How I Became an Engineer

From the time I discovered that words could rhyme, I dreamed of becoming a poet. I spent hours thinking poetic thoughts, which mostly consisted of trying to describe things in words that had a meter to them and rhymed at appropriate intervals. This led to such stunning works as: 

The Pig by Mary Ellen

There was a pig,

He wore a wig.

His name was Prance,

He did a dance.

And he had a bed,

He slept on his head.

It started to rain,

He walked to Spain.

Since I was a budding poet and author, sure to be famous one day, I decided to make a book of my poetry. A pink construction paper cover, with crayon purple flowers – the kind that little girls make with four round petals and a big yellow dot in the middle, with green stems and leaves. I carefully copied my best work into the pages. Even though Mom had a funny smile in the corner of her mouth when she read my poems, she told me she was proud of me. I beamed, and left my book on the table as I headed for school.

When I got home that day, my book was missing. While I was looking for it, I heard the boys outside cackling, “I sat on a log, and ate like a hog.”

Wait, that’s one of my poems, I thought. The one about the frog. Then I saw that my brother had my book, and was reading my poetry to everyone. My face started to burn and my stomach knotted up. They’re making fun of me.

Later that night, with tears streaming onto the paper, I tore my first book into a hundred little pieces.

And that’s how I became an engineer.

Well, that and loving math and science from a young age – before it was cool (or not) for girls to be in STEM fields. Having grown up in a house full of boys, I had no issues with being the rare female in my engineering classes. I got my B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering – the latter while working full time and starting a family.

I entered the workforce fully expecting to be treated equally. I had heard about discrimination, the same way I heard about the poor starving children in Africa who would love my liver and onions. But I had no experience with it, until my first job out of college.

Over the next 30+ years of working in engineering and high-tech sales, I faced a lot of opposition. There was no straight path to the top for me, but I have enjoyed enormous success.

Along the way I learned many lessons. I wrote my book, You Have What it Takes: Success Strategies for Women at Work, to fulfill my passion of helping women, especially those who innocently believe that they will be treated equally in the workplace.

It's not my first book, but I like to think my writing has improved in the past few decades.