h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello m8y, this is your captain speaking. I've just found out from How Well Do You Know... that you are only 22. With all the Bridge references I would have put you down for at least 103.

What sort of engineer are you? Are you anywhere near London?

Liam.

I am a materials engineer, sidelining in Process and Instrumentation, and I am nowhere near London, sadly.

Although, if you're going to offer me a permanent position, I might be persuaded to move

B

>I am a materials engineer<

Ohhh... *understands Master B's employment status a little better now*. not a _real_ engineer then

Liam.

*with large stick*

As far as practical engineering goes, in the nature of my course, I received more training on metrology then MechEng, more soldering than ElecEng, and more valves, instrumentation and tank design than ChemEng.

I am part of a dying breed - the practical engineer.

B

Oooh a neglected thread. Just having a looksee through my old thread and forgot about this one.

I know what you mean about cross discipline engineering. My degree and apprenticeship is in Maths and Computing, however my upbringing has been electric and electronic engineering, with physics - my dad's PhD is in something to do with physics will have to enquire as to the nature. I know work for an investment bank in the facilities department looking after building services engineers and the security engineers as well as building design changes. It just means that I don't get bull****ed by the engineers - or they do try but only the once.

Liam.

Hello again Liam! Thought you'd deserted me.

The bad news: I'm still unemployed.

The good news: If I accept my Dad's help (something I swore I'd never do), I can get a £21.5k starting salary.

B

>The bad news: I'm still unemployed.<

Sorry to hear that. You're a little too far away and far too over qualified to take on anything I could give you. We have taken on two new engineers and two apprentices now though.

>The good news: If I accept my Dad's help (something I swore I'd never do), I can get a £21.5k starting salary.<

Nice Is that working for your dad or your dad pulling strings and waving the old school tie?

Liam.

Basically, my Dad has a shortage of both technicians and graduates in his department (of Corus), and is prepared to start me on a Band E salary (capped at 26k), rather than the usual Graduate training salary of 17.5k. The familial sycophantics does not come into play - I just hate him.

B

Would you have to work with/near/under him? If you don't like him it could turn out to be a nightmare despite the renumeration.

Liam.

It's not that bad. Given that he's senior management, and I'd be just stuck in the metallurgy labs, we'd only see each other a (maybe) one meeting a week. For 4 grand (minus tax) in my pocket, I think I could cope with that.

B

That's all right then. Have you got much in student loans to pay back?

My brother finished his PhD last year and walked into a £55k + benefits job at Goldman Sachs, he only had 4 grand in loans. The lucky bugger got a load of freelance work while at uni.

Liam.

Not much freelance work for metallurgists, sadly.

And I'm too proud to take on temp jobs (apart from bar work), so I've got a lot of debt.

4 years of loan (14k); overdraft (2k), plus maybe a grand or so on interest-free credit cards = the supposedly average student debt at graduation.

B