It’s
true that this is probably the first thing I would tell an employer or
professor, and it’s true that “Mechanical Engineering student” defines a
significant portion of my life. But it is far from the whole of who I
am, or even representative of the rest of my experiences. It’s hard to
remember that when I’m neck-deep in homework and group projects and
trying to study for my next exam. In fact, sometimes it’s hard to even
remember why I’m here.
I
like to consider myself a learner. I like learning new skills — I’ve
taken up knitting and figure skating and I even tried to play violin for
a bit — and I enjoy contemplating history and literature, and comparing
the physics of Ant-Man to those of the reality we live in. I like
building things, and I find space both terrifying and immensely
intriguing.
It
can be difficult to remember all these things that drove me to decide
to be a “Mechanical Engineering student” when I’m busy being frustrated
with trying to recall some bit of Calculus I learned two years ago.
I’m still learning how to balance the what and the why. It’s taken me longer than I care to admit. I’m 30 and I still sometimes need a firm reminder to not overload myself. It’s how I ended up in Fluids this spring (for which this blog is a requirement!), having only just missed the passing mark last semester. It’s a bummer, to say the least. Still, I didn’t made it this far to give up now, and even failure teaches us things (I’m sure plenty of engineering students can relate). Even the spaces in between, the time it takes to figure things out, is an opportunity to grow.
Sunset just means there’s a new day just around the corner!
So
maybe I’m behind the curve in my education, compared to others. And I’m
certainly not a model student. But the important thing is that I am here now, and that I am
making the effort to keep learning, keep moving forward. When I say, “I
am a Mechanical Engineering student,” I mean, “I want to find my full
potential.” The finding isn’t the same for everyone, but for now, our
paths are tangent.
Blogging
as a part of that path is a way to enforce the lessons I learn and the
discoveries I make along the way, and a course requirement is as good an
excuse as any to start doing so. So, here goes!
So, I didn’t quite meet my goal of writing a blog post every week this summer. I’m a little disappointed in myself, but not terribly so. My priority this summer was to focus on my internship, after all, and to make the most of that experience.
Today’s the last day of that. I have a lot of mixed feelings about “the last day,” so it’s a bittersweet occasion. I miss seeing my friends from school, and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with some of my professors to talk about all the things I learned at school that I got to apply to my work this summer (there were many occasions where I did, which I found myself really excited about!). However, I don’t miss the pressures of being in school, and the fact that, unlike my internship, my work is not done when I leave the classroom.
I’m looking forward to this being my last year before I get my undergrad degree. This is perhaps the biggest thing for me, especially considering my previous experiences. It’s a bit of a long story.
A milestone
Ten years ago to the day, I was driving halfway across the country from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania, with only what I could fit in a car with me.
I get asked a lot, “why,” and honestly it had a lot to do with personal reasons. Usually I brush the question off with “Wisconsin is boring,” or, “I needed to find myself,” and those things aren’t untrue. My hometown is the former home of a GM plant, which has of course since closed down—and the town saw the repercussions of that. Economic growth wasn’t so great, and as far as I saw, there weren’t any opportunities for career growth, either. I spent my late teenage years with the horrible fear that I would never leave that town. As someone who avidly reads epic fantasies of great journeys and adventures, this was an unthinkable thing. It was, in my mind, literally the worst thing that could happen to me. I never really understood the desire to stay close to home, because I didn’t feel rooted to that home.
I didn’t really have a plan. Sure, I vaguely thought, “I’ll go back to school when I’m 24, when FAFSA no longer requires me to input my parent’s info.” (Because despite whatever calculations FAFSA makes, my parents didn’t understand the financial expectations of attending college—after all, no one in my family has gone—and that had an impact on how I funded my education). But thinking about going to school, and about all the great schools in the Philadelphia area, isn’t the same as actually having a plan.
Ten years ago, I didn’t even know what an engineer was. A train operator?
I spent my high school years just muddling through, mostly bored but also unwittingly struggling with depression. It affected my relationship with my parents in a way I’m still trying to recover from, but it also affected the path I followed. I was told often enough that I’m “smart,” and “gifted,” and that I “can do anything I set my mind to,” and despite a vivid imagination when it comes to the fantasy worlds I saw in books, I had no imagination when it came to life beyond school.
Sure, I liked watching Bill Nye the Science Guy, but there was never anything similar like, Katie the Science Lady or something to show me that a woman could be awesome at that, too. (As an aside, I now know several awesome science/engineering ladies named Katie!). Science was hardly even on my radar, and the only real careers I could think of were to be a doctor or a lawyer, and neither of those things sounded appealing. Plus, with my apathy toward high school, I didn’t have the foundation for either of those, or the interest in attending years upon years of expensive schooling. So I went with what I knew I was good at—what I thought was the only thing I was good at, at the time, which was French.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed studying French, and I still do. But when it came down to it, I was just checking off another box on my education because that’s what I was supposed to do. I didn’t see anything beyond that, because what kind of opportunities were available for me, anyway? Teaching? Translating? I’m sure I had some grand ideas, but nothing grounding, not enough to motivate me through school. (Funny enough, I remember being excited about never having to take another math class again). So I dropped out, and started working. And after a year of that, I picked myself up and moved to Philly.
