Peter Olley MEng Aeronautics and Astronautics2021

Having 12 months of professional industrial experience will stand me in good stead for my future, giving me another card to my hand when applying for graduate jobs. I may even have a job waiting for me at Lockheed Martin if I perform well enough.

Why did you choose to come to the University of Southampton?

I chose to come to Southampton due to its rich aeronautical heritage. It is the birthplace of the Spitfire!

As soon as I attended an open day and saw the engineering facilities that the University had to offer, I knew that I would enjoy my time here.

What has been the highlight of your time at the University so far?

I have made countless memories during my time here that I will keep forever. Most notably would have to be the friends that I’ve made, it feels like I’ve known them my whole life.

In terms of my course, the things I have enjoyed most are the practical labs where I can see the theory that I’ve learned in a lecture being put into practice. I particularly like CAD modelling, so the design modules have also been a favourite of mine.

Securing a work placement can be daunting, how has the University helped you?

I received plenty of support from the University. I was offered a wide range of support sessions including CV writing help and ‘Assessment Day’ practices. There are also University email lists you can subscribe to that send out current placement opportunities, and they hold careers fairs where you can find out what placements are being offered by companies.

How has your degree helped you during your placement?

My first two years at university taught me a large spectrum of skills that I have been applying during my work placement. I had never written a line of code before university and now on my placement I am writing software test scripts using multiple computer languages.

How will the skills you are developing on placement, assist you in your future career?

I am learning and developing so many skills that I will bring back with me to University; both technical and soft skills.

At the moment I am working in an ‘Agile’ environment. I hadn’t heard of this way of working before, but it brings many benefits to group project work and would definitely be something that I would try to apply to any future group projects.

What have you enjoyed most about your placement?

I’ve met lots of amazing people during my placement and I’m sure I’ll keep in touch with them.

One of my biggest highlights was having the opportunity to go to the Lockheed Martin UK head office in London and attend a design review with our customer. This gave me the opportunity to see how the company was run at a much higher level than I see day to day.

What are your career plans once you graduate?

I hope to perform well enough during my placement to be offered an ‘Intent to Hire’ letter from Lockheed Martin so I would be able to return and work for them when I graduate. I’ve enjoyed my time here hugely and I would be extremely excited to start my career here.

What advice would you give anyone who is considering taking a placement year?

My biggest piece of advice would be to do a placement! It’s invaluable in my opinion, especially in the field of engineering as that experience will make you extra-employable.

When applying for placements I would suggest applying for as many as you think you would enjoy. Then, once you’ve done your interviews, and maybe been offered more than one place, the power is in your hands to decide where you want to go.