Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

I am a member of the Technical Team at the Long Products SMACC meltshop in Sheffield - my main responsibilities include translating customer requirements into our steelmaking processes and developing new bespoke customer-oriented grades that are tailored to the needs of an individual customer or application

A typical day involves working with the meltshop to ensure we are delivering the best quality to our customers, on time and in full. This might be providing advice on supply conditions, or tracking the performance of a trial.

I enjoy the pace and the variety, every day is different and I work with people who have a lot of knowledge and experience. I also enjoy the trust that my manager has in my abilities - I am able to put forward ideas for trials that may result in success, but if they fail we may scrap 125 tonnes of stainless material.

The pace that I enjoy can also mean that at times I am working on many topics at once, all with a short deadline so I am very busy. Also because we want to offer customers solutions that are tailored to their needs we are often pushing the limits of our production equipment.

I use my metallurgy degree every day as I am in a very technical role, but communication skills are essential - I need to be able to explain technical details to people who have no metallurgical training.

After graduating I worked in research at The University of Sheffield in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. In 2013 I started as a Technical Graduate at Outokumpu Stainless SMACC, Sheffield, and in 2015 my role was changed to Development Metallurgist.

I plan to become a chartered engineer with the IOM3, and actively participate in Outokumpu's new strategy for Manufacturing Excellence.

Work experience in an applicable area is very beneficial for job applications and provides a useful topic during interviews.