As part of the 11th Tech-Kalinen Meetup, titled “From idea to career: Women in STEM share their journeys,” three different career paths in STEM fields were presented. The goal of the event was to highlight the diversity of career opportunities in STEM and to shed light on both the differences and similarities among these career paths.

The event was organized by the Tech-Kalinen network together with the Women+ in Information Systems initiative at the Department of Information Systems at the University of Münster. The student initiative Women do IT from Department 10 (Mathematics and Computer Science) also presented itself

Among the speakers were Dr. Beate Rottkemper (Head of Sustainability Management, UKM), as well as Dr. Lena Clever and Dr. Fumi Kurihara from the Department of Information Systems. They shared personal insights into their career paths in research, teaching, and industry, and reflected on key experiences, challenges, and pivotal moments. It became clear that career paths are rarely linear and that openness to new opportunities often leads to unexpected possibilities.

Key takeaways from the evening included the importance of individual career paths as well as the insight that technological innovation and societal impact are not mutually exclusive.

The Tech-Kalinen network connects women in tech professions in the Münsterland region, fostering exchange and increasing the visibility of women in tech as role models and contacts for early-career talent. The network focuses on current topics in the digital and technology sectors and discusses approaches to addressing the lack of diversity in the field.