21st Century Women Technologists: Laura Busto
This time, we introduce you to our colleague Laura. She is currently a Master’s student in Telecommunication Engineering and temporarily living in Vigo. Now, she is doing her internship in the Advanced Communications area of Gradiant. Laura loves series among her favourites are ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘Black Mirror’ and fashion, but her real passion is for languages: English, French, Chinese and, of course, Galician and Spanish are well known to her, but she also has some notions of sign language.
What did you want to do when you were younger?
Singer, dancer, hairdresser, designer, presenter, saleswoman of some department store bags… I never really thought about it until now, but I guess that’s what the women I met or saw on TV were doing.
Why did you choose technology for your future?
The truth is I had so many doubts because I liked a lot of stuff. I was so lucky that my parents always enrolled me in all the workshops and activities they found, with very different topics, to open up a huge range of options for me to find what I really like to do. I remember coming to a talk about “teleco” and it had really caught my attention. Since then, I started to learn more and, after considering it a lot, I decided to bet on it for my future.
What are you currently working on?
I am now doing my master’s internship in Advanced Communications where I am learning to work with nanotechnologies and participating in the commercial application process of new products and services.
What do you like most about your job?
I like the exponential evolution of technology and its relationship with other disciplines, giving me the chance to learn a lot of transversal knowledge. It also helps me to develop my creativity, because you can do a lot of different things in many ways. During my internship at Gradiant, I would like to underline the good work environment.
Who is your female reference in the world of technology?
I don’t think I have any reference in this area, either male or female. I am aware that if I am here it is because of many women who worked hard to make a place for themselves in a man’s world, although I am embarrassed to say that I would not know any names.
How do you imagine your career in technology? What would you like to get at?
I hope that my career will allow me to deal with new challenges every day and continue with this constant learning, both professional and personal. I don’t know how far I’ll be able to go, because I don’t see a “topside” of technology, who knows what the future holds! Right now, I dream of being able to work on a project that has a great social charge and helps to improve people’s quality of life.
What would you say to the technologists of the future?
Technology demands a lot of dedication and effort. Like everything else, if you don’t like it, it’s boring, but if you’re passionate, it’s very satisfying to see you overcome every challenge. So I would advise them to study whatever they like best – or whatever they think they might like – without prejudice or any other reason. I would also tell them something that I would have loved to hear a few years ago: not everyone is sure about future Don’t be afraid to make the wrong choice but they should take the risk. If they decide it’s not their thing, it’s okay, but it’s definitely worth a try.