Going back to school was an abstract thought that followed me through my first couple years of work. I’m not sure I actually believed that I would go back. I kept working and became a manager and I was somewhat comfortably supporting myself—compared to when I had first moved, so really it wasn’t saying much. But it was an unrewarding job, and it ultimately felt as stagnant as living back in my hometown, and there was no higher position for me to take after management within that company.
And so, I wound up reaching my goal of returning to school. It’s taken me longer than I wanted it to, longer than I care to admit, but it’s definitely been a journey. From “dipping my toes in” at community college, to immersing myself in academia and being forced to really consider my future for the first time, and then deciding I might try this thing called engineering that supposedly had a reputation for a decent salary and a good work-life balance and probably would keep me feeling challenged and engaged.
After all, I was smart, right? To be honest, most days I don’t feel like it, and studying engineering is definitely not the easiest path. I lost count of how many times I second-guessed my decision. The future was still murky. Even after a couple years of taking engineering classes, I still didn’t know what an engineer was, except maybe abstractly.
And then, a year and a half ago, I went to a random networking event and got offered an internship, out of luck, I often think, but I’m sure merit has just as much to do with it. Suddenly, I could start to see the shape of my future. This summer, I’ve been able to work with a wonderful team, under amazing leadership, and maybe I don’t know where my path will lead me in another ten years, but I can see the start of it right here.
I’m graduating in May. The year is going to be 2020, there’s so many jokes to be made about 20/20 vision, right there. “Hindsight is 20/20.” Looking back ten years ago, when I first arrived in Philadelphia, I had no idea what direction my life would take. I’ve had people tell me I have an amazing story, but it’s not often that I really think of it that way. I didn’t have any focus for a long time, so I just did what I had to do at the time. But as I take the time to reflect on this milestone, it starts to come into focus a bit more, and…yeah, it really is kind of amazing. There aren’t very many people that follow such a roundabout path, and I know I’ve benefitted from my experiences along the way with wisdom that I hope to carry forward and share with others.
Perhaps more than anything, I’m so happy that I followed through with my plan to go back to school, even if it was just a nebulous, vague idea for such a long time, and even if it has taken me a long time to finish. But I made it this far, and I’ve found that I do truly enjoy the work I’ve been exposed to this summer, and it’ll take the end of the world to stop me from reaching that finish line, now. It feels like such a huge accomplishment, in a way that finishing high school and getting an associate’s degree didn’t. It is, really, and maybe my grades still aren’t the best, but I know what’s waiting for me on the other side of that stage when I walk across, and I know I’ll flourish, because it’s not academia I enjoy but actual, meaningful work.
I already have an idea of what to put on my cap: “I beat the numbers!” I got through all those tough math classes, I beat all of those statistics that said the boxes I checked made it more likely I would fail, and I somehow managed to scrounge up to tuition for this last year.
Wow, it’s been a whole month since I last posted! That was not my intention, so here I go getting back in the swing of things.
What I have been up to
My last post was right before finals. I only had the one, fortunately, so it was uneventful enough that I took time to take care of myself. It’s easy to forget to do that during the school year, especially during finals when you start feeling the pressure to pass. I’m happy to report that this semester was my best one since my first year in engineering! It’s a huge accomplishment for me, especially since I’ve struggled with my GPA so much.
After that, I went to my hometown in Wisconsin, where I surprised my mom with the visit for Mother’s Day. It was a nice change of pace for a week, but Philly is my home and I was happy to be back.
Last week, I started my second internship with Lockheed Martin. I took the week to get acclimated to my new position—and the commute, and the earlier start to my day. Technically I have the freedom to start my day later than I do, but having the earlier hours certainly has its benefits.
Summer – make the most of it before it’s gone
Going into the second week of my internship, my manager (who is fantastic, by the way) sat down with me to discuss what my goals would be for the summer internship. This included not just what work I will do, but the value and purpose of each, along with metrics of success.
It reminded me of a list I began before the end of the semester that I’ve been meaning to revisit. I know a lot of people make New Year’s Resolutions, but I find that I can make the most headway on things I want to achieve outside of school, well, outside of school. Summer is a short window, and I have to remind myself that I may not achieve all of my personal goals in that time, but I’d be happy to meet half-to-two-thirds of them.
Here’s a sample of the goals I would like to achieve this summer:
Continue weekly blog (hey, look! I’m making progress already!)
Set up a personal/professional website
Establish a newsletter for Temple SWE Corporate and Alumni contacts
Get in the habit of packing most meals (two weeks running and I’m doing good!)
Get in the habit of working out
Find a focus for Senior Design project
There’s a few others, both personal and professional. This summer I’m particularly trying to focus on forming some new habits, so that once fall rolls back around, it’ll be easier to continue doing them after the demands of school kick in—or at least that’s my hope.
Always growing
I didn’t always set goals like this. I didn’t always have this kind of focus. But I’ve been learning and growing—and I want to continue learning and growing! Setting goals gives me a direction to grow in, as well a measure of that growth. Sometimes it takes longer than I expect to achieve my goals; I mentioned I probably won’t check off everything on my list this summer, but it also applies to my education path. But that definitely doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing, and I’ve found that it’s both ok to take a little extra time when you need to and sometimes even better that way (just don’t take too much time).
