Rob Bell had a ‘go-with-the flow’ approach to his career while at university. He embraced his studies, worked incredibly hard, threw himself into extracurricular activities and made friends for life, but it was only after he’d graduated that he truly began to consider what career path he wanted to pursue.
After successfully working in sustainability within the public sector for many years, Rob made the daring decision to start a new career entirely as a freelance TV presenter and producer making engineering and history programmes.
Read on to hear how the lessons Rob learnt during his time at Bath helped support him through a challenging career change and still into his job today.
Why did you choose to study at Bath?
I will hold my hands up now and say that my decision to study at the University of Bath, rightly or wrongly, was not based on academic values. In fact, my decision to go to university at all was mostly just following what my peers were doing; I don’t remember even considering any alternatives. 
I remember being shown a promotional video from the University of Bath while at the small English-speaking secondary school I attended on the outskirts of Paris, which piqued a real interest for me based on the fact that it was a campus university in a small city and had a great reputation for sports.
A good friend in the year above me at school (who also loved sport) was already studying mechanical engineering at Bath. I organised a trip over to the UK to visit my friend and be shown around the department by a member of staff. I didn’t have much to compare it to, but the facilities on campus and within the department seemed good and I loved the friendly, calm vibe around the parade.
Simply put, I chose Bath based on a gut-feeling. As it turns out, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and has given me the confidence to trust my gut implicitly in future situations.
Did you have a particular career in mind when you chose your course?
When I applied to study for a master's in mechanical engineering with French, any future career plans I had would have been vaguely based around ‘some kind of engineering job’ – without really knowing what I meant by that. I certainly don’t remember having a clear vision for a future job or next steps past graduation but I wasn’t worried at all about this lack of plan for the future.
I now find it quite difficult to recognise that young man who seemingly had very little defined purpose driving his efforts, but I’m fairly certain my goal would have been to carry on achieving the best grades I could and naively hope that the world would keep delivering me a ready-made journey as it had done through my education to that point. Of course, adult life demands a bit more self-starting and decision making past secondary school, but I’d deal with that when I had a degree certificate in hand.
As things panned out, it would take me until I was 32 to realise there was a specific career I wanted and only then did I diligently go about making that happen.
Can you tell us about your experience of studying here?
I feel like I was at the limit of my academic capacity with some of the complexity of maths we covered but overall, I really enjoyed the content of my course. I had to work harder than ever before (and perhaps since) to come away with my degree, but I’m very proud to wear the Bath mechanical engineering alumni badge and it affords me welcome credibility in my current profession.
Part of the enjoyment of my studies came from sharing the experience with what have become life-long friends. My cohort of engineering buddies and I spent a large amount of time on campus throughout our degrees – in lecture halls, working through tutorials or studying in the library. There was an element of routine to our days that also allowed for a lot of socialising – often over lunch or when squeezing a game of squash in between lectures.
Combining mechanical engineering with French was also a very attractive proposition and I feel very lucky to have been able to take up this opportunity. Having grown up on the outskirts of Paris my French was already good when I came to Bath, but my third-year industrial placement and final-year research project, both spent in the French Alps, meant that my language (and skiing) skills improved no end. 
Although I spent a lot of time studying, it was when wearing the university football club kit that I felt most at home and where I made the majority of friends at Bath – in the early years especially. I was never a particularly gifted player, but as second team captain I took the role seriously and being part of a community that spanned the year groups, I benefitted enormously from the confidence it gave me.
Finally, I loved my time in the University Radio Bath (URB) studio. For my final two years, I hosted a weekly show with a fellow mechanical engineering friend; it was an outlet for creativity and silliness that we thrived on.
Describe your career journey since graduating. What is a typical day like in your current role?
As referenced above, I never took my future career seriously whilst at Bath. I can’t really explain why this was the case other than I didn’t know what I wanted to do and so, after graduating, I deferred making any kind of decision for another year. I trotted off to Canada to work in a ski resort and then embark on a five-month long road trip. This year was spent with close university friends having a lot of fun but eventually the inevitable reality of life after university caught up with me.
I remember sitting beside a mountain lake in British Columbia trying to work out the rest of my life. I jotted a few things down on a pad of paper thinking about what I enjoyed the most from my degree. I ended up working in project management and business development for a public-funded sustainability agency in London for eight years, based on my enjoyment of the Energy & the Environment module I’d studied. It felt rewarding to be helping UK citizens reduce their domestic energy consumption and I got a buzz from working closely with government departments. I do sometimes wonder how different my life would have been if, on a different day, I’d chosen a career in biomechanics (another module I’d loved studying) as my feet dangled in the icy clear water that day.
Towards the end of my eight-year employment I became disillusioned and frustrated with certain aspects of the public sector. I knew what I didn’t want to do any longer, but still had no clear vision of what I did want to be doing and was by now quite upset about it. At the age of 32 I was finally ready to take my career seriously and I engaged the services of a career counsellor – arguably a decade later than I could or should have. Working with someone to unlock the fundamentals of what motivated me and what would leave me feeling rewarded was the start of my current career in broadcasting – something I still enjoy enormously 13 years on.
I now work predominantly as a freelance TV presenter and producer making engineering and history documentaries for terrestrial and streaming TV networks. It was at times an uncomfortable and steep learning curve to get started but I love the freedom it gives me to be creative as well as the places it takes me and the people I get to meet. My eyes have been opened to so many fascinating professions inside and out of the engineering world. I’m sure I’d have been very happy pursuing a number of these but there’s nothing like my current job for variety and impulse – characteristics of a job I value highly.
Alongside TV, and perhaps slightly ironically, I’m now working more and more conscientiously towards promoting engineering as a career to young people. I also host and produce Sketchplanations – The Podcast with two University of Bath mechanical engineering alumni where we often hark back to our student days.
How did your studies help you to develop, professionally and/or personally?
Above all, my time at Bath helped me build confidence in my own ability. I found my degree really difficult, but I worked hard and came through it. I’ve been able to lean on that experience and self-assuredness a number of times over the years – most notably when I drastically changed career.
I’m no specialist in any particular subject, but my well-rounded engineering education allows me to have semi-informed and wholly curious conversations with the engineering specialists I encounter through my job. I find this helps me build rapport quickly with people which is always important when filming on location.
What advice would you give to prospective students thinking about studying your course at Bath?
For anyone considering a degree in mechanical engineering at Bath, I would firstly advise you to actually read the prospectus and understand how much maths is involved! I didn’t and I struggled, but at the same time, I love that I was challenged and pushed to my limit, and I’ve benefitted enormously from that.
I feel like I could have made more of everything on offer on campus and within my department if I’d had a clearer career plan arriving at university. Perhaps I’d have specialised my module options and project topics a little more? Maybe I’d have formed closer connections with the experienced academic staff and strong links into industry? At the age of 18 though, the reality is I didn’t know what I wanted to do ‘when I grew up’. So, I kept doing what felt about right and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
At Bath, I was surrounded by people who wanted to work hard and do well – in however that manifests itself – and it was contagious. As a student, I had no idea I’d end up working in broadcasting, but I wholeheartedly believe that my degree in mechanical engineering at Bath is the foundation stone upon which this career that I love so much has been built – having learnt early on that hard work and dedication can yield results.
I’m currently very excited about the role of mechanical engineers in developing the clean energy and net-zero industry. The time is now, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it were engineering graduates from the University of Bath who make significant contributions to the survival of our planet. It’s only a gut feeling, but it hasn’t let me down yet.
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