What is a mechanical engineer?
Mechanical engineers make things work - any machines or devices, from cars to spacecraft to medical equipment, toys, or even buildings.
Mechanical engineers invent, design, build, test, fix, and improve machines they work on, making sure they’re performing perfectly.
Where can mechanical engineers work?
There are millions of jobs out there for mechanical engineers, so you can work wherever your interests lie!
Sorsha and Eyram work for Formula 1, making motorsport run smoothly and speedily. You could work anywhere else from a car manufacturer, to designing sports equipment, to creating prosthetic limbs, to working on tools for NASA, to inventing new technology to help the environment.
Sorsha says...
"I like change, and I like challenging myself. I’d like to learn more about aerodynamics, that’s something that really interests me, but you can go anywhere with it. It opens so many doors."
The possibilities of mechanical engineering will allow you to follow your science dreams wherever you want to, and gives you the opportunity to work on lots of different projects. If you like variety, mechanical engineering can definitely provide that!
Eyram says...
"I would absolutely recommend an apprenticeship - it’s a lot more practical. Sometimes you don’t feel you have the ability to apply the theory in real life, but this route shows you the real world work."
There are plenty of routes in to mechanical engineering. You might take A Levels, then go to University to do a degree in Mechanics, engineering, or even broader Maths or Physics courses then go into mechanical engineering later. Or, you might like to do an apprenticeship, allowing you to get hands on straight away and earn a bit of money. Or, you could do T Levels or another vocational course, or you could look into degree apprenticeships for the best of both worlds!
The possibilities really are endless.