Speaking of growing, on the more literal sense I’m working on growing my garden for the season. Last week I planted a variety of vegetables and sunflowers, and today I already saw some sunflower seedlings poking their heads out! It will be awhile before I see any flowers or veggies out there, but I know it’s a thing worth waiting for. It’s funny, because I didn’t take an interest in gardening until after I moved to the city. It’s rewarding, though!
(Even the lemon tree I bought back in March has been branching out, with little flower buds getting ready to bloom.)
In my next post I plan discuss one of my summer goals: finding a focus for my Senior Design project. Stay tuned!—and thanks for sticking around!
It’s the last week of the semester! Most of my group work is finished–or nearly so–and all that’s left is a few regular assignments and finals. Truth be told, it’s a bit hard to focus on weekly homework at this point in the semester as I struggle to keep my energy up, but I’ll do my best to try.
As it is the end of the semester, it seems like a good time to do some self-reflection.
Last year around this time, I had…a lot going on in my life, both in and out of school. Last year was a bad year for the flu; I got it early on in the semester and did poorly on my first set of midterms because I was in the middle of it, fever and all, during that week. Later in the semester, my uncle got diagnosed with cancer. At the beginning of April, my roommate and I were informed by our apartment complex that the building was being sealed by the city and we had to move out by the end of the month. Around the same time, I was informed that the company I worked for was being sold and that I had to reapply for the job I already had, with no idea what kind of management changes would take place. Then, of course, finals were starting.
Understandably, it was not a great time for me, and I still look back and consider it fortunate that I only failed one class in the wake of all this. However, I do have a short journal entry I made at that time that I like to look at when I’m feeling overwhelmed or unhappy:
“Not great” things aside, I really wish I could go back and talk to my younger self and reassure her. Like yeah it really sucks now, but I promise it’ll get better—not perfect, not what you might expect, but better—and I promise you won’t be stuck back there forever, and I promise one day you’ll be a strong, independent, beautiful, accomplished woman. One day you’ll start to accept and love who you are—all of it, even the things that scare you now, because you don’t understand it yet, but you’ll learn to love yourself and be comfortable in your own skin, and you’ll be so much better and happier for it. Keep reading, keep writing, keep doing what is important to you, keep doing what you think is right, and don’t be afraid to speak out. Don’t let yourself live in silence, because you have such a strong and beautiful voice and maybe no one appreciates it now, but they will. I promise they will. And as empty as it sounds that “you can do anything you set your mind to” or “be anything you want,” once you find your footing, you’ll know. It takes a while to find it, maybe longer than you want or expect, but once you’ve found that path, maybe you’ll stumble down it at first, but eventually you’ll be walking tall and proud, and you will be so great. So don’t ever lose hope, because I love you, and someday, you will too.
me, April 2018
I’ve written before about how I haven’t taken the most direct or easiest path to get where I am. Still, it’s hard to have regrets when I look at how far I’ve come since I was younger and less sure of myself. Despite all the stumbling blocks and road bumps, I’ve managed to build a strong support system and get myself on a path that I am happy to be traveling. I hope to continue in that direction and keep improving; I hope in the future that I will still feel as satisfied and fulfilled with my life as I am now.
For those of you reading this: I hope you can find yourself in a place that you appreciate even through the hardest of times. Thank you for reading!
In my last few posts, I discussed my concern with meeting deadlines, coordinating with groups, and combating burnout. These are all still very much at the forefront of my mind, but I want to take a break thinking about those things and instead talk about something different, but not unrelated to Engineering.
Within the past week, I’ve attended three separate networking/professional development events: a Philadelphia Chapter ASME Awards Banquet, an alumni panel for SHPE, and a Women in STEM panel for SWE. It was a lot of networking in a short amount of time, and by the time I got to the ASME banquet (just this Tuesday), I must admit that I wasn’t much in the mood to socialize, and didn’t take advantage of the opportunity as I should have. However, I wonder if perhaps part of why I didn’t socialize as much at that event had as much to do with the environment as it did with my own energy levels.
Before I elaborate, I’ll give a quick rundown on each of these professional organizations for those of you that may not be familiar with the acronyms:
ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers SHPE – Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers SWE – Society of Women Engineer
While all three of these organizations are wonderful resources, I find myself drawn especially toward SWE and SHPE–and even though I am not from a minority group, I find that aspects of both my gender and background intersect with those of minority groups. Especially in a field dominated by white men, it’s easier for me to relate to other women and minorities who have faced challenges that the majority in the field haven’t. I’d like to focus this post particularly on women in engineering, as I identify as a woman, but I will also draw connections with minorities.
I try to avoid being political, however when it comes to the representation of women and minorities in STEM, I believe it’s not a matter of politics, but of an untapped resource. Innovation often comes from taking a different perspective, or understanding a need that’s been unfulfilled. To that end, wouldn’t it be better to have a diverse group working on a project, rather than a group of people with similar backgrounds?
Truthfully, I’m fortunate enough that most of the people I’ve encountered in my education and my internship have been open-minded and supportive of peers regardless of background, gender, etc. The people here at Temple are a pretty diverse group (compared to my first go at university back in Wisconsin, where there were very few ‘non-traditional’ students and minorities were still underrepresented), and while I appreciate it, I still find myself looking around my classes to see that women only represent about 20-30% of my classmates. Attending the ASME banquet Tuesday night, I felt that difference much more acutely–Temple’s ASME representation was split pretty evenly between men and women, but the rest of the students and professionals were by majority men.
