That's it. All the coursework marks are in and they're all 'Distinction'. To top it off, Covid-19 aside, my attendance stands at 100%.
I've really enjoyed my first year of mechanical engineering at City College, and I'm looking forward to getting the last coursework units out of the way and getting professionally registered as an Engineering Technician (EngTech). I do like post-nominals...
My only regret for the course was the lack of practical projects or experience. Aside from CAD (computer aided design), mind-mapping software, and Gantt charts in the Engineering Design and Engineering Project courses, there was no hands-on in the course at all. Most of the other students were already working in engineering environments, so it makes sense from the courses point of view, as an academic extension to an existing career, but I would have liked to play with some big, expensive toys. The level 3 engineering course includes CNC mills, lathes, and practical projects, which I would have loved, but judging from the level of maths on the HNC, I think the level 3 course would have been at too low a level academically for me. I needed a level 3.5 course!
Still, I've been getting some practical experience working as a technician, repairing mobile phones and MacBooks, and I've met some great people at work that I've really enjoyed working with and that make the job a lot less like work. My employers have also been fairly amenable to moving shifts around for interviews and the whole four-day-week thing so I could attend college. They've been relatively supportive on the whole.
Then there's my dad, who helped me to fund this course, without whom I couldn't have afforded it and would have languished in despair whilst I tried to find an apprenticeship. Thanks, pops!
Lastly, there's my lovely, wonderful wife who's supported me unconditionally since I left teaching and became a useless financial burden. Thanks, darling; nearly finished!