As featured in the Engineering Council’s case studies, our colleague, Dr. Parina Patel shares her journey to becoming a Chartered Engineer (CEng).

The Engineering Council is a regulatory body for the UK engineering profession which sets and maintains internationally recognised standards of professional competence and commitment. Selected case studies published on the Engineering Council’s website are from a broad range of institutions and industries. Here Parina talks about her career and explains how becoming professionally registered has benefitted her career progression.

Below are a few snippets that might inspire you, to read the full case study click here.

What inspired you to become an engineer or pointed you towards an engineering career?

It’s only since becoming Chartered that I’ve felt I can properly call myself an engineer. My education and background are in science, so I’d never set off to become an engineer. I was drawn to a career in engineering after leaving university as I liked solving real-life problems and did some work experience in a consultancy environment, which I really enjoyed. I like that engineering gives you a balance of technical and real-life.

What do you find most enjoyable about your job?

I love my job. I especially enjoy the variety of projects I get to work on, the network of experts I get to work with and the development of others through coaching and mentoring. I volunteer as a mentor with the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK). It’s so rewarding to see the next generation of engineers grow and develop. I appreciate that makes me sound ancient, but it seems like only yesterday I was going through the same motions, and the challenges my mentees face are very similar to those that I encountered.