International Women in Engineering - Meet Christina Schiavone
Christina, or Tina as she's more usually referred to, 35, has been with Wynne-Jones for 3 years and is a European Patent Attorney. She brings a wealth of experience to them the team and has not one but two University degrees, one in Geology and Petroleum Geology and another in Physics.
When asked why she wanted a career in engineering, Tina said: “Although I didn’t study engineering specifically at university, I ended up in engineering through my job in the patent profession.
“I spent 3 years at the beginning of my career working for an IP firm in Aberdeen. The main industry in Aberdeen is Oil & Gas, and most businesses there are based in the petroleum, reservoir or other mechanical, engineering sectors.
“Although my background is geology and physics, this gave me a good foundation from which I could teach myself the relevant engineering concepts to fully understand the technology I was trying to protect.”
Interestingly, Tina didn’t originally see herself becoming a Patent Attorney. She had planned on becoming an Academic or a Geophysicist. She hadn’t heard of the profession before attending a careers fair where the opportunity presented itself.
Having looked into the profession and then getting the job at Wynne-Jones she realised it was the perfect career for her. She says of the role: “Wynne-Jones is the most easy-going, friendly, and supportive place I have ever worked. I really enjoy going into the office every day.
“The best part of my job is talking to inventors - I love hearing about their ideas; and learning how their invention works, and the benefits it can provide. Usually patent attorneys get to hear about new ground-breaking technology before anyone else, which is very exciting.”
“So far, the highlight of my career at Wynne-Jones has been passing my European Qualifications! I am now officially European qualified. It took 5 exams and 4.5 years of hard work to get to that point. I still have one exam to sit (and pass) in the UK before I can call myself a UK qualified Patent Attorney, but hopefully this will not be too far away!”
When asked what advice she would give to other women who want to become an engineer, Tina said: “If you want to be an engineer, then be an engineer! Just go for it – don’t let anything stop you from doing what you want to do!”
