12 January 2007
Others
Javier is the typical Engineering student, right from the cradle. When he was born, the midwife told his mother: 'you have given birth to an engineer'. His parents cleared their home of any object that could be broken into pieces and that might be attractive to this little darling. While other children dreamt of the biggest lollipop in the world, or of a visit to the zoo, he longed for a computer. On his desk sat a framed picture of his first Pentium 100 mhz with 16 Mb RAM, and he still remembers the day when he learnt about 'that odd thing called Linux' with the same nostalgia as other people remember their first kiss. Being a firm advocate of the free software philosophy, he is over the moon to have found many like himself at last; now he feels among his peers: Deusto has a free software group!
However, Marta's case is completely different. There was not the slightest sign from the cradle or a single early indication that there was a potential engineer inside her. Hers is rather a case of pragmatism and personal challenge. She had no special problems during her years in high school, and she had no clear vocational path, either. Marta was beset with doubts when she was faced with the choice of a career. Finally, she chose the Industrial Engineering degree because it offered her a wide range of career prospects. In addition, it meant a small personal challenge to her, that of breaking the mould of a male-dominated society. Now that she is deeply involved in the technological world, she is pleased with her choice, with everything she is learning, with all the different people she has met, the campus life, the coffee bar gossip.
Iratxe is the veteran of this threesome. She is about to finish her Computer Engineering degree and expecting to enter the job market shortly. She is experiencing a bittersweet moment of opposing feelings. A very good period of her life is coming to an end, and something new and unknown is about to start. Now she is not only leaving the good moments behind (the contact with her classmates, the laughter, all that she has learnt), but also the bad ones (exams, project works, stress). She has been awarded a grant by the Basque Government so far, and this year, she will be working in the multimedia room.
Would you like to know what will happen to Javier, Marta and Iratxe throughout this year? If you are interested in their lives, opinions, information and advice, don't miss our blog www.quieroseringeniero.deusto.es. You can also take part with your questions, queries or comments if you want.
