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 Describe your background and how you got into IT.
I graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a Masters degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2005. In my final year of University I applied for several graduate placements and was offered a position at TATA (formerly Corus). I had no idea what to expect when I started, but it’s been brilliant so far. I completed several six-month placements across the site, which involved different projects and then I applied for a permanent position as Shift Engineer at Rail Products. I chose to apply for a shift position as I felt I was lacking in practical fault finding experience and thought this would be a good opportunity to fill the skills gap.
What is your current position / situation?I’m currently the Departmental Maintenance Engineer at the Medium Section Mill on the TATA Steel Works in Scunthorpe. My main responsibility is to drive improvements in how we manage our assets in line with the company’s framework. This involves developing maintenance strategies for our assets based on criticality of equipment and business risk. In addition, carrying out failure analysis to ensure that we are efficient in maintaining our equipment and increasing reliability of the mill.
What do you like best about working in IT?For me, it’s the challenge and diversity that it brings. Since starting my career I’ve been involved in so many different tasks and gained so much experience.
Why did you choose a career in IT in the first place? e.g. was it a choice or a natural progression from something you'd done previously?When I was in my final year at school I decided that I would do an Electrical and Electronic Engineering Degree. I’d always enjoyed physics, maths and computing at school and decided that I wanted to continue with those subjects, so engineering was the ideal career choice.
What have been the highlights of your career so far? The biggest highlight so far has been working with the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) to gain my Chartership status at just 26 years of age. It had been my aim since leaving University, as I wanted to prove that I am a professional and competent engineer. It was a great feeling to fulfil that ambition so early into my career.
What are your career aspirations?Now that I’ve achieved my Chartership status I’m having a quiet time for now. At work I’m developing my skills in terms of Reliability Centred Maintenance and best practice in terms of Maintenance Excellence. I’d like to become a member of the Institute of Asset Management and focus my career on Asset Management. In addition, I’m hoping to become an IET mentor so that I can help others achieve their Chartership.
What are your tips for success?To achieve sucess, you’ve got to be have determination, ambition and passion.
What books / websites etc. would you recommend to a woman just starting out in IT?I always use the IET library when I start a new project or to get some management books to boost my skill set. I’m currently reading “Effective Team Leadership for Engineers” by Wellington and Foster. Another one I’ve read in the past is “Developing Effective Engineering Leadership” by Ray Morrison and Carl Ericsson. There’s lots of information on the internet including the Women in IT website.
Can you share a few words of wisdom for those people who are thinking about pursuing a career in IT?Go for it! Engineering and technology is continually evolving and has many different career paths to offer.
How important do you think your education or background has been in influencing your career choices?I think my education was very important; I worked very hard at school, which took me onto University and brought me to where I am today. Being offered Engineering and IT subjects at school certainly made me realise where my passion was and started me on my career path.
Do you think it might have been a different story, of "how you got to where you are now", if you'd been a man?I’d like to think no, however it’s hard to say. I’m very well respected at work and I don’t think my opportunities would have been any different.
Tell us a little about your life outside of work.Outside work I enjoy spending time with my boyfriend, who I met at work over two years ago. We enjoy travelling both in the UK and abroad and have recently been to Las Vegas, which was amazing! I have great friends all over the UK, so I like to spend time with them going to concerts and having weekends away. Since I came off shifts I don’t get nearly as much exercise as I used to, so I try and get to the gym a few times a week too!
Do you think that there are obvious differences between what men and women have to offer an IT department?I think naturally men and women are very different and behave differently in the work place. However, regardless of sex, every person has something different to offer a workplace so it depends on the person really.
Are you aware of any preconceptions or stereotypes of women in IT, and if so what do you think of them?
There will always be stereotypes of women in IT and engineering but they are just unnecessary and so far from reality it’s quite funny. I wear flowers in my hair quite a lot because I am pretty girly and a fellow engineer once said to me, “you don’t need to wear things like that to work!” I like to brighten the place up, the flowers have remained! I also have fairy lights around my desk!
What do you think could be done to actively encourage more women to join the technology market place in general?I don’t think we need to just be encouraging women, I think there should be more done to encourage men and women into the technology market place. Engineering and IT doesn’t have the respect it deserves in my opinion. People still believe that engineers ‘just’ fix everything and get mucky all the time. Organisations need to be more open to the person rather than their sex when recruiting.
Do you think enough is currently being done to counterbalance what has become an obvious lack of women in technology?I think there are plenty of societies, organisations and groups driving more women in technology. I have taken part in a few school events myself to promote engineering but many still have distorted views of what engineering and IT entails in the working world. I try and relate it to the things they know, for example games consoles and hair straighteners. They are both designed and manufactured, and engineering and IT is involved all throughout the process.
If you could give young women looking for a position in the IT market place a single piece of advice what would it be?Don’t give up! If you want it badly enough, you’ll make it happen!
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