Lizzie Pendleton: Junior Technician

Job title:

Junior Technician at Wake the Tiger

Location:

Bristol

What inspired you to go into engineering?

I went into robotics engineering because it's cross-disciplinary, covering many areas I love including coding, mechanics, building/prototyping, creativity/inventing, control theory etc. I chose to be an engineer/inventor for theme parks because I want my work to bring people joy. My dad was an engineer his whole career and I have a family history of hands-on work like carpentry. I'm drawn to R&D because I'm so excited by problem solving and finding the beautifully simple solution to a complex problem.

What do you love about your job?

Everything! I get to turn on/off a themed park each day, go in & maintain a huge variety of technologies being used (including audio, video, show control & robotics). Alongside this, we technicians are involved in coming up with new ideas of things to go into the park, developing prototypes, and installing the things we actually make ourselves. My first design was installed recently - it was a control room for miniature pigeons! Our work is so weird AND nerdy, it's huge amounts of fun, and the whole purpose of my job is to make our visitors happy.

How did you get your job?

I did a 10-11 month group project designing a themed attraction with the Immersive Design Academy. It taught me hugely valuable knowledge about how projects work within the themed entertainment industry that I think made the difference. Through that, I had a basic understanding of audio, video, sound, animatronics & the creative process that I can now build on within my job. I applied for a junior technician role, acknowledging that I have a lot to learn in actually building Cool Stuff. I saw the job advert online & applied for it. A huge heap of genuine passion and enthusiasm definitely helped & came across in the interviews - people want to hire a nerd who loves what they do.

What advice would you give to a young person looking to start a career in your industry?

A career in research & development / inventing -> make loads of bad stuff that doesn't work. Get used to "failure" because you learn huge amounts out of it (there's no such thing as a failed invention). Then when you finally hit the stuff that does work, you know you've tested it well and got a good solution. Being willing to give something a go and ask questions is a huge asset. If you get stuck, come up with a couple of potential solutions & go back to the person to get their advice - it shows you've made effort & you're trying. In terms of a technical career within themed entertainment (theme parks, Disneyland etc.), volunteering at a local theatre is really valuable. Anything you can learn about general theme park tech (lighting, audio, video, electronics, rollercoasters - whatever's your flavour). I'd recommend looking into the Themed Entertainment Association - there are school societies & a student membership scheme. I've found it HUGEly valuable to be a part of, there's a whole discord server for the NextGen community, and loads of online talks, round tables, workshops to learn about the industry and a mentoring scheme. I've never met such a welcoming and kind industry who truly care about bringing in the next generation.

Why would you encourage more girls to pursue a career like yours?

Because it's so much fun! I get to be super creative and really nerdy/technical as well. It's a place where I can bring my whole self to work and my very diverse career path so far has all come in handy for my work here. My job didn't need someone with loads of degrees, they wanted someone with a hobbyist knowledge of electronics & a heap of enthusiasm. There's huge satisfaction in seeing something you've designed installed in a themed park, and getting to see visitors love & get so much joy out of what you've made.