Finding Your Tribe in Engineering

Kate Barnard joins Josh on The Engineer a Career Podcast to share the unconventional path that took her from failing her A Levels to leading engineering teams at Rolls-Royce, and why mindset matters more than grades.

From leaving school with just three UCAS points to discovering engineering by accident during a foundation year, Kate explains how giving it “a go” changed everything. Josh and Kate explore her time studying mechanical engineering at the University of Southampton, the power of applied learning in labs over lectures, and how getting involved with IMechE helped her build confidence, networks and leadership experience alongside her degree.

The conversation then moves into her 20 plus year journey at Rolls-Royce, from climbing inside Apache helicopters as a service engineer, to writing build instructions for the F-35 lift fan in the United States, and later leading one of the company’s first electric engine programmes. Kate shares what it was like running multidisciplinary teams, why cost should be designed out rather than driven out, and how working across university and industry partnerships broadened her perspective beyond a single organisation.

Since leaving corporate life, Kate has stepped into startups, explored climate and fintech ventures, and now operates at the intersection of engineering, strategy and emerging technologies. Along the way, she offers practical advice on staying open minded, identifying transferable skills, building a diverse mentor network, understanding risk early in your career, communicating beyond the engineering echo chamber, and why students should pay attention to those management lectures. The episode also touches on AI, technical grounding, and never losing sight of the “wow factor” of working in engineering.

If you’re a student, graduate, career changer or experienced engineer reflecting on your next move, this episode is packed with honest insight, perspective and practical guidance.

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