Emerson Exchange 365

Enjoying Life in Colorado, today. 

Why did I go into engineering? The joke in my family is that I was supposed to be a son; my name was Troy Allen until (surprise!) I showed up and my parents scrambled to find a girl name.  I was close to both of my parents, but my Dad and I always worked together well.  I was his helper with about any job.  My Dad was a Mechanical Engineer, so the engineering field seemed a logical choice for me, too.  I wanted to either be a music major or an engineer, influenced by my Mom and Dad, respectively.  My sister was already a music major at the University of Iowa, so I decided to go into Engineering at Iowa State University. I told people (in good fun) that, between my sister and I, at least one of us should be able to support ourselves!

So, why should you be interested in my story?  What do I know that is worth sharing? I have been very fortunate to work with, be mentored by, and have the support of a tremendous collection of people over the years of my career. I have benefited from their wisdom and experience, so I see this as my chance to pass on a few things that I’ve learned.   

Bit of wisdom #1: You can learn something from everything. I was fortunate to have two summer internships in college. They were both valuable; one helped me identify what I DIDN’T want to do and the other one was the company I started my career with. 

Bit of wisdom #2: Everyone offers you something. My first job out of school was as a Project Manager for a bulk commodity chemical company in Houston, TX.  I quickly learned that being an engineer doesn’t mean you’re smarter than everyone else.  Each person makes decisions that get them to where they are at that moment in time in their life.  The mechanic in the maintenance shop, the Process Operator, the CEO are all in their current role as the result of the set of collective decisions they’ve made throughout their life, but is no reflection on how intelligent they are.  All people have something to offer to you; listen and ask questions. 

Bit of wisdom #3:  An engineering degree often opens doors that others can’t walk through. Over the years, I have run into several companies that differentiate growth, advancement opportunities, and compensation on whether an employee completed an engineering degree.   I’ve come to recognize that having an engineering degree sometimes is the ante required to simply apply for certain positions or promotions.  Some of it is tied to better pay, but more often it’s what affords you the opportunity to advance your career.

My husband changed his major from Engineering after we met in pre-Engineering at Iowa State. We both recognized I probably had more revenue potential because of the engineering degree.  Being the wonderful man he is - this didn’t bother him at all.  When we started our family, we were presented with an opportunity to relocate and decided to establish a household where one parent would stay at home, and it was him!  That started our now 16-year journey where my husband is the stay-at-home parent/ care provider/car pool driver/lunch fixer/ and problem solver for the family.

Bit of wisdom #4: An engineering degree is just the first step; you take it from there. My daughter, 15, is a sophomore and just starting to define the college path that is right for her.  She does well in school and loves math, chemistry, and also history.  We discussed that pursuing a degree in engineering doesn’t limit you from pursuing your other loves, it just opens a few doors to you.  An engineering degree is a stepping stone that will give you a solid platform upon which to build your career, wherever that may take you.   Recently, my daughter was able to participate in a Women in STEM program held every year at the Colorado School of Mines to gain more information about STEM and help her make her own career decisions.

I have always been able to provide for my family with my engineering degree and am glad I chose the STEM field. I began on a straight technology and individual contributor path, but have since pursued my MBA and now focus more on the business side of engineering.  Our family conversations about career are not about money, but about the importance of enjoying what you do every day. 

Bit of wisdom #5: Take a chance or you’ll never find out how it will turn out. You make your decisions in life based on which forks in the road are presented to you.  When my husband and I moved from Houston to Austin, I made the change from working in a chemical plant as a Project Manager to becoming a Business Development Specialist with a company that sells equipment and products.  I remember calling my Dad to ask him if he would think badly of me if I took a sales-type job.  To me, I felt I was moving away from engineering and to ‘the dark side’.  What I found with the Business Development role was, just as with my previous Project Management role, there was a large component of technical knowledge required for the position.

I cherish the years with that company and the many wonderful people I had the honor of working with and for; they shaped who I am today through their mentorship and life insights. My apprehension quickly subsided when I realized that the role change I made was simply from end user/producer to the vendor side of the work equation and that this would present me with new and exciting challenges and opportunities.

Bit of wisdom #6: Do your best and allow that to define your success.  I’d like to say there are no prejudices anymore in the workplace for women, but that is not true.  I still run into the occasional person who sees me differently than my male co-workers.  I’m happy to report that these people are few and far between, at least in the world I operate in.  I have always focused on doing the best job I can and that is where I find my success.  Any hang-ups others may have are theirs alone – they are outside of my control and I don’t let it interfere with what I do or how I do it.  I’ve been blessed to work mostly with and for people who value my contribution to the organization and to me, this is success.

Last and not least, bit of wisdom #7:  Apply “career” skills to “life” challenges.  Everyone will be faced with career choices that force you to do some soul searching.  Are you the type of person who ‘lives where you work?’ (will you move based on career opportunities whether they are with one company or many?)  Or do you ‘work where you live’?  (Do you put together the best career possible while living where you love?)  Another filter upon which to make life decisions is ‘do you work to live or live to work?’  How much does your job define who and what you are?  There is no right answer for any of these questions.  Sometimes the answer depends on where you on in your life (i.e., kids, spouse, career, hobbies, etc.)  The great news is, learning to be an engineer means learning to be an analytical thinker. Do the soul searching required to answer these questions and apply the problem-solving framework you use every day. Coupling professional skills like these with a positive attitude will take you wherever you want to go in your career and more importantly, help you achieve the happiness & success you want in life.