Supporting engineers Member News July 2019 9 “ I am a Chartered Engineer – and an academic” Chartership is not just for engineers in industry, says Ejay Nsugbe, a 26-year-old Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bristol. He achieved Chartered Engineer (CEng) status with the IET last year and is excited by the opportunities it opens up to him. “There’s a common misconception that CEng is not as useful in the academic sphere as it is in industry,” Ejay says. “That’s absolutely wrong! With CEng under my belt, I can take on more departmental responsibilities – which will be in my favour when moving up the career ladder. Anyone who looks at my CV will be able to identify that I have a certain level of competence, even if I choose to work abroad, as it’s an internationally recognised status.” Ejay started thinking about CEng on the first day of his undergraduate degree, when his lecturer introduced the course by talking through the career of an engineer. My lecturer spoke about the benefits of becoming a Chartered Engineer and from there on, it lodged in mind and I saw it as a professional landmark that I wanted to achieve,” says Ejay. Tackling the application Achieving CEng requires applicants to demonstrate a set of competences, and for Ejay, understanding these and how they could apply to him was the biggest challenge. He says that one thing that puts academics off applying for CEng is the belief that experience gained in academia doesn’t carry over well to the application. “This is not true,” he adds. “For me, it was just a matter of building an understanding of exactly what each competence required. This involved carrying out research, speaking to professionals and watching the IET’s professional registration videos.” Ejay then used the competences as a framework to assess himself and identify what he needed to work on. In January 2018, he ran his draft application by an IET Professional Registration Advisor, and that July, he submitted his application. Next was the interview, where Ejay largely talked about experience he’d gained through his Doctorate. “It was industrially funded by Proctor & Gamble, so this saw me not only take part in innovative research, but also outreach events, project management and presenting my findings at international conferences,” he says. “It was the ‘cover song’ as far as my CEng album was concerned.” The future as a Chartered Engineer When Ejay achieved CEng in November, it was a proud moment. “It felt like getting my degree or first job,” he says. “There’s an air of further mutual respect amongst myself and my peers. And no doubt it’ll be an extra feather in my hat the next time I find myself in salary negotiations.” Ejay’s now focusing on supporting “the next wave of CEng hopefuls”. His advice for engineers in academia is: It’s worth chatting to a CEng who achieved it through the academic route. The IET has a service that allows members to find nearby registrants who can advise on applications.” If you’re interested in progressing your career – in academia or industry – find out more about professional registration at theiet.org/profreg Dr Ejay Nsugbe CEng MIET, Postdoctoral Researcher in Upper Limb Prosthetics at the University of Bristol