What did you do before coming to study with the Department of Design, Manufacturing & Engineering Management?
I had just finished my A-levels in Northern Ireland and, to be honest, was lucky to find the department as I was having real trouble finding a course that suited the type of job I wanted to go into.
My A-levels were in technology and design, media studies and maths, so a bit of a mixed bag, but I’d always been interested in design.
Why did you choose to study here?
The department had the perfect course for me. The outline of the course for Product Design Innovation encompassed loads of subjects that I wanted to learn about, although I didn’t know what I wanted to do after university, I could see that the wide variety of classes would give me loads of options.
Where are you currently working and what does your role involve?
I work as the Category Marketing Manager for Macphie in Aberdeenshire. Macphie is a food ingredients manufacturer (mostly they make cakes, so I’m rather lucky). I’m very lucky that I get to do a job that covers nearly everything that I learned in Design, Manufacture & Engineering Management.
I’m involved in product development both new and existing, management product lifecycle analysis of the different product categories, day-to-day marketing and input to PR and also form part of cross company groups for different projects.
How did studying with us provide you with opportunities to begin or further your career?
My current employer basically hired me because of my degree from the Department of Design, Manufacturing & Engineering Management. They recognised the wide skill-set that I have and knew that I would be able to contribute to many parts of the business.
Thinking back to your university experience, would you do anything differently?
I don’t think that there is anything I would do differently. Everyone was so open and honest in the department and that made it a very easy place to study.
What has been the highlight of your career to date?
Starting my role at Macphie has been fantastic, and launching my first product successfully in the form of a chocolate sponge mix was really good. There has been a lot of other success too though, as I’ve been allowed to develop and improve different processes in the business.
What advice would you give to a current student in our department?
Absorb every piece of information that you can. In the roles that you go into from Design, Manufacturing & Engineering Management, it calls on all areas of skills and knowledge and in the end that will make you more desirable to employers.