"I realised that I was good at it and there were too many opportunities in this field to be put off by fear!"

Engineering - Materials engineer

Josephine Kepicova
Materials engineer

In Slovakia, where I'm from, primary education finishes at 14 and young people then choose what they want to study for the next 3-4 years. I opted to study engineering and technology for four years. I then did a degree in metallurgy at technical university.

For me, the attraction was learning how things operate and that I would constantly be acquiring knowledge. After coming to the UK as an au pair, I decided to study engineering to learn technical English, so that I could transfer my skills for use in this country. I took the BTEC National practical route in mechanical engineering. I was scared at first and didn't think I could do it, but I realised that I was good at it and there were too many opportunities in this field to be put off by fear!

I love the challenge I get from my job. There is something different and exciting happening every day. It's amazing to put a project together and see it all work at the end. My job is always interesting and something I like to do. I make a difference and there's always the possibility to travel if you want to.

If you want to make a change, don't be scared. At the very least, you get to use the qualifications you worked hard for at college, which is more than can be said for a lot of other jobs.