Why your engineering degree means you're cut out to be an entrepreneur
Josh Shires is the co-founder of startup firm Mous. Its first product, the Mous Musicase is an iPhone case that stores and protects headphones to prevent them from becoming tangled. Josh graduated from Oxford Brookes Univeristy with a degree in mechanical engineering. Here he explains how his engineering degree equipped him with the skills to set up his own business.
I started my working life as a mechanic – most probably due to poor careers advice. It turned out that this was a good foundation for my future career as an engineer because it provided me with practical and technical skills. It was also where my entrepreneurial spirit began to show itself.
After a year of being a mechanic, I soon realised I wanted to be designing the camshafts and valves rather than fitting them. So after returning to college to get my A-levels I accepted a place on Oxford Brookes University’s renowned motor sport course.
Even at the introductory day, I knew I had finally found my passion. It was obvious to me that engineering can set you up for life. What employer could turn away a graduate able to solve a quadratic equation whilst fixing the office printer?
An engineering background provides you with so many skills that are essential for an entrepreneur: logical thinking, the ability to make good business decisions, mathematics (meaning you are not afraid of spread sheets and business plans), and a technical understanding that gives you a great overview of the technology around you.
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