Brief Overview
Aoife Murphy
24 Years Old
BEng Motorsport Engineering and Design Graduate
Roles Since Graduating:
- Previous (2 years): Chassis Integration Engineer at Ford Dunton
- Current (6 Months): Manufacturing Engineer at Stryker
Background
I’ve always been interested in Motorsport, as a child growing up surrounded by cars, bikes and quads. My family in particular my dad was a key factor in me picking Engineering as a degree. My dad a highly intelligent man, had high hopes for me and from a young age we would talk about what my future would look like. I never knew to the T but I had a pretty good idea it would be something to do with working with engines. I didn’t find school easy, and I found English, and other essay based subjects challenging, it was physics and maths that were my passions. My head teacher at secondary school knew my passion for engineering, and as one of the few students to do so I picked to Study abroad in the UK, despite advice from careers advisors to stay in Ireland and take a less suited engineering course.
I’ve grown up in a very male dominated environment so walking in to a class full of lads at Swansea University was not too much of a shock. Of course there were the initial surprise of having a girl in the class, however in time I became well respected and an equal despite being the only girl in the class. My drive to do my best and prove my critics wrong got me through difficult/stressful times, and its all worth it now that I have incredible priceless experiences every day.
Engineering has opened many doors for me and I know many people who feel exactly the same with their Engineering degrees. I was a Chassis Integration Engineer at Ford Motor Company for two years after graduating, which was an absolutely amazing experience, learning so much about the Automotive industry, gained experience ranging from project management to problem solving, to technical and mechanical topics, travelled some bit with the company and met fantastic people from all over the globe.
Now I am in a different company, in a different country, with a different job title, different role, different industry, different product, but the same degree under my belt, which led me to both of these roles. I am currently a Manufacturing Engineer at Stryker, a Medical Devices company which manufacture implants and equipment for patients and doctors etc. Job satisfaction level here is through the roof, what we do helps people daily, we are continuously improving people’s quality of life and the Engineering/Technology involved is phenomenal. Both companies I worked/work for are just fantastic.
My top 3 tips
1. Realise as women we are capable of achieving anything wee set our minds too.
2. Prove your critics wrong
3. Ask questions and do your research
If anyone would like to know more or ask about my course or how to apply, or just ask about anything in general, you can go to my linked in account and I am more than happy to answer any questions or try give the best advice I can.