At first, many women in STEM have no idea that a sort of game is being played at their work.
Mira Vasic LinkedIn: @miravasic
Trainer and career coach for women | University lecturer | Structural Engineer
🎤 Hi, сould you introduce yourself?
Hello, my name is Mira Vasic. I was born and raised in Serbia, a small country on Balkan peninsula in Europe. Currently I live in the Netherlands. I hold a PhD in Structural Engineering from Politecnico di Milano in Italy.
🎤 What are you working on?
At the moment, I have two full-time and one part-time job. I work as a senior inspector for Dutch ministry of Economics and I am a senior partner at In Touch Female Leadership & Career Academy. I also give a part of MBA course for Business School of Politecnico di Milano.
🎤 What work experience do you have?
For the past 10 years, I worked as a University lecturer, researcher in commercial and non-commercial sector, engineering consultant and forensic engineer. I also had roles of guest recruiter, trainer and career coach.
🎤 How did you get into your field?
Both of my parents also studied Civil Engineering, so I was surrounded by the topic since I was very young. By the time that I was choosing my University course, my home country was devastated by economic crisis, recovering from wars and dictatorship. I realised that combining helping people to re-build their houses and restoration of heritage buildings was my passion.
🎤 What stack of knowledge is needed to become a good professional in your field?
I always loved mathematics and I think that is a basis of every science. When one comes to higher levels of education, we are talking about very complex topics, such as Finite element modelling, non-linear constitutive laws or full-scale testing.
🎤 Опишіть свій перший проєкт і яка ваша роль у ньому.
One of my biggest projects as forensic engineer was the investigation of boiler power plant collapse. I was responsible for the structural analysis of the construction, looked for evidences on site with my team and simulated collapse of the boiler.
🎤 What difficulties did you encounter along the way?
Being a women and studying abroad, I encountered gender and cultural bias very often. It took me a lot of efforts to learn how to deal with such situations.
🎤 I know you have won several scholarships during your studies in university and have visited a lot of conferences all around the word including tech conferences and conferences of inspiring women in STEM. Can you tell a little bit more about this: how to apply, etc? Or could you share your experience with us?
I won the Erasmus Mundus scholarship for "Advanced Master in Structural Analysis of Monuments and Historical Buildings" in 2010. It was a life-changing experience for me, and I would recommend everyone to apply for such scholarships. It gave me the chance to live and study in Spain and Italy, and to get a degree from two prestigious Universities - Polytechnic University of Catalunya in Barcelona and University of Padova. I also met a lot of friends and colleagues from all over the World.
I won a PhD scholarship from Italian government for my doctoral study at Politecnico di Milano in 2011. Doing a PhD at an Italian University means that you are working with cutting edge techniques and people that publish in highly-ranked journals. Definitely one of the best countries in the World to purchase a doctoral degree.
🎤 It is somehow a general notion that women find it hard to deal with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Have you ever come across someone with the same thought process? If so, how did you deal with the situation?
At first, many women in STEM have no idea that a sort of game is being played at their work. They expect the same transparent rules to apply as those applied during their school and study periods: you do your best and you are evaluated accordingly, in the form of higher grades.
In the office, however, the rules are much more diffuse. And since most of the organisations and companies were founded by men, these rules are adopted to masculine working style. We call them the unwritten rules of "making the career" game.
🎤 What advice would you give young women interested in a career in your field?
Try to understand the unwritten rules of "making the career" game as early as possible in your career.
🎤 How do you balance your study, work, hobbies, and personal life?
I believe that there is no such a thing as balance between working and personal life, you can only make priorities, choose what you are going to do and plan.
🎤 What IT books, resources, and blogs do you read and recommend to others?
Refreshing and inspiring blog by amazing Agne Nainyte (🔗 https://nainyte.com/).
E-book “The Adventures of Women in Tech: How We Got Here and Why We Stay” - a must read by Alana Karen for every woman that considers a career in Tech or STEM
🎤 What’s the best way to keep up to date with what you're doing?
LinkedIn Mira Vasic: @miravasic
LinkedIn “In Touch”: In Touch Female Leadership & Career Academy
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