Studying Electrical Engineering in the UK: Alumnus Profile

Darren McIntyre explains how completing a BEng Electrical Engineering program in the UK has helped him enter a career in wind power.

Darren’s goal, when choosing a country and a university, was to be able to secure a high paying job, close to his family and friends in his native country of Jamaica. 

Three years after graduating from the University of Liverpool’s BEng Electrical Engineering program it looks like he has achieved his aim, working as a service engineer at Wigton Wind Farm, Jamaica’s largest wind farm.

New insights through studying abroad

In retrospect, then, his choice seems like it was a good one. What was it that convinced him that the UK was right for him?

He replies that it was “suggestions from family who had studied in the UK”, as well as the “prospect of a new experience” that motivated his decision.

Why Liverpool in particular? “They offered a good engineering program, in a fairly large, historical city with a large student base and lots of activities.”

He didn’t, however, always want to study in the UK specifically, but is adamant that he always wanted to study in a foreign country. We wondered if he enjoyed his time there, and if Liverpool proved to be an enjoyable host city.

He tells us that “It was generally fun and exciting, with lots of things to do,” adding that, “Making friends was not difficult once you found something which you had in common; the people were open once you got to know them.”

His 2:1 degree aside, Darren also feels that he gained a lot from his time in the northwest of England, stating that “the experience of living in a first-world country” was greatly beneficial to him, giving him insights into how things were done elsewhere in the world, and allowing him to think about “how those different ways of doing things could be applied to problems in my home country”.

He also feels that he profited generally from “exposure to a different culture and way of thinking”.

Challenges, but worth it?

It is clear that Darren got a lot from his time in the UK. But nothing is perfect, and there was one thing in particular that he didn’t enjoy, one that is common to many British residents as well as visitors to the island nation: “The worst part was the wet cold weather for most of the year, especially coming from a warm tropical island!”

He also wonders if perhaps he had too good a time there, saying that if he did it again that he would “probably party a little less, and study a little more”.

Another potential complaint is the high tuition fees. Darren was lucky, in that his family could afford to foot the bill, but nonetheless he felt that, as an international student, fees were very high.

But in the end it seems to have all been worth it: “I am currently in my ideal field, and I’m very happy with that. I think a degree from a UK university has something of a wow factor.”

He’s not sure that his British degree is what secured him his job, but nonetheless having a degree from the world’s 123rd best university, according to the 2011 QS World University Rankings, certainly can’t have hindered his prospects!

As ever, we concluded our interview with Darren by asking him if he would recommend the experience to others.

He replies “I would definitely recommend the experience – the experience of a different culture and country alone is probably worth it. If you are thinking about studying overseas and can afford it I would say go for it. Just do some research on the university that you are interested in.”