Rodrigo Prado, BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering
From Sao Paulo, Brazil, Rodrigo travelled the world before deciding to study a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at LSBUDriven by his ambitions for a career change, he was attracted by LSBU's reputation, facilities and location in central London.
Career goals
While working as an IT manager in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Rodrigo was planning a career change to an industry he had always wanted to work in; robotics and engineering. He made the decision to move to London to study and work because of the great opportunities the city offers in this sector.
Tough decisions
The decision to move so far to study is never an easy one, so Rodrigo did a lot of research before deciding to apply to LSBU. He always wanted to study in London, "because a British degree looks very good to employers", but upon finding out about LSBU's great reputation for engineering his mind was made up. "I heard that their labs were good and well-equipped too", he adds.
I chose to come to LSBU because it has a very good reputation for engineering.
Rodrigo Prado
International opportunity
The BEng degree course on offer really suited him as well because, as he explains, "it covers two of my interests in one course - Electrical and Electronic Engineering", and this along with the great opportunities for work placements offered by LSBU made his decision much easier to make - Rodrigo's course offers students the chance to complete a year's placement in Germany as part of a four-year sandwich course.
Entrepreneur
Rodrigo funded his daily living costs by using his developing knowledge and skills to repair electronic devices for fellow students and by using his commercial acumen to offer a competitive rate. "It started off slowly", he says, "but eventually people started referring others to me and I became very busy". He even had to turn down work as his course became more challenging to make sure he had enough time to complete all his assignments.
City living
Rodrigo loves LSBU's location in the heart of London because there is so much to do here; "You can never be bored in London", he says, "I think it's a great place to be, and it accommodates everyone".