DOMINICK
So, technology and design for me was probably my best subject. It was my favourite subject. With our course, it was heavily based on product design and development. So, you take a product from concept, through to the spec, through design and then actually making of it. So, I’d be quite a hands on kind of person so the actual making it was very appealing to myself. Sort of the love of the subject grew from there.
ADAM
I really enjoyed that Technology was one of the more hands-on subjects, and I found it to be very engaging. It’s now very satisfying to see that the design process I learned in school is being applied within my work, and I’m seeing products being taken from the concept stage right through to the finished product.
DOMINICK
Seeing how things are broken down, how they’re made, appealed to me first. That was sort of the first big thing, was actually making things, getting to use tools and all to actually make these wee projects. But from that the love of design came into it.
ADAM
Technology and Design as a subject had a mixture of creativity and technical knowledge as well.
DOMINICK
So, I’d actually use quite a lot of Design and Technology. The sort of aspects from that subject, I’d use a lot of that in my job today. Technology and Design starts out with the basics. The basics never change. Whether it was through GCSE, A-level, going into university and my job today. Those basics those key factors are still, still the same.
ADAM
Yeah, understanding the basics of electronics, pneumatics, even computer-controlled systems is very fundamental to studying engineering. It’s a good starting point for your career. Other topics taught in Technology and Design are definitely very useful. Materials and understanding their different properties is essential in the design process and all types of engineering.
DOMINICK
I’ve been in the industry for nearly eight years now. The roles constantly evolving, it’s never stagnant. You’re never sitting doing the exact same thing, day in, day out. You’ve always constantly new products coming through, new projects coming through. So, you’re never stuck on that one thing. You know it’s always constantly evolving and growing.
ADAM
My first experience of using CAD was while studying Technology and Design and I now use it every single day, in my work. Technology as a subject is one that you can definitely fill your spare time with as well. Personal interest projects, you can learn to code or develop things in a 3D printer, even in your home.
DOMINICK
How Technology and Design sort of helped in my industry I’d say was throughout my whole time in school, you delved into those fundamentals, those basics of, here’s the problem, here’s how we can maybe go about a solution. That hasn’t changed. You know, you delve into more detail, but the fundamentals are there, they’ve never changed.
ADAM
So, the products you design are obviously a lot more complex, but the design principles largely stay the same. Different systems and different methods in design, but the core ideas, they’re the same, yeah.
DOMINICK
I’d say the best bit of advice I could probably give to someone would be that technology and design don’t just it doesn’t just be used for Design engineering. So, it is a key subject for a broad range of careers. It gives you the fundamentals to go and pursue these. So, yeah, I’d say it’s a very important subject.
