Kim Fletcher-Bott

"I got 'influencer', 'manager' and 'quality controller' - I feel like these match me pretty well! I like working on my own and in a team, have good attention to detail and like to think outside the box! I think that I'm good at encouraging discussion and listening - I try hard to make sure everyone's ideas get heard! I think I'm an all rounder, at school I liked most subjects: history, english, music... Not just maths and science! I think this is helpful in my job because it means I'm good at communicating, both in writing and in person. "

"I work at a company that makes high-tech equipment that measures very, very small distances... Smaller than the width of a human hair! This equipment is used to make everything from jet engines to mobile phones. I do design work, making engineering drawings which are instructions on how to manufacture things: it's so satisfying seeing something go from your computer screen to real life! I also carry out experiments and create computer simulations to answer questions we have about the equipment we make. Sometimes I'm on the computer and sometimes I'm working with my hands. The thing I enjoy most about my job is using my creativity to solve problems. Starting salary for a graduate mechanical engineer fresh out of university is around £27,000 per year."

"At school I really liked maths, science and english. I knew I wanted to go to university so I looked for degrees that involved problem solving: I found mechanical engineering, which I liked because it leads to such a wide choice of cool jobs. At university I did a project creating a computer simulation of what happens to the brain when you fall over. I've always had an interest in biology and medicine, so it was great to explore this topic from an engineering perspective. Once I was out of university I joined a mechanical engineering graduate scheme, this job allowed me to work on lots of different technologies and in a wide variety of roles to find what I like the most."

"I'm a keen trumpet player, at university I was a member of lots of bands and played in a few musical productions. I like racket sports, running, cycling and outside swimming. I love to travel and also I have a go at surfing and skiing (there's a lot of falling over!)!"

"On the typical day I'm working on the computer doing calculations, creating engineering drawings and making computer simulations. Sometimes I'm in the lab doing experiments and sometimes I'm in meetings working with my team. There's lots of variety! "

"I have A-levels in maths, physics, chemistry and biology. Then I went to university and did a masters in mechanical engineering."