What if the thing holding you back wasn't your grades, but your belief in what you were capable of?

Abby joins Josh on The Engineer a Career Podcast for one of the most honest engineering career conversations we've had on the show. From leaving school with a B in English and a C in Chemistry, being rejected from art school twice and nearly not making it through third year at Strathclyde, to completing a PhD, researching with BAE Systems and founding her own engineering consultancy.

This isn't a polished success story. It's a real one.

Josh and Abby explore what it actually means to think like an engineer beyond the technical skills. Why being comfortable with ambiguity separates good engineers from great ones, how systems thinking becomes one of the most powerful tools across your entire career, and why building genuine connections matters more than any networking event ever will.

Abby also opens up about imposter syndrome, a dissertation presentation so bad the head of department called her into his office, and what finally pushed her to back herself and start Defankle.

If you've ever feel like you didn't quite fit the mould, this one's for you.

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Kate Barnard joins Josh on The Engineer a Career Podcast to share the unconventional path that took her from failing her A Levels to leading engineering teams at Rolls-Royce, and why mindset matters more than grades.

From leaving school with just three UCAS points to discovering engineering by accident during a foundation year, Kate explains how giving it “a go” changed everything. Josh and Kate explore her time studying mechanical engineering at the University of Southampton, the power of applied learning in labs over lectures, and how getting involved with IMechE helped her build confidence, networks and leadership experience alongside her degree.

The conversation then moves into her 20 plus year journey at Rolls-Royce, from climbing inside Apache helicopters as a service engineer, to writing build instructions for the F-35 lift fan in the United States, and later leading one of the company’s first electric engine programmes. Kate shares what it was like running multidisciplinary teams, why cost should be designed out rather than driven out, and how working across university and industry partnerships broadened her perspective beyond a single organisation.

Since leaving corporate life, Kate has stepped into startups, explored climate and fintech ventures, and now operates at the intersection of engineering, strategy and emerging technologies. Along the way, she offers practical advice on staying open minded, identifying transferable skills, building a diverse mentor network, understanding risk early in your career, communicating beyond the engineering echo chamber, and why students should pay attention to those management lectures. The episode also touches on AI, technical grounding, and never losing sight of the “wow factor” of working in engineering.

If you’re a student, graduate, career changer or experienced engineer reflecting on your next move, this episode is packed with honest insight, perspective and practical guidance.

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Rob Cussons joins The Engineer a Career Podcast to share his route from astrophysics to offshore wind, and what it really takes to build a career in the energy transition.

From being inspired by an unforgettable physics teacher, to studying physics with astrophysics at the University of Leeds, Rob explains how early exposure to industry shaped his thinking long before he ever joined a renewable project team. We explore his year in industry, time working in Vancouver, and completing a PhD in Germany, before making the decision to step into renewables after the 2008 Climate Change Act.

I also dive into his 17 year journey at SSE, including his first role as a wind analyst, what wind analysis actually involves, and how moving through 9 or 10 different roles helped him develop the range of skills needed to lead complex projects. Rob shares what it means to be Project Director for Dogger Bank D, the scale of the wider Dogger Bank programme, and the types of engineers and roles involved across a major offshore wind development.

Along the way, he shares some of the most useful advice I have heard on the podcast so far, including why chasing job titles can hold you back, why feeling uncomfortable in new roles is normal, how to find mentors, and why values matter when choosing the organisations you build your career with.

If you’re a student, or early career engineer, this episode is packed with practical insight, purpose, and honest reflection.

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Another week, another episode. Welcome to The Engineer a Career Podcast Sarah Graham.

Sarah joins Josh to share how a high school work placement opened the door to electrical engineering and ultimately led her into offshore wind.

From discovering the real world application of maths and physics at school, to studying at the University of Edinburgh and completing a PhD in power systems and marine energy, Sarah explains how her interest in renewables evolved long before offshore wind became mainstream.

We also explore her move into industry, including the moment she doubted whether she was ready for a major offshore wind role, how she handled imposter syndrome, and why being able to translate technical detail into cost, risk and programme is a defining skill for engineers today. Along the way, she reflects on mentorship, construction delivery, and the scale of opportunity now emerging across renewables.

