If someone had told me in high school where I’d end up, I would have laughed. I was born in Bulgaria (Eastern Europe), and my childhood was marked by very rough economic and political conditions in the country. At school I was very diligent and always striving to do well academically. I attended a specialised…
My journey to becoming an Electrical Engineer has been anything but typical. Although I loved physics at school, my strength in English led me to study it at university. I quickly realised it wasn’t the right path and left to start an Engineering apprenticeship—becoming the only girl among 100 apprentices! After qualifying, I worked as…
When I left school, I knew I wanted to pursue a trade. I’d enjoyed technical drawing and applied to the Polytechnical Institute to study architectural design drafting. Over the years, I changed careers several times but I always found my way back to drafting. The tools of the trade have evolved dramatically, from pens, paper…
I originally wanted to be a pilot – I thought getting paid to travel the world would be amazing. I applied for the Air Force but didn’t get in, and suddenly I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I’ve always been good at maths and problem solving, so I spoke to my mum about…
I lacked a clear career path after school. In year 10, a 3-day multimedia class at the University of Queensland sparked my interest in the field, and I planned to pursue it after high school. However, family influence steered me towards an undergraduate degree in Information Technology (Systems). After graduating during the Dot Com bubble,…
My professional journey began in Uruguay, working in my family’s business while studying law. After graduating and gaining legal experience, I felt a strong desire to broaden my horizons. Together with my husband, we ventured overseas to explore new cultures and improve our English, eventually settling in the vibrant landscapes of New Zealand. Our journey…
I was brought up in a household with a French dad and Scottish mum and was always interested in the European Union, which I ended up studying at university. While I was at uni, I joined a graduate management training program and ran a McDonald’s restaurant for 2 years. I was more interested in public…
When I was younger I wanted to be a pharmacist but by the time I finished high school I had decided on engineering. I studied microelectronics in Scotland and worked in the electronics industry before I move to Australia in 2003. I joined the mining industry in 2005 and have worked at Rio Tinto for…
At high school I really enjoyed geography and in particular how water shapes coastal landforms. I was good at math, physics and chemistry. So, at a university career day I spoke to someone about a new course starting in civil and environmental engineering and I was assured this course involves working with water and landforms.…
I was good at science and math and liked figuring out how things worked. My dad was an engineer, and I got to try out environmental engineering when I was in year 12 and decided it was something I could see myself doing for work. I didn’t quite get the marks I wanted so my…
I grew up traveling a lot as my dad was in the aviation industry and I caught the travel bug at a young age. In high school I enjoyed studying Maths and Physics as well as Japanese and German, however had no idea what I would do when I finished. I decided to study engineering…
In high school, I assumed my career path would be in physiotherapy or nutrition due to my love for sports. At the same time, I excelled in Maths and Economics, which broadened my academic interests. My mother arranged for me to see a careers counsellor, who conducted strength-based and psychometric testing. This process ultimately led…
Since I was a kid, I loved maths, which led me to pursue engineering. From a young age, I was captivated not just by how things were built, but by how they were made. By 15, this curiosity drove me toward Industrial Engineering, where I could combine my analytical (math) skills with my interest in…
I enrolled in Industrial Engineering in Madrid after school mainly because it was a broad field, and, although I knew I had an interest in engineering, I wasn’t sure what career I wanted. Through various courses, I found Electrical Engineering interesting and decided to study it further. I spent a year abroad in the US,…
When I left school, I was set on being an electrical engineer, but through my undergraduate work experience, I realised that traffic engineering was far more interesting and tangible, so sought out work opportunities as a graduate traffic engineer after a three-year post-graduate stint overseas. I started out in a consultancy working on diverse projects…
I had a set journey right from the beginning where I knew I had to choose between two career paths – medicine or engineering. I chose electrical engineering with a focus on power generation, which led to an exciting opportunity with a major power generation, transmission, and distribution company in Pakistan. My career began as…
Over the past decade and across three continents, I have been fortunate enough to work in and around my two greatest passions: Marine Science (specialising in anthropogenic impacts and shark science) and STEM education. I hold a Bachelor’s (Hons) and Master’s degree in Marine Science from North Wales University Bangor (UK) and a Master’s Degree…
I have always wanted to study science. I thought this was field science, but I discovered I like telling stories (with data) and helping teams learn new ways of doing things (with technology), especially working with other disciplines (collaboration). I studied a lot of field geography and ecology at university, however when I did my…
I am a corporate meeting planner turned software project manager who has had a wide variety of experiences throughout my career. I grew up in a rural area in Missouri located in the very centre of the United States. Upon graduating from the University of Central Missouri, I moved to Chicago where I spent the…
In high school, I wanted to study philosophy and economics but I was always very interested in geography and nature, loved the environment from a young age going camping with my family and exploring. However I never thought I would study it, so I enrolled in an Arts Degree to study philosophy and politics. I…