Laura Braid

"The personality types that I got were Investigator, Innovator, and Manager. Upon reading these profiles, these do fit what I do for a living. I have to solve problems, I have to try and piece things together after the fact, and I have to think logically about them. But problems often need creative solutions! I also need to be a manager, as I work with suppliers. I need to be able to explain ideas to people (and English is often not their first language) and I need to manage projects to hit the required timelines. "

"I work with suppliers and manufacturers who provide products, materials and services to our company (which produces technology solutions for people with Diabetes). As a Supplier Quality Engineer, my role is to make sure the suppliers are doing what they are supposed to do to meet regulations and to help them meet manufacturing guidelines to produce a quality product. I work a lot with statistics and analysing data. I also help suppliers troubleshoot problems and to help them with engineering input into projects, changes, new ideas, cost improvements, design improvements. Typical starting salaries within this role are between £25,000-£35,000/year. "

"I originally wanted to study architecture, however a school guidance counselor noticed I had an aptitude for mathematics and suggested that I might want to study engineering. She took me to an Women's Engineering Society open day at a local university and I decided that engineering was for me. Also, I always enjoyed working with my hands so I took several 'shop' courses in school, Wood shop, Technology engineering, and Plastics shop. I was the only girl, but my teacher was very encouraging and he saw that I had an aptitude for the subjects so he suggested that I might want to look in to Plastics Engineering. I visited the university where I ended up studying Plastics Engineering and saw that it was a very hands on course as well as theoretical and that really inspired me. I was one of 3 females within my course of 20 students, but all the professors saw us for who we were, not our gender. It was actually nice to be able to do well and 'prove' to naysayers than engineering is indeed a course for females. "

" I am into homebrewing beer and enjoy all the engineering toolkit and process that goes into making beer as much as the beer itself. "

"Most of my suppliers are based within Asia, so I spend the early part of my day on conference calls with the suppliers. However, I also have suppliers based within the US and Canada, so I spend the later part of my day, again on conference calls with the suppliers. I will spend the middle part of my day reviewing emails and documentation and project files from the suppliers. I also travel on a regular basis to meet the suppliers and to audit their processes to ensure they are upholding the standards required."

"I am originally from the USA, so my path will be different than yours. However, courses that helped me before university were Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry. I also took hands on 'shop classes': Wood shop, Technology engineering, and Plastics shop. I have a Bachelor of Science in Plastics Engineering and Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering. "