Engineering is only second to Computer Science in the lowest representation of women. As of 2014, that percentage was less than that of 2004, but looking around me, I can hardly say there’s been much forward momentum to draw women into Engineering and CompSci.
This is by no means a complaint about ASME itself, but it served as a stark reminder of the lack of diversity currently in the field.
I subscribe to Dr. Ferrar’s Intentional Academy emails, and one of his recent emails discussed ‘biases,’ and how there are still people who aren’t ‘part of the conversation’ in certain things. I think, absolutely, women and minorities are underrepresented, especially engineering, and for me this is an important issue. Why? I touched on this subject in a previous post, about how I came to decide to pursue engineering, and how it didn’t even occur to me until later in life, because I had no role models to see myself in this position. There’s also another aspect to this, which I heard echoed by the guests at the SWE and SHPE panels: Imposter Syndrome.
I think that, by now, there has been enough research to back Imposter Syndrome as a very real thing. When we don’t see ourselves represented in a field, it’s easy to think I’m a fraud, or I don’t belong here. Sometimes even feeling as though everyone else is smarter than you–ever sat next to an Honors student with straight A’s and felt completely inadequate?–is enough to knock you down a few pegs. I often have to remind myself that I’m pretty damn smart, too, because even if I’m not at the same level as an Honors student, I know engineering requires no small amount of intelligence.
The SHPE and SWE panels gave me a chance to connect with people going through the same challenges–and that common background made it easier to talk to them freely. While I have no doubt that the gentleman at ASME would be anything but welcoming and friendly, I was more hesitant to connect with them without that common background. I’d like to change that about myself, and I’d like to see to it that future engineers don’t have to face those same difficulties. I want to see equal representation, and the innovation that comes from a group filled with diverse perspectives.
I know what I can do to try to move in that direction. I will continue to be a strong proponent for women in STEM and be involved with SWE and other orgs to do outreach activities with minority groups and young children. But I challenge you to ask yourself: what can you do to help push us towards closing the gap for underrepresented groups? What can you do to make sure your projects reflect the diversity present in the real world?
If you’ve stuck around for this long, thank you for your time! I hope you can help us take steps forward in having a more inclusive, diverse group in Engineering or your respective field. Until then, let me leave you with this:
We’re entering the final stretch for the semester–less than three weeks left! It leaves me a bit torn, though. On the one hand, I’m counting down the days and can’t wait to be done. I have plans to attend Philly’s annual Science Festival Carnival on May 4, and I have a week free before my internship starts to go visit my mom for Mother’s Day (which I haven’t been able to do since moving out). Then I have a full summer of gaining experience in my field, and more importantly, earning a significant income. It’ll be much more relaxed than attending school, and I’m really looking forward to it.
There is a downside, though. It’s mainly the looming deadlines for group projects and studying for final exams. We’re in crunch time, and everyone is tired and stressed. We’ve been working non-stop since January, with only a few brief breaks during the semester and a slightly longer break over winter. There’s less than three weeks left, but each week is jam-packed with last-minute quizzes and midterms and deadlines for group projects. I wrote before about my concerns for scheduling time for group meetings for these projects; so far I think I’ve been managing…but we’ll see in a couple weeks just how well I’ve been managing.
With all that said, I think it’s understandable that one of my concerns for the tail end of the semester is burnout. When I began writing this blog, I mentioned that last semester I overloaded myself because I thought I had enough time to take on extra classes. It ended with a nearly-spectacular burnout at the end of the semester: I was ill for the last month of classes, I was constantly exhausted, and as a consequence, my work suffered and my grades tanked. I can say with confidence that I’m in a much better place this semester compared to last semester, and I’ve mostly managed to avoid burnout.
How I felt at the end of last semester…and what I am trying to avoid for the future
I read an article on LinkedIn this morning, How to Protect Your Team from Burnout. It was geared towards leaders in the workplace, but the bottom line can be applied to school, too. The subheadings were: “manage the whole human,” “realign your team’s expectations–and your own–through compassionate directness,” and “help your team detach in the evening–and reattach in the morning.” The bottom line of all of these sections was this: the physical and emotional experience of work are just as important as the actual work; an open dialogue around expectations can help relieve stress; it’s important to detach from your work at the end of the day, rather than being engaged 24/7. I will say that school is a good environment for managing expectations, as professors issue syllabi with grading criteria, etc., although the rest of the points were things that could be counted as self-care.
These things aren’t exactly revelations, but it’s easy to forget about them. Speaking personally, I know there’s often temptation to be on for school the whole day. There’s so many things demanding our attention and we have to be sure to meet all of our deadlines, etc, and sometimes we even feel guilt doing something that’s not schoolwork, despite the fact that we need the break. I know I’ve had trouble in the past, but I’ve made an effort this semester to do better.
Here’s a look at things I did differently this semester that I think really benefited me compared to previous semesters:
I took breaks during homework sessions. In particular, when I got stuck on a problem, I stepped away and came back to it later, rather than allowing myself to get frustrated. Recently, I did push too hard trying to do a homework assignment, and wound up only making things more difficult for myself, but when I returned to the assignment later, I had a fresh mind and was able to finish it with much less difficulty than the first attempt.
