern from the testing. Additionally, I am looking through previous test scenarios and summarising all the testing in a user-friendly format.

Since I am also a graduate, I do training blocks every few weeks, working on improving my skills on software such as Simulink, to be able to help complete future work.

What qualities do you think are important for this role?

One of the main qualities is communication skills. Being able to effectively communicate is very important because I need to know how to communicate with my team and how to ask for help, but also be able to present my findings to senior management who don't have a similar background to me.

Adaptability and being detail orientated are also important, as we need to be able to model large systems and keep track of designs and data sets.

Finally, being able to adapt my training to new tasks and being creative when designing is critical.

What part of your job gives you the most satisfaction?

It's when I am able to understand the training and then use it to adapt to a new task I have been given and complete it successfully.

What are the challenges?

One of the main challenges is when I am presenting to senior management and finding ways to break down the work. It's not easy to explain it to someone that doesn't have a similar background in electrical engineering in a way they are able to understand.

In what way is your degree relevant to your job?

From university, I learned the fundamentals of basic electrical and electronic principles and theories, which I have applied to my role. Some of these include power systems analysis and knowing how components work in overall systems. Also, learning the basics in coding/modelling software at university, which is a key part of my role and using it to build on from targeted role training.

What are your career ambitions?

They are to become a chartered engineer and hopefully be in a managerial role, as I enjoy it when I am able to do a task that supports and allows another colleague to successfully complete their task as well.

What advice would you give to other aspiring electrical engineers?

• Don't be afraid to ask questions. It shows you are eager to learn and definitely helps with understanding in the long run.
• Working on your technical and soft skills are equally as important. Being knowledgeable about your role is key, but also don't forget the value of softer skills such as communication and active listening.
• Don't be afraid to fail and admit mistakes. With electrical engineering, theory and practical skills are needed and there is a lot of learn. So there will be times where mistakes are made and owning up to them is more valuable than trying to hide them.

Find out more

• Explore the role of an electrical engineer.
• Discover what you can do with an electrical engineering degree.
• Read about graduate careers at BAE Systems.