Profiles
John Bridges
Jesus 1980, Engineering Science
Having worked in several sectors, mostly aerospace, telecoms and consultancy, I now run a micro-consultancy and interim management business, Interim Process and Programme Management Limited, focusing on leading business change programmes.
Oxford taught me to be analytical, questioning, not to accept the status quo, and to keep on learning and developing
I chose my degree course because I was good at sciences and thought that reading Engineering Science at Oxford would enable me to keep my career options open. I also knew that many top managers have a science and engineering background.
It is a fairly wide-ranging and rigorous degree, with a heavy workload, but it can lay a good foundation for a career in engineering, business or technology.
Jesus was a very friendly and unpretentious college and has good accommodation. I did quite a lot of flying with the University Air Squadron, and so developed good time management skills to fit this in alongside my work and social life. Lab projects taught me to work both collaboratively and independently.
The course and the tutorials were very stimulating. The social life was great and the ongoing network of contacts useful too.
I think that having Oxford University on your CV is always a good thing and undoubtedly helps with being selected for interview. Oxford taught me to be analytical, questioning, not to accept the status quo, and to keep on learning and developing.
I have very fond memories of my time at Oxford and have joined several alumni networks. I would recommend it to anyone.
