In a professional area that often feels male-dominated, it’s nice to hear from the women once in a while—especially when they are offering advice and lunch.
On September 18, women students from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) majors gathered to network and to hear from women working in academia and industry.
The panel members—Dr. Emily Evans, a professor in the Department of Mathematics; Amanda Campbell, a web applications developer at Xactware; and Sunni Swain, a lab systems engineer at UNIconnect—gave advice about how to balance work and home life, how to succeed in interviews, and how to be confident in a male-dominated work place.
“My career path was not very smooth,” Evans said. “I graduated with a degree in economics, decided to be a software engineer, . . . and [eventually] decided to go back to school for math. I guess if I was to give one piece of advice it would be this: never be apologetic for your skills and talents. “
Campbell was a business major in college when she took a few required computer classes. Up until that point, she had never considered going into technology, but something about it stuck with her.
“I always felt a little out of place,” Campbell said. “I remember in my actual major, being surrounded by all guys. I was a little insecure in my major, but [you girls] just keep going for it! If you think you are a little outnumbered, you probably are, but that is totally fine. [All of you students] are equal.”
As a young mother and part-time employee, Swain added that success in the industry stems from knowing how to balance time between things on the to-do list.
“I work about ten to fifteen hours a week,” Swain said. “I could work more, but I choose to spend that time with my family. I have to do a lot of balancing, and the thing that helps most is to have a schedule. . . . [I] even set a timer. When you are in each class you have, give that class 110 percent of your focus. Then, when you aren’t in that class and doing homework, you can relax and think about other things.”
Kaitlyn Scheib, a twenty-four-year-old student studying chemical engineering, said that she really appreciated the opportunity to hear from the women on the panel.
“I think [it’s] great to get some advice about how to start a career, because right now I have no idea about what I am doing after I graduate,” Scheib said. “I’m just trying to get as much help as I can.”
Brittany Stark, a nineteen-year-old computer engineering major, agrees. She said that her favorite part of listening to the panel was being able to hear from women who were in the computer/mathematical fields.
“[Evans] is a math professor now, and that is something I would want to do,” Stark said. “Knowing that she didn’t even major in mathematics was cool. I learned a lot.”