Harinder. Mechanical Engineering with Building Services Graduate. Brunel University

My college grades were not good enough to start at my university and courses of choice so I had to start on what's called a Foundation Year (Year 0). I had two choices to make, which was to either do a Foundation IT course or Foundation of Engineering so I asked my Father and he suggested Engineering as that's what he did.

After a slow start at University, I progressed really well and went on to achieve first class honours on the Mechanical Engineering with Building Services course which is one of the proudest moments of my life. I was also grateful to have a placement year as a Manufacturing Engineer at the General Motors Manufacturing plant in Luton. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn how the engineering world really works and how the theory I had learnt to date was applied in practice. I would strongly encourage anyone to pursue placements whilst studying because it can open your eyes like it did for me.

After University, it was clear after my first engineering job that it wasn't for me and I was lucky to start an entry level procurement career at Tesco head office as a M&E Buyer (Mechanical & Electrical). Procurement as a profession has come a long way and it's extremely rewarding because there is so much to learn and the career can take you many places whether its buying citrus fruits for a retailer to buying the precious metals that go into making mobile phones or televisions. 

Procurement is all about understanding the best way to buy goods or services and you are able to work across many sectors and industries. There is some great information on the Chartered Institute of Procurement (CIPS) website if you are interested in learning more about the profession - www.cips.org.