• Question: How was it like getting a job as an engineer as a girl have you noticed any differences with boys?

    Asked by free022can to Orla, Fiona, Eimear on 2 Mar 2020.
    • Photo: Orla McGee

      Orla McGee answered on 2 Mar 2020:

      Personally, I’ve never felt I was treated differently as a girl in engineering. I’ve been very lucky and found it quite easy to get jobs. My last two bosses were women.

    • Photo: Fiona Malone

      Fiona Malone answered on 2 Mar 2020:

      It was hard at that start. I went to an all girls secondary school so being in a college course with very few girls was tough at the start but you soon get used to it and everyone is usually helpful and friendly. Some of my best friends to this day are the guys I went to college with. I hadn’t many female lecturers/ bosses throughout my career but my boss now is a woman and she’s head of the department here in GMIT and a really good role model. Don’t let your gender stop you from doing what you are good at it and love to do.

    • Photo: Eimear O'Hara

      Eimear O'Hara answered on 2 Mar 2020:

      The first day walking into a lecture hall with about 200 boys was definitely a bit scary, but now it’s not something I notice. There’s been an increase in girls going into engineering over the last few years, particularly in Biomedical, so the ratio of boys to girls is getting closer. Getting a job has never been a problem, engineering is so broad and gives you loads of options!

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