There's an urban myth that engineering is all about oily rags and spanners and people tinkering in sheds. Weird, because most engineers work at the forefront of design technology and they never see a spanner. Today's engineers are likely to be designing more efficient car engines, more productive wind turbines, finding ways to increase computer processing speed or decreasing flood damage along Britain's waterways than standing by a sink looking for the Swarfega - the Royal Academy of Engineering has estimated that up to 2 million people in the UK could he classified as engineers in some form or another.

Will you end up with a BEng (a three year course, four if you study in Scotland) or an MEng (four years, or five in Scotland)? Many universities run only the MEng. Look too at the system for gaining chartered engineer status which you can acquire two years after your MEng. Alternatively you could go for incorporated engineer status after taking a BSc offered by some universities, but its true to say that chartered engineer status is likely to be better rewarded in your pay packet.