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What was the most challenging part of becoming a female aerospace engineer How did you deal with these challenges? #Spring25?
I'm a female senior in highschool hoping to go into the aerospace industry.
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Carol’s Answer
One of the biggest challenges that you will need to overcome as a female aerospace engineer is being comfortable being one of the few females on a team. This will likely be true both in college and in the working world. When I was in college, there were only 4 female engineers in our program with over 100 male engineers. In the work place, you can expect slightly better statistics with 25-40% female engineers depending on the specific company and team you are on. I found it best to navigate this by being my authentic self with both male and female teammates. Some of my best friends both at the university and at my company have been male engineers. But, I did not change anything about myself to get along so well with them. It may have been advantageous that I had an adventurous spirit and loved the outdoors but I am sure I would have found different male friends if I had different passions. You need to be comfortable speaking up and sharing your voice and your opinion even when you may be the minority person on a team. This can be true both as a female engineer and as a young engineer working with more seasoned employees. You can practice these skills now in your high school classes or in various groups or teams you may be involved in outside of school. Beyond that, the challenges with being an engineer are similar for male and female engineers. You will be entering a very demanding curriculum in school and will need to have strong time management skills to ensure you meet the classroom and lab demands and still have time for other passions. You should be sure to make time for internships in your Sophomore and Junior years and use these times to explore the many industries and roles where you can leverage your degree.
Thank you for the advice! I will take them into mind as I enter college and the workforce.
Kimberly
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Jennifer’s Answer
For me, it is being heard in meetings. This is partially on me being more introverted, but you will have to be a bit more assertive, jump the silence gap a bit more, and be more willing to talk over others if your message needs to be heard. As you move up through leadership this will happen less, but initially it was very challenging to communicate important points or get credit for work and ideas that I contributed.
Thank you for the advice! I know I tend to let others talk and lose confidence in myself when someone disagrees with me. I'll take care to be more assertive!
Kimberly
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Brian’s Answer
Hey Jennifer. This year I will be in the aerospace industry for 40 years. I am a male Aviation Maintenance Technician with and structural/Sheetmetal background. When I entered the industry in 1985 at Lockheed Georgia there were no female engineers. That isn’t the case anymore. I am finding an ever increasing number of female engineers in Aerospace. I can only speak from a guys perspective. When interacting with female engineers it’s good to know that female engineers are not the exception anymore, but are becoming the norm in our industry. I believe to be successful in a former male dominated industry to be professional. When I am interacting with engineers I am generally interpreting or modifying there engineering work. We are a team in insuring the safety of Aerospace. I personally am encouraged that women are choosing the ever growing and challenging field of Aerospace engineering. It’s a very rewarding and challenging career field. Welcome aboard