Ever since I was little I had always wanted to serve in the Armed Forces and do my bit.  I decided during my last year of high school that I would join the British Army after my GCSE's and wanted to get a trade.

The local careers office pointed me in the right direction and I ended up joining in the hopes of becoming an Avionics Technician in the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). I was keen to work on the latest equipment and defence technology, deciding that REME Aviation would be a good fit.

After my basic training I got to study at the MoD's Aeronautical Defence College rear Reading - effectively getting paid for going to college! After 2 years I graduated as an Avionics Technician (and also Junior Non Commissioned Officer) and was posted to 4 Regiment AAC 656 Squadron (Maritime) Workshop near Ipswich to work on the Apache Attack Helicopter.

18 months into my posting, the REME Apache Workshop got the call to deploy on HMS OCEAN to provide electronic maintenance and repair to five Apache attack helicopters coming back from Operations in Libya; and all whilst afloat in the Mediterranean. The technical challenge was exactly what I was looking for and learned a huge amount on a personal and technical level.

After came back from Operations, I was posted to a large REME Aviation Battalion that provides world-wide support and complex aircraft repair/servicing jobs to many aviation platforms including the Lynx Mk 9A helicopter and Apache Attack Helicopter.

Whilst at the Battalion I was lucky to be selected to return to the Aeronautical Defence College for my Avionics Supervisors Course at the beginning of 2013, which on completion, allowed me to join the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Chartered Management Institute as an associate member. This has allowed me to have professional recognition for the skills that I have acquired during my time in the armed forces.

During the supervisors' course, the REME puts all students through its fast-track leadership assessment programme to identify and select potential Artificers. The assessment is pretty tough and tests everything from physical fitness to essay writing to problem solving to highlight soldiers who have the potential for advanced technical education and leadership in challenging operational roles. I was selected for the programme and now have a range of options open to me in my career path - I can go one of many routes in the future to better myself as an engineering manager.

As for how I got to work for Bloodhound SSC; I first heard about the project from a senior Artificer who I had worked for on Operation ELLAMY and he suggested that I might be interested in the project because of my interest in taking my technical skills to the next level. I found out more about it and volunteered to become an Educational Ambassador through a pilot project run by the REME. My first event
as a volunteer was talking to kids about the car at the very busy Goodwood Festival of speed, the Bloodhound SSC stand was absolutely packed and I relished the chance to share my passion for engineering and technology and to have the opportunity to put it into context with such an incredible car.

As I was enjoying being an Ambassador so much I thought it would be a good idea to try and get onto the next REME build team. I was recommended to apply for the REME build team and ended up being filtered to attend the final interviews in Bristol. I was in the middle of an exercise on Salisbury Plain helping to maintain a fleet of helicopters when the call came in, so after a quick drive to Bristol I was able to explain why I should be on the team. It was effectively the first job interview I had ever been to and the first time I have had to write a CV. On the face of it the interview looked daunting at first but I quickly realised that the joint Bloodhound and Army interview panel wanted to find out more about me. It was a worthwhile experience.

I got the news that I had made it onto the team shortly after the interview and now I have been working here for a while I feel as though I am properly settled in. I am excited to come to work in the mornings and I look forward to what I will be working on over the next six months. At the moment I am developing the lighting system inside of Wg Cdr Andy Green's cockpit which is modified from a previous project I already started. I am using basic electrical hand-skills and have the opportunity to learn from some incredible and experienced people on a daily basis.

I hope to carry on with the educational side of the project and to inspire more children about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and hopefully be someone that they can look up too.