• Question: How long did you have to study to get to this point?

    Asked by Zack on 30 Jun 2021.
    • Photo: Chloe James

      Chloe James answered on 30 Jun 2021:

      I studied GCSEs and A Levels in school (until I was 18) and then went to university to study engineering. I spent 3 years at university and also completed a year of work whilst at university (so 4 years in total).

      For my role, you don’t have to go to university and can actually complete an apprenticeship after your GCSEs (aged 16). This means you’ll learn whilst working, so you won’t be studying full time for as long.

    • Photo: Emma Crook

      Emma Crook answered on 1 Jul 2021:

      i did GCSEs till i was 16, then A levels to age 18. Then i went to university and did a 5 year Masters degree (Scottish degrees are a year longer than English ones). Then i joined my company on a graduate programme which lasted for 3 years, now i’m 28 and have been a ‘full engineer’ at my company for 2 years 🙂

    • Photo: Sam Hurst

      Sam Hurst answered on 1 Jul 2021:

      I had to go to university for 4 years to get a Masters Degree. There are however on the job training schemes (Apprenticeship) that allow you to learn as you work starting at 16. Most apprenticeships start at 18 though for Engineering and need 2 A-Levels.

    • Photo: Ruth McKinlay

      Ruth McKinlay answered on 1 Jul 2021:

      I got my GCSEs at 16 and then my A levels in maths, physics and further maths at 18 I then spent 4 years at university doing a combined bachelor and master degree in Mechanical Engineering. Whilst doing the degree I worked my holidays and then once I graduated it took me another 4.5 years to get chartered which you do whilst learning.

    • Photo: Melis Duyar

      Melis Duyar answered on 1 Jul 2021:

      After high school I got a Bachelor’s degree (3.5 years because it was not in the UK) then went on to do a combined Master’s and Doctoral degree program (3.5 years). After graduating with a doctorate it is possible to go straight into teaching at the university level, but it is also common to get more research experience through a postdoctoral research fellowship- i did this for 2 years and after that I can say my studying was done and I was ready to teach!

    • Photo: Katie Rae

      Katie Rae answered on 1 Jul 2021:

      I have a PhD, so I spent 4 years at university for my degree, and then a further 3.5 on my PhD. So 7.5 years after school – which sounds like so much!! I wanted to teach/research at a university so you usually need a PhD for that.

    • Photo: Tommy Shinton

      Tommy Shinton answered on 1 Jul 2021:

      I went to school in Scotland where the exams are a bit different, so I did Highers in my final year at school. I then took a year off studying to work in a bar and travel a bit and then went to University in Glasgow for 5 years to study Civil Engineering. I got a job straight away after that. No more studying for me now (although I did have to do a bit for some professional qualifications) but I’m still learning new things – I just get more say in what they are now!

    • Photo: Rob Gilbert

      Rob Gilbert answered on 1 Jul 2021:

      I think I followed a fairly normal path of doing GCSEs, 2 years A-Levels, then 4 years at univocal gaining a Masters in Civil Engineering. So maybe that sounds like a long time but it was fun!
      However study never really stops. Once I got a job my next big goal was to become a chartered civil engineer. This took me 8 years but some people do it in 3 or 4 – it depends on the jobs and projects you have, and whether it’s your main focus.

    • Photo: Caroline Roche

      Caroline Roche answered on 1 Jul 2021:

      I gained my degree after four years of study, which got me into my company as a graduate engineer.

      But like the other engineers have said there are other ways of studying, some of my co-workers have come in as apprentices and studied part-time to get a degree. Others have come in as technicians and just learnt on the job without formal education. The different routes have different timelines.

    • Photo: Nas

      Nas answered on 2 Jul 2021:

      I did GCSEs, A levels and a degree. You don’t have to do that though, you can get an apprenticeship when you are 16 or 18 if university isn’t for you.

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