Careers

Anna Harmon

With an engineering degree you can basically go anywhere and do anything from aircraft production to corporate consultancy, because you combine mathematical and logical skills with quite an innovative turn of mind. I had a big choice to make.

I decided on Babcock because for me, the civilian defence industry offered the best environment in which to pursue my engineering management career. You have to be very flexible, because potentially you could be working all over the UK. I’d hardly been here two weeks when I was seconded to a Royal Navy airbase in Cornwall.

Getting thrown straight into it was a bit interesting, but the hands-on side is something I’ve always wanted. So far, I’ve worked right through from fixing engines to management and supply – and even some of the finance stuff. It’s a very steep learning curve in this division. They expect a lot of you and you have to perform.

Personally, I’m happy to take all the responsibility they throw at me, because the challenge of it is what excites me. Even so, I appreciate the constant support you get from your line manager, your buddy and your mentor. The regular meetings with them really help you to measure your progress.

The working culture changes, depending on where you are. The support centre is office-based, while on-site is a military environment. On top of which, I can find myself representing the management while working with a group of highly experienced engineers – who probably don’t quite know what to make of a female graduate who’s been there only a matter of months!

I feel very privileged, having been able to work on-site so quickly. Working on secondment, you get to see all the different sides of the business, and you literally do learn something new every day. If you’re good at what you do there’s a lot of scope to be noticed quickly, and career development can take you anywhere. I have lots of different interests, so it all depends on what comes up. Right now, I’m just enjoying soaking up all the different aspects.

Download the Babcock units converter and engineering dictionary

Search for graduate job vacancies across the UK

Come and meet us on-campus

Download the Babcock graduate brochure