Job title: Project Officer

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I am Marine LUC, working at AGE Platform Europe as a Project Officer. I have an economic background, having graduated from a business school in Lyon, France. I started my career as an Account Manager in banking and insurance before switching to a more meaningful job, with a more positive social impact, on my mind. As a project officer at AGE PLATFORM EUROPE, I dedicate my time to raising the voices of older people in Europe. I'm working to raise awareness of the cause in the worlds of research, industry and the general public, to ensure that society becomes more inclusive and guarantee the rights of older people on an equal footing with all European citizens. We want an equal society for all ages.

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Overview of the job:

Europe's population is aging and so are the challenges associated with this demographic change. Advances in new technologies, artificial intelligence, and data management must be made in a way that respects ethics and does not further marginalise populations that are already discriminated against. My job in research, and more particularly in projects involving IT development, is to ensure that older people, as end-users, are involved through consultation, co-creation, and co-design, right from the start of a project. It is important for IT research to develop products that will really be used and adapted to the needs of end users. So I'm working to make it easier for older people to get to grips with technology, both by advising developers and by including older people who are members of the AGE platform network.

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What inspired you:

Ashton Applewhite an author and activist asks us to look at ageism -- the assumption that older people are alike and that aging impoverishes us. You can watch her talk here.

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Typical working day:

I start my day with a strong coffee and take stock of the various meetings and actions to be carried out that day. I'm involved in 7 research projects, so prioritisation and timing management are crucial to optimising the impact and completion of tasks. I'm quite a multi-tasker and must go from writing an article to communicate the results of a project, to organising an event with key speakers, to consulting older people with the technical people involved in a project. I also have to work on methodologies for involving the various stakeholders during the development of a project.

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Study and career path:

As I mentioned, I made a 180-degree turn by changing profession, sector and working environment at the age of 30, after having worked for 6 years in the insurance and banking sector. I had taken this path without really thinking about the values I wanted to identify with and the daily impact I wanted to have in my work at the end of the day. Even though those first 6 years enabled me to develop my networking and financial skills, which will always be useful, I'm much more fulfilled today because I'm in tune with myself and the values that emanate from my work. My advice would therefore be to take the time, whatever the sector, to get to know yourself and define the most important points in your daily life that you want to find in an organization.

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Key skills:

Active Listening: If we don’t listen to the person in front of us, we will never understand what is the challenge, what are the concrete needs and how we can bring a solution.

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Analytical Reasoning: It is needed to take a step back and have a global picture of what the project need to achieve, the context in which we are working, and prioritize the most impactful actions.

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Project Management: In some projects, I have more than 15 partners to manage for a great result. Project management is crucial to get the job done.

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Curiosity: As I am working with partners from different fields, this is important to understand the various interest of all the partners so we can speak the same language with a smooth collaboration.

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Career prospect:

The social sector as a project officer and in private companies in all fields, with a job focused on diversity and inclusion. I also have networking skills and business development ones which could give me the opportunity to become an Account Manager.

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Challenges:

Sometimes I'd like to see things progress more quickly in Europe, but you have to be satisfied with small victories, which then turn into super-satisfying achievements. So I'd say one of the challenges is to be patient and not get frustrated too quickly!

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Your advice to students:

Not wanting to find the perfect dream job is the first step in the world of work. We work for decades, opportunities come and go, and we have to take them when they fit our lives. The balance between professional and personal life is very important to me, and we have to look for a job that fulfills us and allows us to have time to spend happy moments outside work too. Each experience will enable you to gain confidence and grow, you just need to listen to yourself and keep your self-confidence, because if you believe in it, then the work will follow without even being perceived as a burden!

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Your advice to teachers and parents:

Listen carefully and support them, whatever voice they want to take, if it's theirs then it'll be the one they're happiest with, and you too.

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This interview was also published on STE(A)M IT portal.