You're a systems engineer and you have a master's degree in engineering. Did you always know you liked this field?
No, not at all! I like sharing my story because when I was in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up, and yet, 15 years later, I love what I do and the career I chose.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved math and art, but I always thought the two fields were incompatible, and I couldn’t find a major that combined them. I knew I didn’t want to do anything routine, and I’m passionate about solving problems, so after spending several days watching YouTube videos about different career options, I decided to give engineering a try.
What did you discover that a degree in Systems Engineering has enabled you to do that you never imagined?
First of all, I realized that systems engineering is 50% analytical ability and 50% creativity. Different people can solve the same problem in very different ways, and I find that incredibly interesting. This makes the exchange of ideas very enriching and leads you to consider questions that otherwise wouldn’t have occurred to you.
Which brings me to my second point: the importance of teamwork. We often see engineers in movies portrayed as sitting in cubicles writing code, just like in *The Matrix*, but that’s a far cry from reality!
Teamwork and the exchange of ideas are two cornerstones of systems engineering, where each team member brings a unique perspective—both of which are essential for reaching an optimal final solution.
If you're like me and get bored easily, Systems Engineering is fantastic. One week you might be designing a banking system, the next week you might be working for a travel company, and a month later you could be designing a system for drones. It's impossible to get bored!
In your commencement speech, you mentioned that there were few women studying this field. What was your experience like, and how do you view the role of women in science and technology?
Yes, there were definitely fewer women than men in our class, and I think that stems from a social stereotype that views engineering as a male-dominated field. However, engineering has no gender or age. Fortunately, that myth is gradually being debunked, and there are more and more women in the field.
During my years teaching at Universidad ORT Uruguay in Universidad ORT Uruguay noticed an increase in the percentage of women in science and technology, but we need to keep working to encourage more women to pursue these fields.
To achieve this, I think it’s very important to share our experiences as women in IT with women in other fields, with high school girls, and even with girls of all ages.
You're living in England—how did that opportunity come about?
My boyfriend and I went to San Francisco for a few months for work, and we loved the experience. It’s a very cosmopolitan city that allowed us to meet people and experience customs from all over the world. And if you’re foodies like us, the culinary scene is incredible—you can try food from all over the world there; we even managed to find some very Uruguayan milanesas and empanadas.
When we returned to Uruguay, we realized we wanted to keep exploring other places, and since we had a good command of English, we decided to start interviewing with companies in the UK. It was all a bit crazy because I did my interviews from Uruguay via Skype, without a camera. Once the offer was accepted, we started making arrangements, and four months later we moved to London. So they didn’t actually meet me in person until I went to the office for the first time.
What is your role at Wunderman Thompson?
I am the Technical Lead on an e-commerce project for one of the UK's largest clothing brands, with over 10 million customers in Europe.
My role involves analyzing client requirements, designing a solution tailored to their needs, and finally managing the team to ensure we meet our objectives within the estimated timeframe, while ensuring that the implemented solution meets our quality standards. As I mentioned earlier, my day-to-day work involves a mix of analysis and creativity.
Does your job allow you to work remotely? Does it give you the flexibility to do so?
Yes! If there’s one silver lining to the pandemic, it’s that it made us realize we don’t need to go to the office to do our work—we can do it from anywhere in the world. All we need is a laptop and a good internet connection. This has also made it possible to build teams with people from all over the world. Right now, my team includes people from the United Kingdom, China, India, and Lithuania.
Some companies have even closed their offices and adopted remote work as their standard operating procedure. I believe this will be very beneficial for Uruguay, given that its professionals are very well-positioned internationally and, with remote work, they no longer need a visa or have to move to another country. They simply mail their laptop, and by the following Monday, they’re already part of a team.
In my case, I feel very lucky to be able to do what I love from anywhere in the world.