International Women in Engineering Day 2023
International Women in Engineering Day is not just about celebrating and recognising the contributions of women to the engineering sector, but also about thinking about how we can inspire the next generation of Women in Engineering.
International Women in Engineering Day is not just about celebrating and recognising the contributions of women to the engineering sector, but also about thinking about how we can inspire the next generation of Women in Engineering
In this short interview series, we spoke to some of our very own female engineers from a variety of different backgrounds to get their perspectives on what it’s like to be a woman in the field.
From their own personal driving factors to the positive and challenging experiences they have encountered, read on to find out what makes a Woman in Engineering tick.
Women in Engineering
What made you pursue Engineering as a career path?
“Fascinated by how engineering can make even the then impossible air and space travel possible now, I developed an interest in design and problem-solving.
Along with this, my parents fueled my curiosity with their professions, with how many precise details were involved in planning and constructing a building, making each unique despite several posed restrictions.
All these combined with the drive for intellectual stimulation made me choose engineering as a career path.”
Mohitha Mugundan, Solutions Consultant
What has been your best experience as an engineer?
“My best experience as an engineer at Solid Solutions – A TriMech Company was doing our launch events. We spent three weeks travelling around the country holding events for customers in interesting locations.
My favourite was the event we had at Bristol Aerospace, they have a Concorde aircraft there, and my degree is in Aeronautical Engineering so it was right up my street.
I got speaking to one of the volunteers at the museum and he was an engineer on the Concorde back when it flew.
We had a great chat and then he let me go on the flight simulator that hadn’t been opened to the public yet.”
Lauren McClelland, Electrical Product Manager
What advice do you have for women/girls interested in engineering?
“There are lots of different types of engineering, it’s not all cars and big machines. Have a look around at all the different types and find the one that interests you the most.
You can also study combinations of different engineering disciplines or even general engineering to study all of them.
To get an idea, go to lots of taster days and events that universities and companies put on to get a sense of what engineering really is and find out what you are passionate about.”
Charlotte Brenninkmeijer, Applications Engineer
What does a typical day look like for you working in engineering?
“With regards to an average day, it really depends on what I have been scheduled to do that day, usually training or support.
A typical day on support is a mix of calls, emails, and meetings with customers to resolve their issues or answer any questions they might have. I like to be quite hands-on and jump on a screen share if possible. I feel that this helps me to resolve the issue quickly and helps to show customers how to fix that issue.
If I’m training the day starts a bit earlier, around 8/8.30am, I make sure everything is set up and working before greeting the customers. Once the customers have all arrived and settled down, we will work through the course content until lunch which is usually a good time to answer any questions/issues they might have (over some food of course)!
The rest of the day is pretty similar, finishing around 4.30 pm, giving the customers a bit of time afterwards to work through any exercises they missed or for any in-depth questions.”
Caitlin McCulloch, Technical Consultant
What is the most challenging thing about your job?
“The most challenging aspect of my job is being able to meet to the standards of every customer I interact with. This is challenging as I often need to create a balance between different people sitting in front of me, and what could work for one customer may ultimately not be what the others might be looking for.
This means it takes more time to meet other people’s standards whilst also delivering the same elsewhere meaning I often put myself in an uncomfortable situation, but thankfully, I do see the rewards of once I am able to meet to everyone’s expectations.”
Elizabeth Carter, Applications Engineer
Get in touch with Women in Engineering
We hope you enjoyed this short interview series. If you would like to get in touch to speak to one of our female engineers, we would love to hear from you.