I started keeping a physical planner, which has made it easier for me to keep track of all of my obligations, assignments, group meetings, etc, which has consequently made time management and prioritizing much easier.
Perhaps most importantly: I have set hard cut-offs for my “work” day. This was a bit more difficult for me to do in previous semesters, where I worked off campus and/or worked more hours. My work day and school day stretched from whenever my classes started to whenever my work day ended, and I did homework when and where I could. This semester, I’m fortunate enough to have on-campus work. Now, I try to get all my school work done before leaving campus, so that when I do leave campus for the day or the weekend, I’m done. It doesn’t always happen that way, but having that mindset has made it easier for me to disengage from school–which I think has improved my productivity and success overall.
Near the start of the semester, I wrote about improving my time management. I can confidently say that I’ve made progress with that goal, and that I’m seeing improvements in my work and mental health because of it. I’m still stressed, but I’m not five minutes away from a breakdown because of burnout like I was last semester. Granted, what works for me might not work for others, but what’s important is to figure it out, either way, for the sake of grades and productivity and mental health.
I’d rather do the burnout that you do after you win a race!
I guess I’m ready for the semester to be over, after all. I’ve got a pretty good handle on things, especially compared to past semesters, and I just have to see them through to the finish line!
If you made it to the end here, I appreciate you sticking with me! Remember to take care of yourselves, if not for your mental health (though personally I think that should be a priority), then for your performance at work/in school. Figure out what works best for you, and run with it!
We spend a lot of time in college talking about professional development. I’ve even already written a bit about networking and making the most out of an internship—but I wanted to revisit the topic. A couple of my friends attended a recent internship fair on campus, and I offered to help them with resumes, and in the case of one fortunate friend, preparing for an interview he landed. I also of course encouraged both of them to use the campus resources, but I know sometimes it’s easier to get help from people you’re already comfortable with.
I am no expert on resumes or interviews, I will admit that outright, but when you attend enough resume workshops, you can at least get a general idea of where to start. The student who I worked with on her resume is a transfer student with a background similar to mine—that is, not a lot of engineering/technical experience, but with other life experiences that will help her stand out from others in the field. We put our heads together to work on how to spin retail experience and an AA in Liberal Arts to be attractive to engineering firms.
I’m a bit farther along in my education than my friend, but I’ve been encouraging her to search for internships now–one thing I regret is waiting until the third year in my degree to find an internship. At the very least, she’ll get a head start by exposing herself to professional development/networking events sooner, rather than later. At worst, it can be practice for the future; at best, she may get an internship offer. It’s to that end that we were working to tailor her resume.
I’m not sure of the actual statistics, but based on my experience interacting with my classmates, Temple’s College of Engineering has a pretty diverse group, with a fair amount of transfer and “non-traditional” students–like me. We may not all have a strong math and science background coming into the field, but I like to think that a different background offers an advantage, rather than a disadvantage. For example, those of us with retail/customer service experience have a leg up on handling conflict that someone who’s only been a student might not be equipped to handle. A liberal arts background may focus more on academic writing, but it gives us a non-technical perspective, which we can turn around to use when communicating technical details to laymen, who may be CEO’s, etc, once we reach the field.
It’s these “soft skills” that I know I excel at, and that I like to encourage my friends to use as a selling point when they work on their resumes or prepare for interviews. So how do you spin these non-technical skills? The first thing to do is to stop focusing on what you did, and instead focus on what skills you learned that have carried forward.
Here’s a couple examples of non-technical work experience, and the “whats”:
Worked as a barista at Starbucks; made customer’s drinks; restocked supplies
Worked as a concierge/front desk at a luxury apartment building; delivered packages to residents, handled incoming dry cleaning; monitored security
Tutored [subject] to students
They aren’t exactly glamorous jobs, and they definitely don’t sound like the “relevant” experience that you want to put on your resume. However, anyone who’s worked one of these kinds of jobs knows that they come with their own sets of challenges; it’s just a matter of figuring out how to make them sound like an asset for technical work.
Now here’s how I would spin the above examples:
Starbucks: Required to make independent decisions and solve problems under pressure; coordinated product, personnel (if applicable), etc, in a fast-paced environment
Concierge/front desk: Adhered to high standards of professionalism for distinguished clientele; monitored building security and maintained confidentiality with residents’ information
Tutor: Developed and reinforced study and time management skills for new and returning students; acted as a resource for students to help them understand key concepts
These are of course just suggestions, and you should definitely choose your own words and tailor your descriptions based on your own experience. But let’s take a look at these examples.
For Starbucks (or similar work), it’s inevitable to make a mistake with a customer’s order, and while you can pass a difficult customer off to your manager, it’s more likely that you have to think on your feet to keep the customer happy and avoid escalating the situation, and what you do varies for each situation. You have to work as part of a team (coordination!) to keep the store running smoothly. These are assets even in a technical field. You have experience working under pressure (imagine looming deadlines), as well as working as part of a team towards a common goal.
For Concierge/Front Desk, it’s a different kind of customer service job. However, whether you worked at an apartment building or a hotel, you were likely required to have a neat and professional appearance–especially if you were the first face the customer sees when they entered the building. Knowing how to act in a professional environment isn’t something we know inherently; it’s something we have to learn, and having that extra experience outside of professional development activities at school puts you ahead of the curve. Monitoring building security and maintaining confidentiality with residents/guests can easily be translated into a security clearance, which may be necessary depending on what kind of job you’re looking for. While a company will educate you on what each clearance would require, you can show that you already have experience keeping necessary confidentiality.
