Zayn Rubbani

Who Am I?

I’m a petrol head, aviation geek, Top Golf enthusiast and a young dad!

I studied Aeronautical Engineering at Salford before going on to Cranfield to pursue my postgraduate degree in Aerospace Dynamics. This led me to my first role as a Weapon’s Systems Engineer at DSTL.

Since then, I have moved to BAE Systems as an Airframe Engineer, specifically working within the Structures discipline, early in the engineering life cycle. My job involves a lot of Finite Element modelling, detailed stress analysis and a lot of learning, something which as an engineer you will always need to do.

The hardest part about coming from an underrepresented background is imposter syndrome (in my opinion). Whether at university or at work, it can be hard to shake the feeling of doubt (e.g. I’m not smart enough) and can be difficult to overcome. Seeing no-one that looks like you or shares experiences or mindsets can feed into that and make you feel like even more of an imposter.

Personally, overcoming this is what I am proud of, having the courage to say no to being an imposter, owning my career and making the office an environment I can enjoy. Hopefully in five years time, I’ll have become a Senior Engineer, achieve professional registration and really propel my career forwards.

What did I get out of GEEP?

Coming back to GEEP, I got a lot out of it. I completed GEEP in late 2019. I signed up as it sounded like a good opportunity to learn some skills and I felt it would give me an edge over other applicants for engineering roles. What motivated me to complete GEEP was the insight it gave me into the application process and showed me what employers look for. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to begin my professional journey.

The most useful part of the programme was the insights into interview technique, whether it be answering questions or presenting, small hacks etc. I made sure to use all of them in my own application journey when I was a recent graduate.

What would I say to a student or a recent graduate who is considering joining GEEP?

Do it, don’t think, just jump in with both feet. GEEP will offer you a lot of insight and opportunity to network with other like-minded grads as well as potential future employers. You’ll get the opportunity to hear from industry leading businesses about what they want in their future talent.

This will give you the opportunity to position yourself as the ideal candidate and make yourself stand out among a sea of candidates. Like myself, you also might make some of those graduates you attend GEEP with into good friends. You’ll meet people who encourage you and motivate you when trying to find that ideal first role outside the programme.

The application process for early careers is tough, and those friends will also be there to spur you on when times are hard. You have nothing to lose with GEEP and everything to gain. As a graduate it’s the perfect opportunity to gear yourself up for the world of professional engineering. GEEP has evolved since I was part of it, but all for the better - don’t hesitate and just dive right in.

Success stories

GEEP has supported many successful graduates and has proven just how valuable it is at kickstarting engineering careers. Read about other participants were once in your position and how they've completed the programme and have gained so much from it.