Wan Yeung
Studying Design Engineering at Aston
We spoke to Design Engineering student Wan about his experience so far, including his placement and what he thinks about the academics!
What made you want to pursue a career in Design Engineering? 
Design Engineering provides a nice bridge between the ultra-technical discipline of mechanical engineering and the creative outlet of product design. The broad content of Design Engineering will allow me to specialise in various fields.
What drew you to the field?
Having spent many years in HR (as well as completing my master's in it), I wanted to find a career that was better aligned with my interests and values. I was keen to be within the STEM sector and wanted to leave a tangible legacy. Essentially, instead of facilitating change, I wanted to be a driving force.
What’s the best work placement/experience you have completed and why?
Having run a number of successful projects in Aston’s student CAD Society with local businesses, I was offered a placement as a Design Engineer at a small design engineering company, Assemtron. Over the past few months, I have led my own client projects, created test rigs, discovered new manufacturing machines, and physically made a number of prototypes/rigs.
It's been very rewarding to apply my knowledge to a role that's so closely aligned with my studies. It's an odd feeling of being able to directly transpose much of the theoretical and academic knowledge into a professional setting - I'm very aware of how rare this kind of opportunity is so only have Aston to thank for it.
What has been your experience overall on the course and how has it prepared you for your future career?
It's been extremely useful - academically it has given me the vocabulary, theoretical underpinning, and confidence to have professional conversations with clients. I am astonished at how open the teaching staff are to feedback - the past couple of years has not been easy for them, nor anyone and they tried their best and it shows.
What advice would you give to students thinking about studying your course?
It’s important that you choose a course you are 100% committed to and you want to have a career within. Design Engineering provides a good balance if your interested in product or industrial design. If you are looking at a course to study at university remember it’s a big commitment in terms of money, time, and mental and emotional energy.