For tutoring, or any kind of teaching or mentoring, you’re essentially doing leadership activities. You’re breaking down tasks or key concepts into small chunks to make them easier to access for your students–this translates into communication skills, and especially if you are tutoring for a technical subject, it shows you can communicate technical material with someone who may not know all the ins-and-outs of the subject. You’re also demonstrating an understanding of time management by guiding students in their own time management and study skills.
These skills are referred to as “soft skills” because they aren’t based in hard science or technical skills, but are valuable skills nonetheless. Ultimately, whatever you get your degree in, your education will be comparable with any other Jack or Jill with the same degree. Especially in Engineering, where courses and accreditation are strictly standardized, it’s not going to be the degree itself that sets you apart from the rest of the pack. (There are of course other things you can do to drive yourself forward, but that’s another topic for another time.)
This post is mostly directed at tailoring your resume with these skills, but I encourage you to also consider them as you prepare for any interviews. Talk not about what you did, but about the lessons and skills you learned, and how those might apply for the position you’re interviewing for.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for sticking with me; I hope you found my words helpful! I encourage you to use whatever resources your school offers as you pursue work or internships–they’re the experts and they’re there to help you succeed. I also wish you good luck in all your endeavors!
It’s a weird time in the semester. We’re past the halfway mark, but we’re not quite into finals yet…still, there’s plenty to keep us busy as the semester winds down. In particular: the dreaded group project.
A huge part of engineering is working as a part of a team to create an end result, and as a consequence, our curriculum requires group work to prepare us for that environment. Professors use group projects as a culmination of the semester’s learning, and next thing you know, you have a group project in every class–not including any lab work which is also done in pairs or groups. By the end of the junior year, we’re also preparing for Senior Design, which is–wait for it–another group project.
I have to be involved in a grand total of four group projects for the remainder of the semester, after it’s all said and done. I have mixed feelings about group projects (I’ll get into it in a moment), but my biggest concern right now is scheduling. Group projects means meeting up with groups, which means finding a time where everyone’s schedules line up. It’s not so bad with a single group, but keep adding to that number and suddenly…I don’t know, I feel a little overwhelmed! Of course there’s ways to help figure scheduling out (I use When2Meet frequently), and technology has made it much easier to share documents and ‘telecommute,’ so I imagine things will work out as far as that goes.
As for the whole group project thing…it’s something many students dread. It’s an understandable feeling–I think we’ve all experienced at least one situation where another person in the group wasn’t pulling their weight. It happens, and it sucks, but we have to make the grade. But also, I think we have to use group projects as what they are intended to be: a learning opportunity.
Last semester’s big group project: a fork lift (Johnny 5 1/2) for Machine Theory & Design would not have been possible without teamwork!
I used to hate group projects. I still have a bit of distaste towards them, but for me much of it comes from worrying I won’t even be able to find a group. At this point in my academic career, I’m familiar with more of my classmates and I’m more comfortable approaching new people should I need to (overcoming social anxiety has been a journey). Without that worry, I’m able to focus more on the learning aspect of group projects.
Working in groups requires coordination/communication, organization, and delegation among group members. These are not things we inherently know, we have to learn them, and there’s really no way to learn them except by doing. What kind of system worked for lab partners in the past? What didn’t? Usually the best way to go about group work is to figure out where each person’s strengths are, and split up the work accordingly. Of course, that’s easy enough; the hard part comes in ensuring that everyone does said work.
I haven’t quite figured out how to get that last one to work out exactly how I want it to. Mostly, we have to hold ourselves and each other accountable within a group, and we have to communicate our needs or problems. I think that often there’s a reason someone isn’t doing as much as they should–maybe they got stuck and need help, or maybe there’s something in their lives that’s making it difficult for them to fulfill their commitment.
That being said, I challenge my classmates to this: if you are struggling with your portion of a group project, don’t hesitate to communicate or reach out for help. Or, if you notice a teammate is not pulling their weight in a project, offer empathy and ask if there is something they need, rather than reacting negatively.
Overall, though? I think group projects aren’t so terrible–not just for learning skills to be able to work in a team, but also because it gives us an opportunity to work with people who come from different backgrounds and therefore have different perspectives than us. Sometimes tackling a problem requires us to look at it from all different angles, which is something we can’t do alone. One of my managers liked to say, “Teamwork makes the dream work,” and as silly/cliche as it is, I don’t think they’re wrong!
Thank you for reading, and good luck to everyone else out there working on group projects!
It’s a phrase you’ve probably heard a lot. It encourages you to make something good out of a bad situation–the lemons are the bad situation. Personally, I’ve always liked lemons and lemon-flavored things. In fact, I bought a small lemon tree at the Philadelphia Flower Show over spring break last week! It was definitely a high for me.
Still, there’s definitely wisdom in trying to make the best out of a situation that may not be ideal. Last summer, I worked as an intern at Lockheed Martin–which is probably an ideal internship for some people! Unfortunately, they placed me in robotic process automation–as a mechanical engineer, I felt very out of my depth during my internship, and it had the potential to ruin the whole experience for me.
