Kirsten Lee
Until she was 17, Kirsten Lee hadn’t even heard of engineering as a career, but that’s all changed now. The recent graduate of DCU’s Bachelor of Engineering is passionate about promoting the subject whenever she can. “I honestly feel like I’ve found my calling in life,” she says.
Growing up in a working class family in Finglas, she was the first of her immediate family to go to higher education.
University only came on the horizon for her when, aged 11, she got a scholarship to DCU’s Centre for Talented Youth Ireland (CTYI). The course at CTYI introduced her to the world of science. “That got the ball rolling", she says. “I thought, maybe I can go on to higher education.”
At secondary school, it was clear she had a natural ability in maths and physics, but in her all-girls school, subjects like construction and metalwork weren’t offered, and STEM courses weren’t widely promoted as a college option. But then in fifth year, a guidance counsellor remarked that engineering might suit her skills. “That kind of left a little thought in my brain.” says Kirsten.
The more she looked into it, the more engineering ticked the boxes, particularly the Common Entry Bachelor of Engineering offered by DCU. “It seemed to have really good career progression, regardless of what I wanted to do. I could go into industry, I could go into consultancy. I could go into academia, so it seemed like a really good opportunity to try out things and see where it took me.”
In first year, the start of her engineering journey took her down an unexpected path. Kirsten thought she’d like to do biomedical engineering but realised she didn’t really enjoy it. To her surprise, the electronic engineering modules were the ones that sparked her interest. She found that she had a real skill for building circuitry, and quickly understood electronics theory.
“It was a light bulb moment,” she says, that convinced her that this was where she wanted to focus over the course of the four-year degree.
Professional work placements are a critically important part of the degree course. Kirsten’s placement was in the Cloud and Engineering Department at Deloitte where she got hands-on experience as part of the modernisation team working on a project for a public sector client. On completion of her degree course, Deloitte offered her a job.
She now works in the firm’s digital health department, working with public and private sector clients on modernising healthcare systems and cloud migration. The job is busy and demanding but enjoyable and varied, according to Kirsten. “I love how dynamic it is. I love that there's so many different things you can do.”
Kirsten is passionate about spreading the gospel of engineering and the broader opportunities that Higher Education offers. That has included giving talks in primary and post-primary schools about electronic engineering, and volunteer work with organizations like Junior Achievement Ireland, who engage with students in DEIS schools.
She was nominated for a Women in STEM award for developing and delivering a summer camp for secondary school students in advanced electronics. “I nearly hit the deck when I got the email saying, congratulations you've been shortlisted!” she says.
Graduating in the top 2 of her class and now working for a major international firm, Kirsten reflects that she’s come a long way from the time when she wasn’t aware that careers like this existed. “I would have never imagined this when I was 17 and I didn't know what engineering was.”
Kirsten would like to see more women in her sector. She recognises that the gender imbalance on some engineering courses may be daunting for some girls. “I have been in classrooms where I'm the only woman, lecturer included. And it’s so powerful that even if I'm just the one woman there, I can be that role model for younger girls.”
“Just do it, because if you do it, then you're creating that balance that we need in the industry,” is her advice to girls considering an engineering degree.
While not long in her current position, Kirsten is already thinking about her career trajectory.
“I have my ten-year plan. Ideally, I would love to come back to academia and get a PhD. It all goes back to education and teaching for me.”
She says she wants to get more experience in her field before deciding on the area she would like to specialise in for her doctoral studies.
Kisten aims to “see what's out there, and then I will probably have that light bulb moment.”
The one thing she’s sure about is her hope to return to DCU one day. “They've been told not to change the locks in the School of Electronic Engineering because I will be back at some point!”