[Women in Science] Marina Costantini, PhD student in Communication Systems, EURECOM
- Why did you choose to pursue the career of engineering?
MC: I chose to become an electronic engineer because, since I was a child, I have always been fascinated with mathematics and problem solving. This has been mostly thanks to my dad, who has stimulated my interest in these topics since I was very young. Later, when I had to choose what career path to follow, engineering seemed a quite well-suited option. And it was.
2. What obstacles did you have to overcome to achieve your dream?
MC: I can distinguish two kind of obstacles that I have experienced: internal and external.
Among the internal I would remark:
(i) My own lack of confidence, which made me (and makes me) hesitate more than necessary in many occasions, and maybe miss some opportunities. I cannot say I have overcome this one.
(ii) Not knowing, when I was finishing my engineering degree, what I was really interested in and what I wanted to become an expert in. This caused me a lot of trouble at that moment. I could eventually sort it out with time.
The external obstacles were:
(i) Having been born and having studied in a country that did not offer what I consider my dream career path. This pushed me to move abroad and far away, with all the difficulties that such a move takes, especially coming from a country with certain economical limitations.
(ii) Having found myself, as first experience after graduating, in an environment full of human relation difficulties between the members of the team. Despite having myself good relations with everyone, these internal issues affected greatly my mood, proactivity and productivity.
I may remark that, thankfully, none of my obstacles was related to my gender.
3. What is the message you would like to give to young girls for following a career in science and engineering?
MC: If what you like is science and math, don’t think it twice, go for it because it’s a fantastic and rewarding experience, full of amazing things to discover. This advice holds for both girls and boys, however.
Now, speaking directly to girls, dare stepping out of the gender stereotype. Explore *also* that route. But at the end of the day, if what you really like is a career path that has been traditionally chosen mainly by women, that is what you should go for. If we end up with a full generation of women engineers who chose that career path pushed by society, now with the aim of equalizing the gender numbers instead of the old pressure of respecting the gender tradition, we have not solved the problem, we have just inverted it.
