A few years back, while using my Snapshots of my Life blog, I posted a personal story of why I chose engineering. In light of the recent ads relating to encouraging girls to pursue STEM-related careers, I thought I’d retell the story, but now with the experience of having been an engineer for a full year.
Note: This post is personal and does not in any way reflect any opinions of my employer or of organizations that I am part of.
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Looking back, it isn’t that surprising that I pursued a degree in chemical engineering. In a weird way, it’s a blend of what my parents ended up pursuing — my dad has been an electrical engineer for many years, and my mom worked as a dietician (and really enjoyed chemistry).
The signs of a future engineer were there at an early age. My mom frequently tells the story of my daily ritual after preschool: coming home, dumping out the entire box of Duplos, and building new creations each day. I built elaborate castles and towers of blocks, always being careful to protect them from the structural damage of Godzilla (um… I mean, my then-toddler age sister). As I grew older, I started building with Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, and had my own microscope that I used to examine hairs and the occasional scab.
As I progressed into late elementary school and middle school, my activities continued on a STEM path. Math competitions were an annual event, even though the math was always far beyond my capability. I was in a club for girls to learn about computer hardware, and remember getting to take apart a CPU in my middle school’s library. And most notably, I was on my middle school’s state-ranked Science Olympiad team for three years running.
But even in the midst of all that, I wasn’t thinking about engineering yet. I knew what my dad did as an electrical engineer for our area’s power company, but never once envisioned myself in that sort of role. I was never discouraged from pursuing engineering-related activities or projects, but throughout my middle school years (thanks to Science Olympiad), my career dream was to become a meteorologist and work for NOAA or the National Weather Service. Slowly, I started realizing that that field had limited job potential, and that weather wasn’t really my passion.
So I spent my freshman year of high school wondering, until one day, when my dad brought home a copy of Professional Engineer magazine. Up until that point, my knowledge of engineering was limited to what my dad did (and still does), as an electrical engineer for our area’s power company. I was always encouraged to pursue STEM-related activities and projects, but I was completely unaware of the multitude of engineering paths out there. I didn’t know it then, but opening that magazine was a life-changing moment.
I don’t remember my initial thoughts or anything else found in that magazine, but I distinctly remember realizing that I didn’t have to understand cars or power lines to become an engineer. And that moment, at age 15, was when I decided to become a chemical engineer. Never mind that I had zero knowledge of chemistry or physics – I just knew.
I continued on through high school, never really understanding the gasps I received when announcing my intended major. After years of resisting the idea of attending the public, flagship in-state university (where 10% of my high school’s graduating class attends each year), I visited Mizzou… and completely fell in love. I knew that this was a place where I could really belong, and that feeling (and my choice of major) was further cemented by attending Mizzou Engineering summer camp in 2008.
My senior year of high school came and went, and I couldn’t wait to get out. In the fall of 2009, I headed off to Mizzou. That first semester lulled me into a sense of security – engineering school didn’t seem so bad! Calc 2 honors was rough, but I still made it out with a B. And my honors chemistry class? A review of the material I’d learned in AP chem the year before.
Then I progressed up to organic chemistry. For what seemed like the first time in my life, I was average. There was no math to throw at chemical compounds, but only memorization, reaction pathways, and a professor who looked like a vampire and sounded eerily like Nicolas Cage.
As time went on, the classes got harder and my extracurricular load continued to grow, but some things definitely helped along the way. I got involved in SWE and other organizations, developed a strong network of fellow chemical engineering students, and was fortunate to spend two years in research labs (finding out what I didn’t want to do) and have two amazing internships at great companies. Those internships fueled my fire to keep going with the horrible classes in front of me, because I knew that it would be worth it. And today, I have been a full-time engineer at a leading company, well on the path to a rich career in engineering.
I found engineering pretty easily, and had so many wonderful encouraging supporters along the way. My parents encouraged me to pursue my dreams, and constantly reminded me of that when I would call home crying about a bad test grade or stressing out about my never-ending to-do list. I am so thankful for the math and science teachers I had before college – they made their subjects so much fun! My college advisor played an important role, being the voice of reason and reassuring me that I’d end up doing okay in whatever awful class, and dealing with my almost annual breakdowns in his office. And above all, I am grateful for a group of three boys who became my closest friends in chemical engineering, and who were always able to explain things to me in a way that made sense. I wouldn’t have made it through without them.
Six years ago, a professor at engineering camp said that we shouldn’t all become engineers. I didn’t understand what he meant then, but now it makes sense. My belief is not that everyone should be an engineer, but that everyone should understand the importance of engineering and the impact that engineers make. That is why K-12 STEM outreach has become one of my deepest passions. Through the work I do with SWE and other organizations, I hope to show that engineering is an impactful profession that allows for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, and that there is no set mold for what an engineer looks like, knows, or works on.
I am so happy that I found that PE magazine, and I want to continue to help others find joy in STEM careers. I challenge anyone reading this to support the K-12 and college students in their lives, who are deciding what their future holds. Ask an engineer what they do, or what they enjoy about their job. Engineers are important, and we do make a difference.
Kate
Planes & Pink 