Whittie
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Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
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Basically I might have a chance to be an apprentice engineer, electical or mechanical. Got 7 or 8 GCSEs, and a Btec national diploma in business studies, also A+ / half of a CCNA course 
Its a three year period.
First year is college based still getting paid and gain qualifications / knowledge.
Is it worth getting into? Starting salary is only £14,000, what kind of salary could you be looking at once fully qualified / a few years experience?
Thanks for any help
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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I wouldn't do mechanical engineering for any money. I had to do a lot of modules in it at uni, and fuck its boring.
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Whittie
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Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
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What's boring about it?
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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Beam bending equations.
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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Working out the point of failure of a triangle when a load is put upon it.
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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Working out how far a cannon ball would go if it was shot in a slightly upward trajectory off of a cliff.
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Whittie
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Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
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I wouldn't mind a little beam bending, failure of loads or finding out how far a cannon ball would go if the pay was alright?
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dean101287
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Registered: 22nd Jul 07
Location: Cardiff
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i am now coming to the end of my first year of mechanical engineering. The subject ed is talking about is mechanical principles which is part of the course and yes it is very boring. practical side is fun tho.
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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Our practical stuff was metrology. We had to take an engine apart and measure the bores, piston sizes, crank measurments, rod measurments e.t.c... Oh, then work out the fit for them too and make up graphs for it. I think we got fucked over 
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Mase
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Registered: 16th Sep 01
Location: Derbyshire
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I'm doing an MEng in Mechanical Engineering and i enjoy it.... most of the time....
granted some of the stuff is pretty boring as ed has already said, but once you've got through the basics, you end up building on that and doing other things.... and at the end of the day, once all thats done, theres a fair amount of money to be earnt given the right job...
I'm working for a process engineering company at the minute, moneys not the best, but theres huge potential to travel.... i'm currently working on a project in China.
Mase
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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I'm just moaning because all I want to do is make models, colour stuff in, make 3D renderings and Photoshop 
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Mase
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Registered: 16th Sep 01
Location: Derbyshire
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quote:
Originally posted by ed
Our practical stuff was metrology. We had to take an engine apart and measure the bores, piston sizes, crank measurments, rod measurments e.t.c... Oh, then work out the fit for them too and make up graphs for it. I think we got fucked over
We have never even got anywhere near an actual engine.... done plenty of materials stuff and tested a fair bit, but never actually took something apart and got our hands dirty..... In actual fact, we probably spent more time looking into finance, marketing and general business topics than we did actual mechanical engieering this last year...
Mase
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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Oh god, yes, we did business aswell. I failed Though they just made me re-do the coursework and let me through as it was first year. We also had to do English, ironicly we were taught that by a Swedish lady 
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dean101287
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Registered: 22nd Jul 07
Location: Cardiff
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i did business aswell. what a load of bollox. teacher was a cunt aswell so that didnt help. he said that my progress what satisfactory... satisfactory? pffft
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corsa120
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Registered: 4th May 02
Location: Northamptonshire
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i have done 6 years at college doing a mechanical/electrical apprenticeship, i finished it about 3 years ago but found it ok, you will find as previously said that you'll do loads of stuff not relevant to everyday life most stuff ive never done again like some of the science lol
my qualifications include,
nvq level 2 in mechanical engineering
nvg level 3 in hydraulic engineering
city and guilds 221 in mechanical engineering
city and guilds 228 in mechanical engineering
btech first diploma engineering
welding covering mig/tig/oxycetaline/aluminium
onc electro/mechanical engineering
hnc electro/mechanical engeering
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Whittie
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Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
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What's the money like once qualified though? Been reading on what it entails and does interest me tbh
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Russ
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Registered: 14th Mar 04
Location: Armchair
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come and work for me.
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Whittie
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Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
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Pay me 20k a year and i will
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Russ
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Registered: 14th Mar 04
Location: Armchair
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looks like you wont
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Matt.H
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Registered: 12th Mar 03
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Depends on what line of engineering you wanna get into. I'm a mechanical maintenance engineer at rolls royce, left school at 16 and did my apprenticeship with them. starting salary was roughly the same as you stated and have done btec first/national and and hnc with them. All my jobs consists of is repairing CNC machine tools and im on 37k a year.
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Eddie.2k
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Registered: 4th Dec 06
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Ive just about finished my 1st year doing electrical engineering  Loving every minute of it. £75 a week though for my first year was a bit shite! but my company are paying my digs, trains, and flights
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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Im an apprentice Instrument/control tech, but ive done some electrical qualifictions aswell. Salary wise i'll get around 50k for working 2 weeks out of 5 around the clock.
Proression wise the skys the limit, installation managers get arounf 120k.
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
User status: Offline
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Qualifications ive done/currently doing :
NC Multi Dicipline Engineering
NC Engineering Practice
HNC Measurement & Control Engineering
HNC Electrical Engineering
SVQ Level II Performing Engineering Operations
SVQ Level III Engineering Op's
RGIT Survival Certificate
Oilwell Drilling Technology - City & Guilds
Drilling Calculations - City & Guilds
Oilwell Production Technology - City & Guilds
Theres some others too 
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tom_simes
Show Staff
Organiser: South Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 12th Jan 05
Location: Undy, Newport Drives: Skoda Octavia vRS estate
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I'm studying MEng in Mechanical Engineering Alex, just finished my 3rd year so got one left.
I enjoy my course, some of the content is boring and completely pointless (IMO), but it is interesting - Thermodynamics for example, assists in working out the power of engines from its specs (bore, stroke etc) and I really did like that module.
I'm currently working for the summer for Samco Sport as a quality/production engineer, and hopefully will get taken on full-time when I graduate - should start there on about £18-20k, which is a bit low for the industry, but allows me to live at home for a couple of years while I save for a house deposit.
A couple of my course mates have just walked into jobs after completing BEng's with 2:1's, one of them starting on £26k, with a company car, pension and BUPA healthcare paid for.
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C2RL R
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Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
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colin - how did you get into offshore work mate? i could do with earning some serious coin and i have very few commitments atm so it would suit me quite well.
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