• Question: IF U HAD A CHILD WHAT WOULD U WAMT HIM/HER JOB WOULD U LIKE THEM TO FOLLOW THEIR FOOTSTEPS

    Asked by 953spce38 to Aisling, Colin, Laurence, Ned, Niamh on 29 Feb 2016.
    • Photo: Laurence O'Rourke

      Laurence O'Rourke answered on 29 Feb 2016:


      Good question. I have two children. One wants to be a biologist (he’s 10) and the other is primarily interested in pup patrol cartoons and frozen (she’s 6) so too young 🙂

      I think working in the space area is really nice and I would support my children if they wanted to work in it too, but I will also fully support them if they want to do something else. Engineering is not for everyone and sometimes it takes a long time before you find you have an aptitude for it. If you do, then I would highly recommend it to you. If you don’t then I’m happy for you too – what’s most important is to do something that motivates and really interests you.

    • Photo: Ned Dwyer

      Ned Dwyer answered on 29 Feb 2016:


      I would like my child to follow their instincts and do what they really love doing. Just because you start doing one thing after school doesn´t mean you have to do it for every more. You can always move sideways, train for somethinng else, chuck in what you are doing now and do something different. Life is one long adventure so make the most of it.

    • Photo: Aisling Shannon

      Aisling Shannon answered on 1 Mar 2016:


      I have two kids (aged 3 and 1) and I think they will automatically be very aware of space and engineering as both myself and my husband are engineers at ESA. But what I would like for them is to be happy in what they do when they grow up. Engineering suited me, but maybe my boys will want to be something totally different.

    • Photo: Colin Shirran

      Colin Shirran answered on 1 Mar 2016:


      I’m a while away from having and children so I won’t have to worry about this question for a while! However, as much as I would like them to take an interest in a big part of my life I would be fully supportive in allowing them to do whatever it is they have an interest in.

    • Photo: Niamh Shaw

      Niamh Shaw answered on 4 Mar 2016:


      I don’t have any children myself but lots of nieces and nephews. I spend a lot of time with them talking about the things thatchy like doing. Some of them I think will be engineers but others might do something different. I think if I’m going to be the great auntie I want to be, its important for me to know what they want to be and help them achieve it in whatever way I can.

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