Advice for women wanting to be in the motoring industry
The number of women in the motoring-engineering industry is still seen as grossly under-represented. With South Africa’s rising unemployment level and a desperate need for scarce skills, having more women working in engineering is a competitive advantage.
29-year-old Monica Luscay Kyzer followed her dream of becoming an engineer and currently holds the position of Service Advisor at Maserati South Africa at their dealership in Cape Town.
Born and bred in Kimberley, Monica enrolled herself into a technical school where she studied Mechanical Engineering and four years later was offered an internship with Mercedes Benz Daimler.
Also read: Are we seeing more women in motoring workshops?
In a male dominated industry Monica takes pride in the fact that she is the only female technician working on the Maserati brand in South Africa in a service advisory capacity, while the fact that she is female makes her stand out.
We chatted to Monica to find out what really drove her to pursue her passion and what advice she has for other females wanting to be a part of the motoring-engineering industry…
At what point in your life did you realise you wanted to be in the motoring-engineering industry? Was there a defining moment?
It started since my childhood; being a tomboy played role I guess, I always had boys as friends – playing cricket, baseball, rugby, soccer, roller-blading, cycling and skate-boarding. Whatever my brother was doing, I was doing too. When they were talking about cars, I would be listening. My father taught my brother how to repair and fix his bicycle and my brother showed me how to do the same to my bicycle. I guess the seed was planted by my father and brother – motivated by mother, who would insist I knew how anything mechanical worked.
The motoring industry still seems to be fairly male-dominated. Was there ever a point where you felt intimidated by that and how did you combat that?
There were many times in the past, even sometimes still now, but things are much easier now than it was before. There is definitely a change in the attitudes of male counterparts. If I can recall back then, we were only five females in my class, but nowadays there are much more females in this field of study which is a very good thing. To combat feeling intimated, you have to constantly remain positive and keep motivated – always think of the reason why you started doing it in the first place.
What does your average day at work entail?
No day is the same, but I also have a hand in the merchandise department, so I would start my day, making sure the merchandise is correctly displayed and doing an inventory of stock.
Then I have my morning tea and prepare for the day by plotting the day’s appointments, then attend to any urgent phone calls. I print out my daily work-in-progress report and follow up on current jobs in the workshop. There are occasional issues that arise which need to be managed by myself and the workshop manager. Then there’s client servicing, which includes telephonic advice with regards to estimates, flat battery, tyres, general vehicle assistance, bookings, walk-ins, etc.
What would you say your biggest challenges have been in the industry?
The biggest challenge of course was ‘breaking in’ to the male-dominated industry. However, there is definitely a shift in the attitudes and mind sets of male counterparts in the motoring industry.
Favourite part of being in the industry?
I love interacting with our clients and fellow colleagues – basically working with people. And learning new technologies and being a part of an international evolving brand.
What would your advice be to young women who are interested in pursuing a career in the motoring industry?
Know what you want and persevere to achieve your goals. As much as it may be a male dominated industry, it’s a great opportunity to achieve things as a female. Do not expect special treatment and be willing to be a team player.