Many people don’t realise just how creative engineers can be. Although they are technically skilled and adept at creating the most complex engineering masterpieces, there has to be some form of creativity and ingenuity flowing in order to achieve these feats.
This is one aspect of engineering that isn’t necessarily taught, and we’re starting to see more and more creative, amateur engineers coming up with great ideas that no one else has ever engineered before – at least not at an amateur level.
Using Their Natural Creativeness
One example of a young person who has really benefitted from using the creative ideas and skills that he has learnt from being an amateur engineer is Colin Furze. Furze has designed and engineered his very own homemade hoverbike.
Furze created this engineering marvel with no actual engineering qualifications; he simply used his own skills and ideas to create something that many fully fledged engineers would never have thought of.
This does however raise the question, do you really have to go to university to learn how to be an engineer, or can you train and teach yourself?
University Gives You Experience
Although Furze managed to create this incredible vehicle on his own, it does make people wonder how beneficial attending university to get a degree in engineering actually is. After all, he never had any engineering qualifications.
University will give you the opportunity to learn the trade inside and out – not just the practical aspects. This is essential in becoming a successful engineer; it is always beneficial to understand the theory behind the practical work to know why certain engineering practices work for specific situations.
Hands-on experience is also advised, and while you can get this through experimenting yourself in your own time like Furze did, it is always advisable to do so under the care of an experienced engineer. This it to ensure safety as well as honing skills – if you do something wrong, they’ll be able to point it out before you get too far into your engineering project and fail to realise your mistake.
Tap Into Your Creativeness
Many engineers need to let go of the stigma that they can’t be creative and an engineer. Being a creative individual allows you to think about things in a way which is different to those who are solely technologically focussed; you may be able to come up with a solution which others won’t think of.
The picture shows the Airedale Springs apprentices designing the layout of a proposed extention to our premises.
The more creative you are, the more work you will be able to take on, as you will be able to tackle projects which may seem too complicated for others. Hone your skills through training and development, and encourage your creativity through practice; who knows where you may end up in the engineering world!
If you’d like to find out more about how Airedale Springs is encouraging amateur engineers through our fantastic apprentice scheme, feel free to get in touch with us today where a member of our team will be happy to help you.