***Editor’s Note: The “I Became An Engineer” blog runs every friday. To share your story email sarah.goncalves@advantagemedia.com***
This week’s story is brought to us by reader Karen Bartleson, 2016 IEEE President-elect, 2017 IEEE President.
Growing up, I didn’t have any idea what “engineering” meant. To be honest, I’d never even heard the term. But I was fascinated by how things work.
My father was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a professor of English, and my mother was a bacteriologist – not much of an engineering background there. Yet I clearly recall one day wondering out loud how a car works. It was so cool: you jump in, turn the key, step on the gas and, magically, this machine will take you anywhere.
I asked my dad, “How does a car work?”
And he said, “Girls don’t need to know that.”
That response was a sign of the times. Women stayed home and raised families. Well, that didn’t stop me.
When my sister and I were in high school, we had identical hair dryers. Mine broke, so I took hers apart so I could learn to fix my own. She was so mad at me! But I fixed mine.
In college, an organization called the Society of Women Engineers invited all the young female students who were taking math and science classes to come to an evening event and learn about “engineering.” I went and thought, “Wow, math and science, which I love – you put them together, create stuff, and solve problems in the world.”
I was hooked.
I decided to be an engineer, as it combined the elements of math, science, problem-solving, and creating useful things for the world. Initially, I didn’t realize it was supposedly a man’s field! When I switched my major and went to classes, I looked around and said to myself, “Hmm, why are there 35 guys in here – and me?”
The good news is that, with a few exceptions, everybody treated me with respect.
Initially, I had wanted to be a biomedical engineer. The idea of solving problems for people’s health and creating devices like prosthetics that would improve their quality of living really appealed to me. But the field was brand new. There really wasn’t any major in biomedical engineering back then. So I ended up studying what’s called “engineering science.” Basically, you took courses in electrical, electronic, civil, mechanical, and chemical engineering – all of the different disciplines. Then you chose one that you liked best. I concentrated in electronics because that was the most appealing to me.
The result? An incredibly rewarding career in semiconductor design and design automation. I also found my way into industry standards with the IEEE Standards Association, chairing a newly formed IEEE Internet Initiative.
I’m absolutely honored and thrilled to be who and where I am. And I can look back and say, “Becoming an engineer was the very best decision I could’ve ever made.”
Read other stories, here:
- A Note From The Editor: An Engineer’s Story
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Lunch Box
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Christmas Lights
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of The Cool Jackets
- I Became An Engineer: Because My Dad Said Not To
- I Became An Engineer: Despite Being Bad At Math
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Uncle Chet
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Can’t Stop Asking ‘Why?’
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Star Trek (Specifically Montgomery Scott)
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Was A Really Lucky Nerd
- I Became An Engineer: But ‘Nobody Knows’ Why
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Nuclear Submarines
- I Became An Engineer: Because of a Sewing Machine
- I Became An Engineer: Because No One Was Hiring Shoe Salesmen
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Mr. Kenny, the TV/Radio Repair Man
- I Became An Engineer: Because of a Book (And My Mom)
- I Became An Engineer: Because of a Cattle Ranch
- I Became An Engineer: Because of a Wise Father and the Possibility of Death
- I Became An Engineer: Because of An Evil Mastermind
- I Became An Engineer: To Get Off the Tractor
- I Became An Engineer: Because of My Rodeo Coach
- I Became An Engineer: Because the Air Force Equipment Kept Breaking
- I Became an Engineer: Because My Mom Let Me Take Apart the Old Vacuum
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Liked Tearing My Toys Apart
- I Became An Engineer: Because of the Mysterious Glowing Tubes
- I Became An Engineer: Because of My Father, Star Trek, and Music
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Was Tired of Sweating
- I Became An Engineer: But Almost the Wrong Kind