A Tale of “Fortunate” Events: My Journey To Engineering

Kevin Caush

If you had asked me at 16 what my future looked like, I would have confidently told you I was going to be a professional footballer. My parents would have said “doctor, engineer or lawyer,” and my teachers probably would have asked me to stop talking. Although, somewhere between those three very different visions is where my engineering career began. 

I grew up in an immigrant household where education was seen as the clearest route to opportunity. Both my parents had been unable to complete their education beyond secondary school, so the chances available to me were not taken lightly. Their expectations were never about prestige but about stability, growth and making the most of opportunities they never had. 

At the time, my focus was split between doing just enough academically and committing to what I believed was a football career. In reality, my peak performance was a solid Sunday league shift and a reputation as the class clown rather than for academic achievement. 

The Turning Point: 

The first major turning point came during my GCSE years, when I began to understand the scale of the sacrifices that had been made for me. That realisation built my discipline, and, for the first time, I took ownership of my education. 

Like many students from academically driven backgrounds, I set my sights on Medicine. I believed I had a clear path forward. 

Then my A-Level results arrived. 

Three Ds.

In a single afternoon, I went from future medical student to Clearing applicant. It felt like a derailment at the time, but it was where I developed resilience. I had to reassess, adapt quickly and decide without the comfort of a long-term plan. That decision was a foundation year in engineering, a course I had never seriously considered. It forced me into the unknown and taught me that progress was not about natural ability, but about consistent effort and improvement. 

The next challenge was industrial placement applications. After more than 30 rejections, I became very familiar with “we regret to inform you”. However, each one became an opportunity to improve. Eventually, I secured a placement with Grayson Thermal Systems, where everything started to connect. I moved from lecture theatres to real engineering environments, developing technical competence, professional communication and commercial awareness. I continued part-time through my final year and after graduating, building consistency and accountability in a professional setting. 

The Final Picture: 

Fast forward to today, I am an Engineer at Rolls-Royce with a First Class Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Aston University. The journey from class clown with professional football dreams and three Ds at A-Level to a world-leading engineering organisation was not linear or planned, but it gave me resilience, adaptability, discipline and perspective.

Looking back, the most significant growth came from the moments where things did not go to plan. And if a former class clown with Sunday league ambitions can end up at Rolls-Royce, there is far more flexibility in your path than you might think. 

A Message to Students and Those Starting Their Careers 

If:

• You are in Clearing...

• Your results were not what you expected... 

• You have been rejected from opportunities you were hoping for...

It can feel as though you are falling behind while everyone else is moving forward.

However, focus less on having the perfect plan and more on developing: 

• Resilience when things do not go your way 

• The discipline and ambition to keep improving 

• The confidence to step into unfamiliar spaces 

We live in a society that presents life as a one-dimensional blueprint with a sequence of milestones that should be achieved in a certain order or by a certain age. When things do not follow that script, it can feel like you are behind. Progress rarely happens in straight lines. Everyone moves at their own pace, and the moments that feel like setbacks often become the experiences that shape the path ahead. My journey certainly did not follow the plan I imagined at 16, but in many ways, the unexpected turns were exactly what made it possible.