King’s Careers are delighted to have guest blogger and alumni Neeta Agarwal talk about her career journey within GE Aviation Digital, and how she landed her role as Avionics Systems Engineer. And now… over to you, Neeta!
I’ve been with GE Aviation Systems for almost 4 years now, it is unbelievable sometimes… It was just yesterday I was fishing through the list of Engineering companies and applying for Graduate programmes. It all started with my own Forbes list of 100 best Engineering companies, job specifications, entry criteria, salary, and all the attributes one can think of when picking the right role. And amongst the 100, sat the Edison Engineering Development Programme run by GE Aviation Systems in Cheltenham, UK.
What attracted me towards the programme was its liberty in allowing us (the graduates) to explore wider aspects of Engineering, Even after having achieved a degree in a specific field we often find ourselves debating if we ever want that as a career option for life. This programme however, allowed us to rotate throughout the business learning all Systems, Software and Hardware so you can experience these sectors and choose what fits best in your career plan. I completed MSc in Electronics and Business Management from Kings College and I am now a Systems Engineer, so I get to enjoy the perks of what university taught me and apply that in a much higher domain of Engineering: Systems, where the big picture for any product begins.
This may come as a surprise to some but I never felt the need to get worried about entering the male dominated industry of Engineering. Partly because in India we have large number of females applying to Engineering streams and we see a fairly equal number of female and male working in this industry. At my time as a Graduate in the company, I joined a scheme GE runs called the GirlsGetSET aiming to encourage girls into engineering, where we run activities to show different aspects of STEM. With the experience I gained from volunteering, working on various projects and even securing a permanent role in a team where I am the only female, I have learnt that the world has evolved a lot from the time of Thomas Edison (founder of GE) himself, there are equal opportunities and at the same time equal expectations. Yes, there is a smaller number of females entering the industry each year compared to the male population or at work there can be numerous situations where sometimes a male may be considered better suited for a role.
We need to start viewing this situation differently. The thought that it’s a male dominated industry has discouraged some able women to apply to STEM careers or even shy away from voicing their opinions during a conversation. I would encourage to approach this situation as an opportunity to stand out with full confidence. We, females have the same knowledge and experience and with that passion and belief in ourselves we can break the norm…..
After all, “HOW MUCH SCIENCE NEEDS WOMEN” right? ~Maria Mitchell.
To find out more about where I work and the different career opportunities, please visit https://www.geaviation.com/.