Sometimes we get so desperate for any internship or work that we’re willing to take anything, even if it’s not a good fit. In my case, I was excited for the opportunity to work at such a strong company, and I assumed that they would give me a position that fit my background. It didn’t happen that way, and honestly I was disappointed at first. Still, I saw it as both a learning opportunity and a way to get my foot in the door. I knew there were mechanical engineering positions within the company, so I made an effort to network to find a a position that would be a better fit.
We’re encouraged to network throughout our college education, with the obvious goal of finding a job when we graduate, but networking can be a scary, unknown beast at times. How do you do it? As someone who has struggled with social anxiety, I know it can be hard to approach new people, especially if they are managers or recruiters and you want to make sure you make a good impression. Ideally, you want to do your networking before you start working, so that you can get the connection to get the job, right?
I’ve found that, in fact, the best way to network is to do so organically. By that I mean, it’s better to make natural connections with people–don’t just add random people on LinkedIn, for example. My internship at Lockheed didn’t start with Lockheed; it started with a person I was acquainted with from my day job (a concierge at an apartment building) who suggested I look into the company he works for, which turned into me attending a networking/info event, which then turned into an internship offer. And once I was there? I connected with people that had similar interests. I connected with the president of Philadelphia SWE through our shared involvement in the society, and then she introduced me to a Temple alumna. One of the people in charge of my intern group introduced us to her protege, and I connected with her.
It sounds easy, but really, it should be! If you think about it, you’re more likely to remember someone from a warm, interesting conversation, than from a cold, stinted approach. We all have interests that make us animated when we talk, and the key is to find a way to bring that into a professional conversation–what’s your favorite thing about your degree, or your school? What really makes you want to get up in the morning? Sometimes the person you’re trying to approach will be closed-off, and in that case, it might be time to move on, but there will probably be at least a few people you can connect with.
Yes, the point of networking is to have connections for finding work, help, etc, but also the point is to find the right fit for you in the workplace. Do you really want to go work somewhere where everyone is closed off? Or would you rather go to work where you can have a conversation with your coworkers that makes the day more interesting? I know I really enjoy a lively work environment, and that’s why I’m going to be returning to Lockheed this summer–this time in a position that’s more suited to my background!
But what about the position that wasn’t a good fit for me? I used it as a learning opportunity. I know software isn’t where I want to go, but it could’ve been, and if I hadn’t had the first-hand experience, I might not have known for sure. Still, I dug my hands in and gave it my best, and I learned more about coding than I ever have before. I learned vocabulary that I wasn’t familiar with, and I learned more about how computers and networks go. As an engineer, we’re still going to have to interface with computers and technology–perhaps even more than ever before–and this experience has given me a leg up on my previous knowledge.
So maybe I’m not meant for any kind of software job, but I learned so much over summer that I’m still grateful for the experience. Lemons, lemonade…it’s only bad if you make it so.
Today was the last day before spring break. It was evident in the half-empty classes and the nearly vacant workspace in the Engineering building that we fondly refer to as the “fishbowl” — but it’s a little hard to think of it as “spring” with snow causing transit delays and slipping hazards today.
There’s been temperatures to match all week. Unfortunately, that included this past Tuesday, which you may recall from my previous post was the date of Temple SWE’s site tour with Pennoni. Still, despite the cold and blustering winds, it was a great experience! As an engineering student, there’s a lot of time spent in the classroom or over homework, or if you’re trying to prepare for an internship or work, professional development events. It can be easy to get lost in all of that (as I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion!), and sometimes it’s hard to imagine what it’s actually like to be a real Engineer on a real project. Going on site tours or visiting a company can give you that insight, and it serves as a great reminder for what lays at the end of the long tunnel of your degree.
This particular tour took place at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. I’m not a huge sports person, but I can still appreciate how cool it was to get up close and personal to development on a structure that sees tons of traffic and publicity.
All geared up in our PPE as we start our tour of Pennoni’s security project at Citizens Bank Park!
But what I appreciated more was the chance to see the application of engineering in a real life setting. Most of us know that what we see in a classroom is an idealized version of the real world. We don’t expect a fluid flow to be exactly how we calculated it, but we can at least try to model it by simplifying it enough to make our calculations in the first place, and it should be at the very least somewhat close. But that doesn’t account for even a small part of what we might encounter in the field!
Pennoni’s project encompassed several facets, some of them more menial (McFadden’s Bar at the ballpark is being replaced with something a bit more family-friendly) but some of them more substantial–a security perimeter of bollards that surround the grounds, as well as some hydraulic security wedges at key points such as the loading dock. Which, ok, maybe it sounds a bit…meh. Maybe.
But take for example, the main component of this installment: the bollards. From a layman’s perspective–or even me, before Tuesday–they’re just pillars along the perimeter of the grounds. You probably don’t even think twice when you see them, especially in the city, because you see them all the time; at best, you think ‘Oh, it stops cars from going onto the sidewalk,’ without really thinking about what makes them work.
There are of course different bollards for different applications/needs/etc, but ultimately they are designed to stop high-force impact. The ones we saw were steel tubes with concrete centers, and a footing that extended some distance into the ground. The footing was reinforced concrete, with rebars to create a continuous connected footing. The connected footing helps distribute the impact force and absorb energy (hey, engineering!), which is what stops an incoming vehicle from penetrating the barrier. And of course they’re spaced in such a way that vehicles cannot pass between them.
