Hello! Im not sure whether I have put this in the right forum section, but here goes anyway...This is a long thread so bear with me please...
My name is Rabi Guthrie. I am 21 years old, and have both British and American citizenship (dual-national). I was born in Nepal, but grew up, and currently reside, in England. I am currently studying at the University of Brighton, doing a BSc in 'Sports Technology' - the design and manufacture of sports and fitness equipment. This involved modules such as Material selection, manufacturing processes, CAD/CAM techniques and even Biomechanics.
I have just completed my second year of university, and this year (Sept 2006 - August 2007) I have what is called a 'placement' year before I return to university (in Sept 2007) to complete the third and final year of my degree. The point of this placement year is that I spend the year working in a business or industry sector relevant to both my course, and personal interests. This is so once I graduate and start looking for a job, I will have first hand experience in industry, in the hopes it gives me a greater chance of employment. During my degree so far, I have used tools such as Pro Engineer and Rhino3D to model some mountain bike components, and even spent a year designing and making a recumbent bicycle! If you would like to see an online portfolio of some of my work, please have a look at www.secondbanana.co.uk. This is my website with a showcase of some of the work I have been doing at university so far.
My university requires me to complete a minimum of 25 weeks of placement (or 'internship' as you call it in the U.S.) to pass this coming year. There is no requirement in terms of the sort of work involved, or any sort of wage, but the more involving the placements are, the more valuable experience I can gain. This placement can be made up in one go, with one company, or split up into smaller chunks, over a number of companies.
My biggest passion is mountain bikes. I have good mechanical knowledge of bicycles and their construction (although start talking about suspension internals and you lose me - haven't gotten round to learning the technical side of suspension) I love riding my bike, and I love the design, and attention to detail that bicycle manufacturers put into their products. The industry today is very competitive thanks to some great design and engineering feats done by companies big and small. Riders are pushing the structural boundaries of bikes and their components to new levels every year, and this is feeding the evolution of mountain bikes at an incredible rate. This shows in the range and breadth of products currently available, and especially the number of top class manufacturers, compared to say, five or ten years ago. I would love to get experience in the design and manufacture of mountain bikes and their associated products, or the construction and running of MTB facilities (such as bike parks i.e. whistler etc), and hopefully pursue a career in this sector when I graduate.
Basically I am asking an open question to anyone who can help. I am looking for a placement (internship) for anything between 3 to 6 months. Whether this be with a bicycle manufacturer, bike shop, volunteer work, trail building or whatever else anyone can suggest.
I hope I have outlined my situation to full extent, and would appreciate all feedback.
Thank you for your patience if you've got this far, and for taking your time to read all this.
Cheers. RG
My name is Rabi Guthrie. I am 21 years old, and have both British and American citizenship (dual-national). I was born in Nepal, but grew up, and currently reside, in England. I am currently studying at the University of Brighton, doing a BSc in 'Sports Technology' - the design and manufacture of sports and fitness equipment. This involved modules such as Material selection, manufacturing processes, CAD/CAM techniques and even Biomechanics.
I have just completed my second year of university, and this year (Sept 2006 - August 2007) I have what is called a 'placement' year before I return to university (in Sept 2007) to complete the third and final year of my degree. The point of this placement year is that I spend the year working in a business or industry sector relevant to both my course, and personal interests. This is so once I graduate and start looking for a job, I will have first hand experience in industry, in the hopes it gives me a greater chance of employment. During my degree so far, I have used tools such as Pro Engineer and Rhino3D to model some mountain bike components, and even spent a year designing and making a recumbent bicycle! If you would like to see an online portfolio of some of my work, please have a look at www.secondbanana.co.uk. This is my website with a showcase of some of the work I have been doing at university so far.
My university requires me to complete a minimum of 25 weeks of placement (or 'internship' as you call it in the U.S.) to pass this coming year. There is no requirement in terms of the sort of work involved, or any sort of wage, but the more involving the placements are, the more valuable experience I can gain. This placement can be made up in one go, with one company, or split up into smaller chunks, over a number of companies.
My biggest passion is mountain bikes. I have good mechanical knowledge of bicycles and their construction (although start talking about suspension internals and you lose me - haven't gotten round to learning the technical side of suspension) I love riding my bike, and I love the design, and attention to detail that bicycle manufacturers put into their products. The industry today is very competitive thanks to some great design and engineering feats done by companies big and small. Riders are pushing the structural boundaries of bikes and their components to new levels every year, and this is feeding the evolution of mountain bikes at an incredible rate. This shows in the range and breadth of products currently available, and especially the number of top class manufacturers, compared to say, five or ten years ago. I would love to get experience in the design and manufacture of mountain bikes and their associated products, or the construction and running of MTB facilities (such as bike parks i.e. whistler etc), and hopefully pursue a career in this sector when I graduate.
Basically I am asking an open question to anyone who can help. I am looking for a placement (internship) for anything between 3 to 6 months. Whether this be with a bicycle manufacturer, bike shop, volunteer work, trail building or whatever else anyone can suggest.
I hope I have outlined my situation to full extent, and would appreciate all feedback.
Thank you for your patience if you've got this far, and for taking your time to read all this.
Cheers. RG
