During my earlier undergraduate studies, I worked full-time in composite manufacturing while attending school. I originally started as a laminator, but as I progressed through engineering studies, I was gradually given more technical responsibility.
Over time, I began taking on small projects independently. A typical project would start with an existing component that needed to be reverse engineered so that a carbon-fibre version could be produced. I would work from the original part, recreate the geometry, help develop the tooling and manufacturing approach, and support the part through production.
Most of the work was related to automotive applications, including components for rally cars and motorcycles. I also had some exposure to composite-material research for medical applications, which gave me a chance to see how the same materials could be used in a very different field.
Alongside the composite work, I operated different shop equipment and machinery and continued developing practical manufacturing skills.
What I value most from this job is how my role developed over time. I started by learning the basic production work and gradually reached a point where I was trusted to handle smaller engineering and reverse-engineering projects on my own.
