Aligning my passion and my career at Cranfield University

I’ve learnt to be flexible and try new things – you never know where it could take you to!

Hello! My name is Sophie and I’m studying MSc Air Transport Management.

Why did you choose Cranfield University?

Before Cranfield, and even before studying at university, I was a Kitchen & Bathroom Designer in my hometown. I loved my job; it was a great job with great people. But once I turned 25, I realised I did not want to do this job forever, and I felt like there was more to life than my small hometown. I decided to take the leap and move to London to go to university before I felt like it was too late (I have now learnt it’s never too late, by the way!).

Life was incredibly different in London – my world and my mind had completely opened. So many people from so many walks of life, and so much to do. I studied BSc Computer Science, still not exactly knowing what career I wanted to do, but thinking this degree could take me down many different paths. During this time, I worked as a Timetable Manager for my university which I absolutely loved because I love a good puzzle and problem solving.

Whilst studying my undergrad, I had time to travel the world during summer and winter breaks, which meant a lot of flying! I also lived right underneath Heathrow and London City flight paths – every minute a plane would fly over my head, and quite low.

I think I’ve always liked planes, there’s a video of me as a baby pointing to the sky shouting “Plane! Plane!”.

But it was at this point in London my passion for aviation really kickstarted. When I was programming, or working on my timetables, I’d have Flight Radar and/or a Heathrow livestream on in the background, firstly watching the planes out my window, then watching them land on my computer, and seeing where they had come from. It was most interesting when there were stormy days, I would think, how do the people who work in the airports and airlines deal with such big disruptions? This is when I knew what I truly wanted to do.

Once I had completed my undergrad, I felt like I was not quite ready to get a job in tech. To be brutally honest, I was not passionate about Computer Science, I’m glad I did it, but I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it. I decided to search if there were any masters courses about aviation, and that’s when I discovered Cranfield. I had heard about Cranfield as it was only down the road from where I grew up. They did a lot of research, mainly about aerospace and hydrogen fuel, I thought. I knew there was a small airport too. I never thought there’d be something there for me though.

After some digging through their website, I found the MSc Air Transport Management course. It was perfect, it aligned with my passion for aviation and the skills I had picked up through my career and studies so far. There were modules on the course though that were new to me, like economics, finance and law. I was a bit apprehensive about these at first because I felt like I knew nothing, however in the end I didn’t need to worry as the lecturers took us through everything we needed to know.

Cranfield has fantastic industry contacts, and are well-known and respected around the world, which is very important as the aviation industry is completely new to me! Making these vital connections, meeting experts and visiting companies is invaluable.

I also very much liked the sound of living in the countryside after being in London for 3 years, I was looking forward to some peace and quiet, and not having to get the tube everyday.

What were your first impressions?

To be perfectly honest, when my mum and I pulled up in the car park on open day, I felt a bit unsure and didn’t know if this was the place for me. This feeling quickly went away though once we had met some lovely current students and sat in a welcome session. I met with my course director on open day also, who was very approachable and answered my questions. We also got to visit the amazing DARTeC building, National Flying Laboratory Centre aircraft and Cranfield’s very own 737 donated by British Airways.

The facilities were incredible. I left Cranfield that day feeling super excited about the future and no longer anxious about what was coming next in my life. This was the place for me!

What is your highlight so far?

The highlight so far has to be our trip to Paris to visit Charles de Gaulle airport and Air France. It was great to walk around Air France HQ and see what it’s really like to work in the industry. We got to go behind the scenes and watch pilots and crew have pre-flight meetings, super cool! There was even time to go up on a rooftop and do a bit of plane spotting. This was my first time plane spotting with a group of people who were just as passionate as I was, and who understood my excitement. It was the most wonderful feeling.

Another highlight for me was during the Airline Operations module when we had easyJet, Aurigny and Tui staff visit us throughout the week. My favourite part was a problem-solving task to resolve delays and prevent cancellations based on different scenarios – this is when I could apply my previous timetabling knowledge to aviation. I thoroughly enjoyed it, learnt a lot and knew this was what I wanted to do as a career!

Describe your first few weeks

The first couple of days at Cranfield I spent organising my room, settling in and making it cosy and feel like home. I put up some family photos and placed some plants around – perfect! Our first module was an introductory module where we got to know our course-mates and lecturers.

I entered the room knowing absolutely nobody and left with some great new friends who had the same interests as me.

I signed up to the gym on campus and got to know the layout of the university.

I feel very privileged to have been elected as a Course Representative for MSc Air Transport Management, so I make sure all my fellow course-mates are up to date with the latest information and I feedback any comments or suggestions to the Course Director. We make sure everyone’s thoughts are heard and respected, and we want to make sure everyone has a great time at Cranfield!

What has surprised you about Cranfield?

I was worried that because I do not have any aviation experience, I would feel very behind everyone else and perhaps even a little out-of-place. This is absolutely not the case.

Our course is a mix of people, some are from industry, others brand new to it like me. It’s great to hear from those who have worked in industry and learn from them. The course is also taught in a way that accommodates everybody,

I have learnt so much but I also do not feel like I am behind or disadvantaged in anyway.

What are you most looking forward to during your MSc?

I am very much looking forward to our trip to Canada! easyJet and British Airways will also be a brilliant experience too. I am also looking forward to the group project, it will be great to work with a team of passionate, like-minded people. At the end of the group project, we will do a presentation in front of industry experts who will have a copy of our CVs, so this is a great opportunity for everyone to make some valuable contacts and perhaps even secure a job.

What are your career goals?

At the moment, my goal is to work for an airline in operations or scheduling. I know this is something I’d thoroughly enjoy. However, I am a very open-minded person and will take any opportunity in aviation that interests me

As I approach 30, I’ve learnt that careers (and even life itself) are not a straight path. You could make a fantastic, solid plan and something happens where everything changes.

I’ve learnt to be flexible and try new things – you never know where it could take you!