Emmelyne Carpin student at ESAIP: I chose digital!

Femmes du Numérique: To begin with, what is your definition of “digital”?

Emmelyne Carpin :For me, digital means more than just figures. I see it as a sector closely linked to IT and all the data that is now processed by computer. It represents an era. The development of this type of data and a new way of understanding communication, information and commerce. It also evokes the dematerialization of paper media, the speed of information transmission and establishes a new form of interaction through social networks, forums and video-sharing sites, for example.

FDN : Women, an opportunity for digital. Digital, an opportunity for women. What do you think about it? Why did you choose this sector?

EC :I’ve always seen digital as an opportunity in general, but it’s even truer for women. It’s a sector that can offer them great freedom of creation and professional movement. What’s more, because of their skills, their organization and their vision, which is different from that of men, they have a lot to contribute to this sector, whether in terms of digital project management or in terms of development skills and rigor. They can be an asset to this field, and digital technology can also offer them many career prospects.

FDN: Did you encounter any difficulties in choosing your career path, or on the contrary, did you receive support? How did your teachers, guidance counselors, family, friends and parents view your choice?

EC :When I was very young, around the age of 12 or 13, I knew I wanted to go into this sector. My family took the news rather well, as did my friends, but I was often told that it was a field reserved for men. It was an almost recurrent remark when I talked to other people about what I was doing. As far as teachers and guidance counsellors were concerned, nobody tried to dissuade me from going into this sector, but I did get a few warnings about the fact that it’s not necessarily easy for a woman to evolve in a predominantly male sector.

FDN: During your studies and internships, how did you feel about working in a predominantly male environment? Did you feel you were treated differently from male students and trainees?

EC :I’ve always been well received in the departments where I’ve done my internships, as well as by my former employer. I was often told that it was rare to see women in this sector. I didn’t feel I was treated any differently from my male counterparts, either in terms of the tasks I was assigned or the responsibilities I was given. What’s more, I was lucky enough to work in an IT department with more women than normal, two of whom were department heads.

FDN: Tell us about your career plans. How do you see your career?

EC :During my engineering training at ESAIP, I’d like to focus on the cyber defense major so that once I’ve completed my training I can work in a company focused on this sector, either in the research field or in information systems security auditing. Eventually, I’m thinking of either setting up my own services company or working as a CISO in the medical field, as I’m very interested in the issue of securing patient files and medical data.

FDN: You’re part of generation Y. How do you view gender equality issues?

EC :I’ve been hearing about this issue for years, particularly through the various debates on equal pay, for example. For me and many people of my generation, it now seems obvious that a woman should work and not be discriminated against simply because she’s a woman. However, we quickly realize that this vision is not yet shared by the majority of companies. In the digital sector, however, I have the feeling that women are very welcome.

FDN: What advice would you give to a high school student hesitating to enroll in a digital curriculum?

EC :I’d tell her that right now it’s a predominantly male environment and that most of her colleagues will be men. But that shouldn’t scare her in any way, because the digital sector offers many opportunities, and competence counts for more than anything else. It’s a sector that has a lot to offer in terms of creation, evolution, communication… What’s more, there’s still a lot to do and discover in this sector, where women have their place.