what made you who you are today

Arnab Nandi answered on 7 Nov 2022:

I think a combination of education, opportunities and just plain luck came together to make me what I am today. Examples of the first is my education in one of India’s best engineering colleges on electrical engineering, that then resulted in joining Alstom as a electrical engineering core company, then getting into software development related to energy, which has now come a full circle on working on renewable energy development. On hindsight, it all seems to have clicked into place, which is the luck bit.

Seán Kavanagh answered on 7 Nov 2022:

Ooh tough question! 😅 I guess a lot of different factors.
My parents always encouraged me to do my best at anything I tried, so at least if it didn’t work out I could say I gave it my best shot. When I was in primary school I liked that if I could figure out the answers to homework quicker, it meant I had more time to play football with friends or watch cartoons like Yu-Gi-Oh on TV. I also liked trying to solve problems or figure out riddles, so this made me try to find a job where I am working on problem solving.
I also was really worried about the environment after learning about global warming in school, and how big a problem it was for planet Earth. So I wanted to do a job that was working to fight global warming (so I feel like I’m helping to make the world better for everyone), and using problem solving (so it would be fun and not feel like work!)

John Harland answered on 7 Nov 2022:

My family environment was always one where study was encouraged, but without pressure, along with an enquiring attitude about all sorts of areas of life, both on the more logical/technical side from my Dad and the arts/humanities from my Mum and my sisters. I used to help my elder sister maintain her first cars, and that perhaps sparked my interest in engineering.

Veronica Pisani answered on 7 Nov 2022:

I am very lucky to have supportive parents and teachers who gave me access to tons of opportunities to grow academically and creatively. I learned how to read very young, math came naturally to me, and I did well on tests. This made my teachers notice me at a young age, but my parents would have prioritized my love of reading, academic growth, and music education regardless. Additionally, many of my childhood friends are also pursuing careers in STEM fields, so I felt cool rather than weird for wanting to enter a male-dominated industry. I also have prioritized following what’s interesting to me, and that’s translated into me generally enjoying my studies and career and producing better work. Even within mechanical engineering there are a ton of career paths available, and engineering skills are desirable to employers in a variety of non-technical fields. I found energy the most interesting and focused on applying to energy companies when I was looking for my first job. At the time (and even still), I needed to accept my interests for what they are to build my career for me and not for others.

Katherine Whyte answered on 7 Nov 2022:

It’s hard to know, as I guess it is lots of little things! From a young age, I was interested in animals and nature. As I got older, I also became interested in science and the environment. At the time, I was interested in being a vet, as it brought together my interests, and I didn’t know any other jobs that did. I was actually unsuccessful in getting into vet school at uni, but decided to follow my interest in Marine Biology even though I didn’t know what I would do for a career.

I’ve ended up in a career I really enjoy (perhaps even more than if I had become a vet!). I’ve ended up using maths a lot more than I thought I would, so I’m glad I studied lots of maths at school. I’ve also ended up working with wild animals (seals), so I’ve used skills from my work experience with farm animals (cows, horses, chickens…) from when I was trying to become a vet. Lots of the jobs and volunteering I have done have also helped me become organised and independent. And, although it might seem a bit random, playing in lots of orchestras at school have helped me have confidence to stand up at the front of huge science meetings and give talks!

Rana Abdalla answered on 8 Nov 2022:

Growing up in different countries around the world has moulded my own personality is a unique way! I was born and raised in UAE , then lived a bit in Egypt and then now I’m here in the UK, every country had its own flavour, memories and certain duration of my education years. Another factor, is that being a girl in a male dominated field, made more focused and more motivated to proof my abilities as an Engineer worldwide. Don’t also forget the amazing support I got from my family especially Mommy and Dad! they have believed in me since I joined kindergarten and now I’m giving back a bit of their efforts to make what I am today, to make them at least Proud!

Paul James answered on 10 Nov 2022:

An inquisitive mind and a desire to build things got me to where I am today.
When I was growing up, I was always taking things apart to see how they worked and sometimes I was even able to put them together and get them to work again afterwards. 🙂

In terms of my career, just saying yes to opportunities as they arose and trying things slightly outside of my conform zone has helped me progress in the companies I have worked for. Sometimes you can also just get lucky if you are in the right place at the right time and willing to take a chance.

Don’t be daunted by things that seem impossible, just break them down in to smaller manageable steps.

Emma Farquharson answered on 14 Nov 2022:

Such an interesting question, and I don’t think I can pin-point just one thing! I think my family definitely played a large part in who I am – I’m lucky that they’ve always been really supportive and encouraged me to do my best. When I wasn’t sure what career I wanted to go into, they really tried to encourage me to follow what I enjoyed doing over anything else. I think having lots of different hobbies when I was younger also helped shaped who I am. I learned different things from them all, like patience from all the hours spent practicing musical instruments and curiosity from readings lots of books! I’ve also been lucky enough to have very supportive friends which has helped me persevere through various challenges I’ve faced over the years.

Anne Velenturf answered on 17 Nov 2022:

It’s been quite a journey personally and career wise with extreme ups and downs. It has made me pragmatic and highly adaptive. Faced with a block I will find a dozen ways around it in no time. I think that’s a valuable characteristic in research.

Question: what made you who you are today

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