The only way to a successful career in the mobility sector is to study engineering? By no means! Mobility is becoming greener, smarter and more passenger centric. Societal trends (digitisation, urbanisation, …) influence how we move every day, new modes of transportation challenge existing behavioral patterns. Many opportunities cannot be addressed from a technological perspective alone. We will exchange ideas and insights on how to thrive in a still male-dominated industry and discuss your questions.
„There are many positions in the mobility environment that do not require an engineering degree.“
herCAREER: What is your tip for women who are interested in the mobility sector but do not have an engineering background? How should they start?
Even if it does not look like that from the outside: There are many positions in the mobility environment that do not require an engineering degree. As the challenges in the mobility sector become more and more diverse so do the required skills of the people creating the future mobility ecosystem. A good start would be to think about in what area you would like to contribute and what, from your point of view, you can contribute as a person, as a professional, etc. The next step would be to start looking for likeminded people in work related networks such as LinkedIn, join relevant groups (such as Women in Mobility, Women in Cycling, etc.), and contact other women directly whose profiles interest you. You can ask them directly for advice, ask them how they started their career. If you find somebody particularly interesting it is also possible to ask them if they would like to mentor you on a more regular basis. To have an experienced sparring partner to discuss job related issues can be a great help at the beginning of a career.
herCAREER: What are general skills that help women when changing careers and go into a job within the mobility sector?
The mobility ecosystem is a fast changing, complex system. Opportunities and challenges evolve constantly, new players enter the market and change the overall structure. Digitization is a strong driver across all modes of transportation, especially when they get connected in an intermodal transport system. General skills that help to thrive in such an environment are, for example, the ability to adapt to change fast, being curious, interest in new technologies and innovation, the ability to structure complex tasks, digital mindset, willingness to question believes and think out of the box, good communication skills and a talent to convince your future employer that you are the one to tackle their current mobility problems.
herCAREER: How can networks be the support network for women in a male dominated industry?
There are more and more networks connecting women in a work environment. They can show you that even if you happen to be one in only a few women in your day-to-day work environment, there are many others out there. It is also important to support each other by recommending one another as speakers, authors, experts etc. so that the great women in your sector become more visible.
herCAREER: At herCAREER, the focus is on professional exchanges, which is based on the personal experiences and the knowledge of the sparring partners. As an organizer, it is also in our best interest to support women beyond the exhibition and make our networks accessible. We would therefore like to ask you if you would also act as a sparring partner in addition to the trade fair participation. If so, we would ask you to name the topics for which you would act as a sparring partner in bullet points.
- Future mobility
- Digitisation & mobility
herCAREER: Are there topics for which you are personally looking for a sparring partner and would like to continue a professional and personal exchange? Then please name keywords for your topics.
- Future mobility
- Digitisation & mobility
Use one of the ways to contact the interviewee and refer to the herCAREER community interview.
About
As coordinator of the Connencted Mobility Platform at the Center Digitization.Bavaria (Bayern Innovativ), Dr. Mara Cole promotes interactive dialogue between business, science, politics and the public in the context of connected mobility and digitisation. She supports Bavarian stakeholders in the development of their digitisation skills and advocates initiatives and projects in this field. Mara holds a master’s degree in ethnology, psychology and communication science from the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich and a PhD from the University of Bamberg in the field of psychology.
The MeetUp is presented by Women in Mobility. This MeetUp is part of the Career MeetUps at herCAREER 2021.