If you’re a student or early career engineer, this episode offers practical insight, honest reflection, and a clear message: stay curious, back yourself, and take the opportunity.

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Graeme Jackson joins Josh on the podcast to share his route into engineering, and how it took him from a Strathclyde lecture theatre to offshore rigs in the North Sea, and eventually to leading data and AI in the energy sector in New Zealand.

From almost choosing architecture, to a physics teacher spotting his potential, Graham explains how maths, physics and creative subjects became the foundation for his engineering mindset. We dive into his time at the University of Strathclyde, why being open to opportunities mattered just as much as internships, and how a spontaneous decision to study in Hong Kong shaped his direction.

We also unpack his graduate programme with Maersk, including international rotations across Aberdeen, Denmark and Qatar, and why traditional hands on engineering experience still matters when you move into digital, analytics and artificial intelligence. Graham shares how he later returned to university to study analytics and machine learning at UCL, how engineering principles translate into the tech world, and what advice he would give students who are trying to understand where AI fits into their future.

If you’re a student, or early career engineer, this episode is packed with honest reflection, practical insight, and a clear message: the world’s biggest problems are engineering problems.

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Erin joins The Engineer a Career Podcast to share her route into engineering and the real story behind it.

From being inspired by her dad’s offshore work and travel, to discovering engineering through school subjects like maths and physics, Erin explains how a single opportunity changed everything: a University of Strathclyde summer school for girls that helped her commit to the path early.

We also dive into her journey through Glasgow Caledonian University, how she navigated clearing, why she loved control systems, and how internships and part time industry experience shaped her confidence before joining BAE Systems. Along the way, she shares a brilliant comparison of small company learning versus big company structure, plus the value of getting involved with engineering communities like IMechE.

If you’re a student, or early career engineer, this episode is packed with practical insight and honest reflection.

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New year. New colours. Same mission.

This is 2026, and this episode is about direction.

Engineering doesn’t have a motivation problem or an ambition problem. It has a visibility problem. And this year, that’s the issue that needs to be confronted properly.

Too many people who could thrive in engineering still can’t see it clearly enough to move towards it. They see job titles, entry requirements and application portals, but not the projects, the people, the culture, or where they fit.

And people can’t be what they can’t see.

In this episode, Josh explains why engineering needs less noise and more clarity, consistency and visibility. Why visibility isn’t marketing or campaigns, but repeatable, human exposure to the reality of the work. And why belief is built through consistency, not intensity.

Josh talks about why the Engineer a Career rebrand matters, not for aesthetics, but for alignment. Why confidence doesn’t come from having everything figured out, but from seeing enough to believe you could work it out. And why visibility is a system issue, not a recruitment one.

If you’re a student, this episode is about exposure, not certainty.

If you’re in industry, it’s about responsibility, not reaction.

2026 isn’t about momentum. It’s about making engineering visible early enough, clearly enough and consistently enough to change outcomes.

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2025 was the first full year of Engineer a Career operating with intention.

A year shaped not by strategy documents or long-term roadmaps, but by people.

Students. Engineers. Educators. Industry.

Hundreds of voices, each revealing something about what engineering really looks and feels like today.

It was a year of travelling across the UK, from Aberdeen to Dundee, Edinburgh to Glasgow, and even to Lorient in Brittany.

Listening to stories, hosting events, recording conversations and standing in rooms filled with engineering talent who were trying to understand the pathway ahead of them.

It was also a year of learning.

Twenty-four podcast episodes.

Nine events.

Over five hundred people connected in person.

An ambassador network across eight universities.

And a clear message emerging from every direction: engineering talent is ready, but the system around them is not.

In this episode, Josh reflects on what Engineer a Career delivered in 2025, what engineers told us about their journeys, what students revealed about their pressures and ambitions, and what industry showed us about the challenges it still faces.

From resilience and non-linear routes to visibility gaps, early insight and the reality of graduate recruitment, this episode brings together a year of insight captured across classrooms, campuses, workshops and studios.

Conclusions 2025 isn't a summary.

It's a story, the story of visibility, human connection, belonging and the simple truth that engineering's future will be shaped by the people who can see the pathway clearly enough to step onto it.

This episode is a foundation for what comes next.

Watch on YouTube: @engineeracareer

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