Meet Patricia Curtis MCIPHE RP

What interests you about the industry?

The people that you meet. One of my customers was the set photographer on Pirates of the Caribbean.

How did you get into it?

I went into the industry straight from school. My initial qualifications were as a pipe fitter and welder. I was one of only two women on my course. My father had seen I was into anything mechanical. I was dyslexic, but I was good with my hands and excelled at problem solving. I always was engineering minded. We think outside the box. We might not always know how to write it, but we remember it.

Can you explain how you got into your current role?

In the 1990 recession I lost my job so I started up on my own. I had a lot of family and friends who gave me encouragement and recommendations. I did good work and that was my best advert – I’ve never needed to promote myself.

What’s the best thing that you’ve learned?

If you want to understand something, study it. Watch people doing it and read up about it. Someone who claims to know everything, knows nothing. Even though I’m dyslexic, I read product instructions. You shouldn’t have to ask how to do it. Learn from your mistakes; experience is the most important thing in the industry.

Would you do it all over again?

Absolutely. I don’t want to be stuck in an office or behind a counter. I get to meet so many people from all walks of life through my career.

Tell us something people don’t know about you.

I’m a secret photographer. I like candid pictures; I try to catch people being themselves. I’m usually in the corner snapping away. I don’t manipulate my photographs.

This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2019 issue of P&H Engineering, the magazine for members of the CIPHE. Find out how to join here.