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Day in the Life: Design engineer

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Euan Anderson, 23, shares what a day in the life as a project/design engineer is like at ITC Hydraulics

My morning
My usual working day sees me wake up at around 7am before heading into work for an 8am start. I live locally so my journey isn’t too far but I usually listen to some music on the radio or through my iPod to pass the time. ITC Hydraulics’ headquarters is located near Oldmeldrum so you don’t have to contend with the Aberdeen traffic.

On arrival at work, I first look to clear any e-mails that may have come in overnight before checking my day book and visiting the workshop to see how the projects I’m working on are coming along.

Mornings at ITC are often varied and can see me involved with various pieces of reactive work, responding to clients who either require urgent assistance or have inquiries that require immediate attention. The company prides itself on a swift and efficient response and I enjoy playing my part in helping to maintain this. We are often required to provide client support, either over the phone or on site, when any sort of problem arises. If they require support on site, I am involved in mobilising guys from our base and making sure they have the correct replacement parts to resolve the issue. A high level of professional service is always something I strive to offer.

My lunchtime
Lunch is fitted in between jobs and internal meetings. Most days I grab a sandwich from the visiting lunch van and I usually eat at my desk as I like to keep on top of any e-mails that come in during this time.

The team at ITC continues to grow steadily so there is always someone in the office who brings in some sort of home bake or treat. Cake and ice cream always goes down well, especially at lunchtime.

My afternoon
I often find myself working on a number of different things at once. From writing proposals for clients and designing hydraulic schematics for our latest projects to compiling end-of-project documentation and visiting clients to discuss future projects, it really is important that I stay organised and focused throughout my working week.

I also like to catch up and support ITC’s workshop technicians with any projects we are working on. It’s always good to make sure a job is progressing well, and I’ve found it is beneficial to bounce ideas off each other. It’s a good mix that reaps a number of benefits as we work towards completion of a job.

Visiting the workshop on a regular basis also gives me the chance to get my “hands dirty” – an aspect of my job that I find incredibly enjoyable. When I was younger I could always be found building carts or fixing bikes, and with technical drawing and craft and design being my favourite subjects at school I chose to blend the two and opt for a career in engineering.

It was this interest that persuaded me to undertake an engineering apprenticeship when I left school and I’d encourage those in a similar position to pursue this avenue. It’s a great mix of classroom learning and on-the-job education and I really feel it has helped me as I look to progress my career in the industry.

My evening
The working day usually finishes around 5pm, but I do like to complete the task I am working on before leaving for home. Once I am home I like to keep as busy as I can and I always try to find something to do in my spare time. My main passion is mountain biking and I like to head out on my bike nearly every week. There are some really great tracks in Scotland, particularly at Glentress, near Peebles, and at Aonach Mor, Fort William, so I can regularly be found visiting these areas at weekends.

I love my job and, still being relatively new to ITC Hydraulics, I feel like I’ve settled in well and I’m enjoying working with what is a talented and friendly team. I take pride in being involved in a project from start to finish and it is great when you see your design solve a problem on site. It’s a good feeling when you receive positive feedback on a project from a client – it really is one of the best parts of the job.