Sara,
Technical Consultant: Software Verification and Validation
My name is Sara and I have a Master’s Degree in Telecommunications Engineering. I’ve been working at ALTEN Italy for 9 years and I am currently involved in software testing for a client in the railway sector.
Question: What specifically is the project you are working on and what role do you play in it? Answer : I started working at ALTEN in 2011, few months after graduating, for a client in Pozzuoli (Naples) who works in the telecommunications sector. In a short time, more colleagues and other activities were added and a new ALTEN office was opened. Here, for 8 years, I was in charge of managing the customer network reports of a telephone operator. Now I have changed business and customer, and I am in charge of software verification and validation for a customer in the railway sector: it is about implementing a series of tests that simulate the operation of the software.
Q: How is the team you work with and what do you like best about the work you do? A : I am lucky to work in a very stimulating work environment, made up of people who are prepared and always ready to help and collaborate. The aspect that I like most about my activity is being able to understand what the goal of the software provided by the developers is.
Q: How did your interest in engineering begin? Was it a vocation?
A: I decided to study engineering because, since I was a child, I have always been passionate about scientific subjects; in particular I have always found mathematics interesting!
Q: How do you remember your college years? A: I remember my university period as a very intense phase of my life, made up of many professional and non-professional experiences that contributed to my growth.
Q: Do you think that the engineer is still a figure/carrier mainly associated with men, or have you noticed a change in this trend? A : Unfortunately, in many work environments, the figure of the engineer is still linked to the male gender; often, when a woman finds herself in a working group composed mainly of men, there are still many prejudices. Fortunately, except in isolated cases, we are tending more and more towards the belief that a woman can carry out any task and make a career in the same way as a male colleague.
Q: Have you faced any difficulties or obstacles because of being a female engineer? A : Until now I have had the great fortune to work in teams that have never had any kind of discrimination against me.
Q: What do you think is the value that ALTEN brings to your project? A: ALTEN contributes to the success of the project I am working on, which is part of a series of related activities for a single client, thanks to its high professionalism and its staff.
Q: Why should a woman choose to work at ALTEN? A: A woman should choose ALTEN to work in a serious, dynamic and stimulating environment, where there is no difference between gender, neither during the interview nor in the allocation to the various activities.
