Marking International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Southern Regional College’s Alanna Elliott gives an insight into her role in STEM – where many of the preconceived ideas of the industry are steadily being dismantled.
Celebrated on February 11, the aim of the international day is to promote and encourage participation of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
The Tandragee’s woman is currently studying towards a higher level apprenticeship in Cloud Computing, Analytics and Security.
Attending the college one day a week and, four days in a workplace gaining practical experience, Alanna said the opportunity to both study and work has provided her with “a good option for hands on experience” and explains what it is like studying and working in a STEM subject field.
“I’m currently in my first year of the computing foundation degree at SRC and have gained employment with Almac in an IT role,” said Alanna. “Within Almac we rotate around teams in the IT department gaining experience in all the different areas of IT.
“I’m currently placed on the IT service desk level 2 which involves fixing user issues and building and rebuilding laptops. I’m eager to try out all the various IT section and get a taste of everything as it all looks very interesting.”
Alanna explains she has “the best of both worlds” studying and working by being able to put what she is taught in the classroom into real life practice.
“To date I’ve completed two modules during the first year on the HLA computing programme,” she adds. “This has included programming fundamentals and an introduction to networking.
“Programming involves learning a new language, but instead of speaking to people you’re giving instructions to a computer. Networking teaches you how computers connect and communicate with each other. Think of it like setting up a network of friends who can all talk to each other and share information.
“I’ve lots more modules to complete, and I can’t wait to get started on them.”
Many misconceptions exist, with STEM roles often being heavily male dominated. Alanna explained how times are changing and the misconceptions she once believe, are not as they seemed.
Continued Alanna: “It’s all about coding – yes while there are some small bits of coding it’s not 100% coding all the time. Within the course and the workplace there is something for everyone.
“It’s a male dominated field – the computing industry has become so much more diverse. Within the workplace there are actually a lot of females representing the computing sphere. It’s also good to see a lot of women commanding higher positions in the computing area.
“It’s not sitting at a desk all day – in my current role I’m out and about during the day assisting users with issues and fitting new equipment.
“You don’t need to be good at maths to have a career in IT. While I was ok at math at GCSE, it wasn’t a subject I loved, but I can still have a successful IT area!
“The computing field offers a wide range of roles from software development and cybersecurity to data analysis and network engineering. You can explore different paths and find a role that suits your interests and strengths. There is a place for everyone in the computing world.
“Also don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do. Everyone is more than capable of finding a role within IT.”
“While some females may be apprehensive about taking on a computing course believing males to be better, I want to emphasise that we all start at the same place, learning about coding languages and other IT areas.
“Working within computing provides a sense of satisfaction as the work is really enjoyable.”
With time still left to complete before graduating, Alanna already has clear plans for the future: “In the short term I want to continue working within Almac and working my way up within the IT field. That’s my main focus at the minute, that and getting my education.”
