From action man fan to engineering ambassador

When I was young I had an action man rather than a Barbie doll, and I used to attach his parachute to a My Little Pony so I was practical from the start. Two big influences on my career direction were my (gorgeous!) science teacher and most importantly my dad. He was really into science fiction, always asking why and how, and I think that was why I became an engineer.

I did an A level in electronics by distance learning. I was the only girl in the class, and I came top. I was a typical high school geek – I went to Friday night lectures at University College London where I met people who were passionate about science. Then I studied electrical and electronic engineering at university in Wales, before getting a job pretty quickly after I graduated.

I now work for AEG Power Solutions and my area of expertise is UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supplies, essentially back-up systems that ensure power is supplied to a critical load should there be a spike, surge or total power failure. Right now I am mostly working on oil and gas projects.

I am on the customer relations side of the industry, dealing with a number of really big international companies.

In the last five years alone the industry has changed massively. We are working on what we call ‘Combination Architecture’, which brings together the current standard product applications and combines them with renewable green energy sources like wind, hydro and solar technologies.

Right now these products are unusual, but one day they will undoubtedly become common place. I’m able to do something at an industrial level to help prevent global warming and that means a lot to me.

I’m the only woman out of 20 engineers. It’s fine. I stand out because I am young, female and half Spanish, and that means everyone remembers me! But ultimately it is my engineering expertise that is key, this is what our customers need and value.

A few years ago I joined STEMNET to be one of their ambassadors. I go to schools and give talks about being an engineer. I’ve talked at an all-girls school, where I was able to explain how varied the work of an engineer can be.  It’s not all hard hats and getting dirty you know!

Young people can be really direct about things like salary. So I explain that – as with all careers - you start low, but if you work hard you can progress.

STEMNET helps you with public speaking and working with young people. You get to meet some of the other volunteers, which is great. They contact you when there are opportunities for speaking. And they have lots of materials you can take with you to schools.

I’ve always had good role models. I’ve had inspiring teachers and helpful advice along the way and it’s great to now have this opportunity to share some of that through being a STEM ambassador and through writing on this blog.

Amber Villegas-Williamson is Industrial Business Development Manager with AEG Power Solutions. She is a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and is a STEM Ambassador.