Dilay Altunay, who works as the Material and Logistics Coordinator on the Kanuni drilling ship, said, “If you combine your elegance with the strength of your competencies, you can get involved in all kinds of men’s business with the dough of your hand.”
Dilay Altunay, who works as the Materials and Logistics Coordinator on the Kanuni drilling ship, said that women who want to take part in jobs that are seen as a “male profession” in society should follow their dreams.
Stating that she started her business life as a flight coordinator at Turkish Petroleum Corporation, Altunay said, “I was criticized by my close circle with memorized sentences that started with “per woman” in 3 different sectors where I worked. No matter what you do on the ship, on land, or in the air, if you do business outside of certain patterns, there is prejudice. For example, if your working hours are not 9 am to 5 am, if you have to go on a business trip, if you have business lunches to attend, if you have to work overtime, or if you have to go home late because of your job, all of these are seen as things that should not be done ‘per woman’. But these prejudices were never very important to me.”
Altunay stated that 97 percent of the employees on the ship were men and continued as follows,
“Our ships are designed to provide the same facilities for both men and women, with sinks, dressing rooms, gymnasium. The number of women working on the ship may be small, but this does not mean that our number will not increase it is gradually increasing. I would particularly like to add that TPAO encouraged me during my transfer to the ship and supported me in the employment of female personnel.”
“Show what you can achieve on the field”
She explained that she is responsible for ensuring that the materials coming from the Filyos Coastal Logistics Center with the support ships are on board in a timely and safe manner on the Kanuni drilling ship. Altunay said, “I have a stressful and enjoyable task to plan the helicopters we use for personnel transfers, simultaneously with the ongoing operations, and to make the crew changes of the ship with approximately 190 crew members on time.”
Emphasizing that it is important to bring university choice together with business on a common ground in order to apply academic knowledge in the field, Altunay continued as follows,
“I have been working as a material and logistics coordinator in drilling ships for a year. I love using my organizational skills, producing practical solutions, and communicating with people in the field. However, I chose this profession because it allows me to be creative at the same time by developing business, and most importantly, I am happy while doing these. These have always been the most important criteria that kept my motivation high in my business life.”
Advising female students who are considering working in similar fields, not to let the advice given to them interfere with their dreams, Altunay said that,
“Listen to the criticisms and prejudices of the people around you, the pressure in your neighborhood, those who talk about your future without knowing what you want, those who want to guide you in their world as much as they know. Listen to everyone. They will surely say something that will be of use to you in the future, but instead of answering them, show what you have accomplished on the field. Let them see what you can achieve, your belief in yourself and your work, your determination, and your achievements so that this discussion can get rid of the male-female axis. If you combine your grace with the strength of your skills, you can get involved in all kinds of men’s business with the dough of your hand.”