David Hodgson

Retired

What was your journey to getting a job after graduating from Birmingham?

In 1970 anyone with a good degree in physics found applying for jobs very easy. Physics students were few and far between and the general standard of students was high. I was predicted and achieved a first. Hence each of the many jobs I applied for was offered to me. Since I had only a rough idea of the jobs out there, I applied for many: a research studentship at Queen Mary College, a postgraduate Cert.Ed., a job in satellite dynamics with Hawker Siddeley. All these I rejected eventually accepting a studentship in Mathematical Physics at Birmingham. My postgraduate jobs were similarly straightforward. I got my PhD but I was disappointed with the area of work I was offered and the quality of the work I produced. I won’t go into details but not everything went smoothly. My first job offer came from the research labs of the CEGB in Leatherhead working on the vibrations of cooling towers. By now I was married with a child and found houses in Surrey too expensive, so I turned the job down. I then got a job as a physics teacher in Birmingham. This went well for some months until former contacts at the University tried to persuade me to take a research associateship working on noise and vibration problems. My initial reaction was to say I was happy teaching. But soon I was nagged by thoughts that I might be better off in the long term back at the University. After much anguish I resigned and took the University job, even though it was only for three years. That itself led to another story but I had better stop there.

How do you feel the learning experience on your course helped to prepare you for your career?

I got a good grounding in experimental and theoretical physics at BSc level. My PhD gave me a training in doing research and writing papers. Another way of looking at the above is to regard it as a training in the mathematical modelling of physical problems. That is what I did for my whole career.

How did the University's support services help to prepare you for your career?

The careers service had a comprehensive collection of information on employers that I found useful.

What are your top tips for students graduating today?

1. During your degree try to get vacation employment or to choose a degree with a paid year out in industry. Not only does it look good on your CV, it broadens your horizons. It often helps to use contacts among friends or family.
2. Find out all you can about your potential employer before interview. You can then ask intelligent questions and appear keener than you might otherwise.
3. Having outside interests helps at interview.

What were the best things about your course?

I think it was one of the best in the country. Birmingham Physics had and has many world class professors. I found it thrilling to be lectured by such people. For balance I should say that not all lecturers stood out on the international scene but some were very good lecturers who took their job very seriously.

What was your biggest achievement during your course?

Getting a first class honours degree and a PhD.