Girls face ‘amazing range of career options’
She was one of the role models giving advice at the IWish event at Cork City Hall, where more than 1,000 teenage girls got many different slants on careers open to them in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Best known for the Embarrassing Bodies programme on Channel 4, Cork-born Dr McKenna said it is sad girls are not turning to science despite all the amazing opportunities.
“They all want to marry a footballer or be famous, or whatever it is. And the reality is that you could still marry a footballer and be famous,” she said.
“But you can have an amazing, exciting career, and change your world and change everyone else’s world by using STEM, and becoming an engineer, getting clean water for people in Africa, or new prosthetic limbs,” she said.
“We, as girls, need to change. I’m not saying we have to be feminists and burn the bra and knock the fellas out of the way. But we can do it just as well, we might do it in a different way, but don’t feel that you can’t have a career and have a family. You can do it all, you can work around anything,” she said.
Some of those at the showcase were very impressed with the women they met and the lines of work they were exposed to yesterday, at City Hall and at events in Clonakilty, Mallow, Cork Institute of Technology, and Fota Wildlife Park.
Michaela Hyde, a fifth-year student at Coláiste Daibhéid in Cork City, said science is one of her options as a career.
“Hopefully this will open up a few more ideas. A lot of things we saw last year during fourth year opened our minds to new things,” she said.
Classmate Kelsea O’Brien said she had not been leaning towards science but is going to keep an open mind after yesterday. “It’s fairly equal at school the way they push maths or science. But there is a stereotype that associates engineering more with men,” she said.
Many students said school timetables make it difficult to choose more than one science subject. Or in mixed gender schools, engineering, metalwork or woodwork are timetabled against things like biology and home economics, which can reinforce gender divides.
Michael Livingstone, a first-year student at St Peter’s Community College in Passage West, suggested student councils should have more of a say in seeing the choices that young people want reflected in timetables. He was operating a stand for the CIX Coderdojo Club, which teaches aspiring web and game innovators at the CIX internet exchange facility in Hollyhill on Cork’s northside.
“I got involved a few years ago. I really enjoyed it, and I’ve found myself helping people learn as well. We have loads of boys and girls, who can all do the same stuff,” he said.
He was joined by Sarah Sweeney, a first-year student at Scoil Mhuire gan Smal in Blarney and daughter of CIX managing director Jerry Sweeney. “I’ve been learning since I was nine, and we’re running our own club for two years now. People come and learn coding and web design, and make great friends, and the girls are often much better than the boys,” she said.
Aoife Desmond, Twitter’s UK and Ireland sales manger, told girls it is okay not to know yet what they want to be. But she offered some tips, including her own motto of always doing something she enjoys.
“Follow your strengths. Jump before you’re ready, you’re never going to be 100% ready for something, so you need to take that risk,” she said.
“Failing is part of our DNA, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. And keep learning. If you’re interested in always learning new things, tech is an amazing place to be,” she said.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