Of course, that’s the easy part. The fun part is the installation of these guys. Between safety standards that dictate how they must be installed and the actual placement of the footing underground, not to mention the timeline constraints (baseball is off season for only a finite time, and most of that is in winter…which, concrete and winter, yikes!), our guides shared with us some of the many challenges they faced while working on this installation. Mostly: EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. This is the second construction site tour I’ve gone on–last spring I visited the Philadelphia Art Museum CORE Project–and one thing that still impresses me is how much of a challenge existing infrastructure is, and how the engineers and contractors tackle those challenges.
THE HORROR OF EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE! Philadelphia is a relatively old city. We’ve got lots of beautiful historic sites, but if you dig underground (please don’t…remember to call before you dig!), you’re probably going to be in for some surprises. No matter how good records are–and if you’re going back 50+ years, they probably aren’t great to begin with–there’s no telling if they’re exact or if a previous contractor had to make changes in the field that never got documented, and things just…aren’t always where you expect them to be. Some of the fun things I learned this time around: if you see two manholes near each other with the Bell logo on them, there’s a concrete vault somewhere under there. Most likely, you’ll have to work around them. Other utilities have concrete vaults that you have to watch out for, too. Also, one of the water mains near CBP was installed in the 1940’s and is made with cast iron pipes–if you’ve taken Materials Science, you’re probably cringing as much as I am. Even as students of engineering, a lot of us are at least somewhat aware of how much improvement needs to be done on the infrastructure in this country (and that’s a whole rant right there), but sometimes you don’t quite realize it until it’s right there in front of you.
(It might even be enough to make you cry.)
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your time! I hope you’ve learned something, and maybe you’ll even be inspired to take advantage of similar opportunities when they present themselves. Go see what it’s like in the field!
This semester is really flying by. Spring break is in a week! And as ready as I am to enjoy a week of no classes, I have to say that my excitement for spring break was quite possibly exceeded by my excitement for Engineer’s Week, which was this past week. It happens every year: the school hosts a bunch of Engineering-related events such as panels and round-tables with alumni and professionals, demo days, and student org-sponsored events. Since it’s recognized nationally, there’s also events around the city—today they wrapped up the week with a celebration at City Hall, with hands-on STEM-related activities, etc.
Even though it’s yearly, this is the first year I’ve really had a chance to participate in any events: I helped out Temple’s SWE chapter at our table for Demo Day, and participated in a round-table event organized jointly between SWE and NSBE. I was especially pleased with the round-table event, which we called the Five Pillars of Success
The idea was to give
underclassmen an opportunity to ask upperclassmen about their experiences with challenges
as engineering students, and how different approaches have succeeded…or not
succeeded. Our five pillars were: academic planning/major decisions, internship
experience, interviews and professional development, time management/study habits,
and stress/mental health. It’s the kind
of event I wish I would’ve attended when I first started studying engineering,
and I wish that more underclassmen had taken advantage of, because many of the
things I know now would’ve been so helpful back then—and I imagine it would be
a huge help for new students.
For my part, I discussed my
internship experience. Things like, how did you get your internship? That one’s a bit hard to pin down—I think
partly because bonded with my interviewer when he saw I listed French as a
second language and we talked about his recent trip to France! Although I’ve also been told that having a
second language on your resume helps you stand out because it shows you can
adapt to other languages, which is a must when programming languages are becoming
more and more integrated with engineering jobs.
Another question was, what was expected of you during your
internship? Of course it varies
depending on what your particular internship entails, but a good friend already
in the field helped allay many of my fears by telling me that the company you
intern for will teach you everything you need to know that’s specific for your
project. In fact, my internship last
summer required my team to teach ourselves an entirely new program the first
couple weeks, and then use it to complete our project—again there’s that
adaptability!
Of course, that only scratches
the surface of the conversations we had, and every person’s experience will be
different. After all, I’m a
non-traditional student, so some of my challenges will be different from someone
who’s come to university straight after high school. But in the end, we’re all engineering
students trying to figure out how to get from point A to point B.
I want to succeed on my path. It hasn’t been easy, and there’s been plenty of times when I’ve doubted if I’m even cut out for engineering. The truth is, not everyone is. I look at the kids in the Intro classes and think, probably half of them will decide they aren’t cut out for it. I had to look up the retention rates after the thought, and according to CollegeTransitions, “A gulp-worthy 60% of freshmen engineering students eventually drop-out or change majors.” That’s…a lot.
I want to succeed, but I also want others to succeed, and I know engineering is a strenuous and intimidating pursuit. However, I know I think it’s worth it, despite all my stumbling and set-backs, and I don’t want other potential engineers to be scared away. I think that’s why I enjoyed sharing my experiences and offering advice so much, because I want to help others avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made, and to show them the potential I see in this path.
While I’m here trying to promote success and motivation, and because this is my own blog, I’m going to use the space to promote another SWE event coming up! It’s a little short notice, so I’m hoping attendance doesn’t suffer…so feel free to sign up if you’re interested!
(As a side note, I put the event in my new planner that I bought to help me with my time management–it’s got unicorns on it, which is perhaps not ‘professional,’ but it’s FUN and MAGICAL and motivating!)
A Windy Approach 