Finding the Right Engineering Path

In this personal blog, undergraduate student Maddy McGuire reflects on how an uncertain start, brought on by Covid and virtual course searches, led to discovering the perfect course- Bioengineering (now called Biomedical Engineering) here at The University of Sheffield. Maddy shares how her course, team projects and a transformational placement at Mercedes AMG have shaped her technical skills, confidence and career aspirations. 

When I was looking for courses during my A-level years, Covid stopped me from attending open days, with only virtual tours available. I had limited information about Bioengineering at the University of Sheffield, but had always loved maths and chemistry and wanted to find a way to apply those subjects to the real world. I found out the course offered me a way to change the future of healthcare without having to undertake a medical degree or an intense amount of biology. Through the course, I quickly realised that my passion was in healthcare technology, rather than the biological functions themselves.

With Bioengineering being an interdisciplinary course, there were many different routes and modules availabe throughout the years. I have studied Biomedical engineering, but also automated control systems, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science and even business. This breadth of course choice has allowed me not only to explore possible routes, but also refine and specialise in those that I found the most interesting. I have thoroughly enjoyed group projects, where I worked with different engineers with distinct expertise. Although challenging at time, submitting a completed project as a team was an incredible and rewarding, and helped me improve my interpersonal skills.

A Year in Industry

As an additional part of my course, I undertook a year in industry at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, that was both enriching and personally formative. I oversaw the creation, build and testing of plans, presented them to colleagues and managed resource allocations to ensure that all hardware was distributed correctly. If changes were required, I coordinated with many different departments, including manufacturing to schedule these modifications and ensure completion under strict time pressure. I compiled shortage reports and burndown charts which help to track parts against their due dates. During build days, I would have to communicate between the building and engineering teams, release Build Requests and ensure that each team was on hand to support whenever needed. My role was pivotal in finding causes of unit failure and resolving these issues.

My placement gave me professional and technical skills. I learned to communicate for effectively, and by coordinating teams have developed my confidence, time management and leadership skills. I gained experience of industry relevant software including  Excel, SAP and PowerBI. However, the most important skill I developed was my organisational skills, with constant shifting priorities and a fast-paced environment, I often had to adjust my plans last minute to achieve the goal within the deadline.

When preparing to undertake this placement, I focussed on taking business modules throughout my course. These courses gave me insight into what to expect as part of a company as large as Mercedes and the technical skills to be able to execute my role in the operation with success.

Life as a Biomedical Engineering Student

With a limited number of Bioengineering courses available across the UK, I was pleased to find that Sheffield offered one. With the top-rated student union in the UK, Sheffield appealed to me as a social and lively university – and I have not been disappointed. Furthermore, having virtually toured Endcliffe and Ranmoor accommodation, they appealed strongly to me as a place to live as I started my degree. With the correct course, vibrant social life and top-notch accommodation, Sheffield was the perfect place for me to Study Bioengineering.

For me, the most enjoyable aspect of Sheffield university has been the social aspect, and the variety of ways to engage with other members of the community. From my course to sports and societies, I have been introduced to such a wide variety of people, many of which have become my closest friends. Many of my friends have graduated, but they are lifelong friends, and we still maintain contact and see each other whenever we can. A particular highlight of the social and sporting calendar was watching the varsity Ice Hockey match, which quickly became a tradition as a reliably fun event.

Now looking forward, I will be applying to programme management and logistics roles in different industries, including healthcare. This will allow me to understand how different roles function within different sectors and see the differences in their supply chain management. All of this will give me the insight I need to decide which sector or industry I will want to specialise in and start my career progression with that sector in mind.

When citing this work, please use the following citation:

McGuire, M. (2026). “Find the right engineering path”. Centre for Engineering Education Blog, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. November 2025. https://www.ceesheffield.co.uk/2025/12/finding-right-engineering-path.html