WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 17, 2019 25
Women engineers and organizations
such as the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation
and the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers want
women choosing a course of study
and potential career path to consider
scientific fields — like engineering.
There’s more to this line of work
than meets the eye. Here are some
of the many reasons female students
should think about pursuing a career
in engineering:
DESIGN AND INNOVATE
“Engineering jobs are involved
with the invention, design and
manufacture of products and systems,”
says Dr. Irena Atov, chair of
Institute’s Women in Engineering
and technical manager at Telstra,
a network architecture reliability
group. Essentially, engineers apply
the principles of science and
mathematics to develop economical
solutions to technical problems. “Everything
you use, everywhere you
go in the man-made environment has
its basis in engineering.”
PLAY WITH TECHNOLOGY
Technology isn’t just for catching
up on social networking or trading
e-mails. At the crux of engineering
are technologies used to design,
produce, test, and simulate how a
machine, structure, or system operates.
You can actually “play” with
the concepts that you are developing
before they are put to market.
SCIENCE CAN LIBERATE
There’s something empowering
about a career in a field that has
such widespread touch, impact and
relatability.
“Engineering is such an interesting
field in that every day when you
go to work you can create things you
never thought possible — a true way
to follow your dreams,” says Atov.
Additionally, the talent pool
provided by female engineers is
growing and women can bring a
new perspective to the field and its
social force.
HANDS-ON WORK IN
DIFFERENT SPECIALITES
For those who love to get inside
a problem and work toward a solution,
engineering has multiple fields
of interest to pursue. Engineering
pervades so many subsets that there
are dozens of specialized concentrations
within this field of study. In
fact, according to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics, there are 17 engineering
specialties recognized by
the Federal Government’s Standard
Occupational Classification system.
These include: agricultural engineers,
biomedical engineers, civil
engineers, computer engineers, environmental
engineers, and nuclear
engineers, among others. Individuals
interested in a specific area of
study can likely find an engineering
specialty that works in conjunction
with that field.
ENGINEERING CAN BE
LUCRATIVE
Thanks to the widespread demand
for engineers in all facets of the
economy, engineering can be a stable
and intellectually stimulating career.
In a time of economic uncertainty,
it can be a smart move to choose a
career path that ensures long-term
employment, like engineering. Although
salaries vary according to
country and area of specialty, it’s not
uncommon to earn a starting salary
of $80,000 and upward per year,
which, according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, is “among the highest
of all college graduates.”
TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES
ABOUND
A truly global career path, engineering
jobs exist all over the
world.
“Engineering offers international
portability — enabling you to work in
different countries,” says Atov. Domestic
companies may place employees
to work in foreign subsidiaries,
or global companies may be looking
for a larger pool of applicants.
“Especially in the field of academia,
engineers don’t just pursue careers
in their home state, or even country.
University jobs are now advertised
worldwide and it is quite the norm,
to have applicants from every continent
— thus ensuring that the best
candidates in the world are chosen,”
she says. “Women should know, now
more than ever, that engineering is a
career that brings together passion,
creativity and intelligence to a job
where you can help people.”
Engineering careers generally
require a four-year degree from an
accredited university. Internships
can help students further clarify
the intricacies of a career in engineering,
especially one in a certain
specialization.
Regardless of age or level of education,
if your dream is to join the
ranks of other successful women
engineers — such as Dr. Radia Perlman,
known as the Mother of the Internet,
and Nancy J. Currie, a NASA
astronaut, engineer and officer in
the U.S. Armed Forces — visit www.
TryEngineering.org or www.ieee.
org/women to take action and get
your career started down the right
path.
EDUCATION
Careers for women in
science and technology
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.TryEngineering.org
/www.ieee
/www.TryEngineering.org
/TryEngineering.org
/www.ieee
