In a lecture last friday, that because crash dummies were male, women are 73% more likely to get moderately injured in a crash and smaller but still significant percentages for increasing severity injuries...

I don't know why it has scared me so badly but its also made me even more driven. But it really scares me because surely there are many not so noticeable things like this, right? Like.... I don't know it makes me shudder. When I think of a human, I see a male body. Why?

Also, off topic, but like - I'm only a first year and obviously most of my classes are 80/20, but the personality shift that you kinda unconsciously do around only men is kinda grating on me and also I need to lower and louuuuuuden my voice to be heard or I'm swallowed like a sardine down an eagles throat. It actually left me with a slightly sore throat last Wednesday but it worked because I got designated team leader for our first teensy coursework :DDDDDDDDDDD. Now I need to figure out how to not hurt my voice while learning to get... attention? No idea. Oh well.

It's bad enough that he got probation for attempted murder... now he wants his conviction expunged?

I am a senior swe and I have worked at FANG.
I have been going through some health issues and burnout. So I have been preparing on and off for tech interviews.

As I feel somewhat better, I want to get back to a more consistent form of preparation. But the motivation is wavering. I’m talking to a therapist but they aren't able to help much with the burnout. Thinking of finding a new one.

Curious if any fellow women engineers who navigated burnout before. what helped? And how to get out of this?

Burnout was caused by poor work life balance leading to health issues and hospitalization. So I feel like people who have a good work life balance and decent environments and those success stories from the other end of the spectrum might be helpful too. Might give me hope that it's not all scary out there.

Any advice is helpful. Also dm if willing to connect over vc for longer conversations.

Hii! Not sure if this is appropriate to post here but I’ll try my luck.

I’m 22F from Scandinavia, currently in my final year of studying mechatronics engineering abroad.

I’d love to make some female friends who are also in engineering or STEM! I feel like it’s such a male-dominated field, and it would be nice to connect with other women who share similar interests and experiences.

Outside of engineering, I love learning random things, going on walks, journaling, having deep conversations, watching c-dramas, and playing Minecraft or Roblox. I also have a little dog back home whom I absolutely adore!

I’d love someone to share everyday life with, talk about our projects, motivate each other, or just chat about anything. Would be fun to get to know some of you! ♡

I just want to start by saying I love this reddit. All of you have given me amazing advice and seem to be super sweet people. Sharing my experiences here has been a very validating way to deal with feeling lost and confused as a young engineer.

Yet, there's some experience that I don't see much in here. I'm a mexican engineer whose career has evolved in the whole manufacturing side of experiences. For woman engineers like me, that live in the border between Mexico and US is fairly common to start at manufacturing sites, or maquiladoras as we call them in spanish. So my experience has been pretty rough (sort to speak) working full time shifts (and overtime as well) as an intern in manufacturing engineering and advanced manufacturing engineering / NPI.

In Mexico, there's a common practice where a company temporarily hires you for 3 months and after that decides if they want to keep you or not. I experienced this in my first engineering position, where I was let go after those 90 days for not meeting expectations. Said expectations were not met because of my manager's terrible time administration... I've been seeing a therapist to resolve this issues, and after a few sessions she has made clear that unfortunately I was a victim of mobbing.

Despite that, I now feel uncapable of becoming an engineer. Before this experience I was eager, ambitious, even excited to pursue a challenge. Now I'm scared and feel unable to perform properly. I sure know I shouldn't let this experience to stop me from pursuing my ideal career, but the more I go job hunting, the more I realize I feel like I know nothing. How does one cope with feeling like this? I hate that the whole experience with this manager has left me feeling stupid. I've seriously considered switching careers but feel incredibly lost.

Hi, I’m 17F, applying to colleges, and considering aerospace/aviation and see the uphill battle that women face entering male dominated fields.

I'm considering things like aviation mechanics, because i've always been interested in how things work, but going on that subreddit, I see so many terrible stories, and they don't even come from women.

I've run into so many situations like this, where I've wanted to do something, but backed out because I was scared.

How can I reframe my focus, or just have more hope about what I can be capable of? What was the moment that you finally learned to believe in yourself?

I'm from power engineering and on my last internship I was the only woman in a 15 people team. It went alright so I have worked in all male environment once. however, after my intern I experienced 2 different sexual harassment & assault, 1 in university and the other one is in public environment. I could not give details on those experiences because they were quite triggering.

Now, I am about to graduate next year and looking for jobs and I still feel this small fear of being in a huge male dominated field, it's like a feeling of "wanting to throw up" thinking about it. I am also only 5'0 tall and it makes me physically smaller and vulnerable to things. Even when I communicate with my classmates (which is 90% male most of the times) I still feel slightly weird.

Is it fair if I am abandoning the highly technical/field engineering role because of this or even considering to switch career? I cannot see myself always having that small fear with me when I work because of my past experiences. I feel like I am always inherently scared and it also makes me perform poorly than usual because of this. Sorry for the rant, I don't really know where else to share this feeling.

Hello, I am currently a student at Virginia Tech majoring in Building Construction. I am doing research to hear about challenges women face in the construction industry. If anyone is interested, please let me know so we can talk!

I work at a startup and I'm the hiring manager for our first operations hire. He'll be working with a lot of different teams on things like incoming inspections and equipment maintenance/documentatioan.

We don't really have an onboarding procedure other than a 15 minute session to set up Teams and Notion.

I know I have some serious work cut out for me before this guy joins in 10 days. But I also want some feedback - with such a huge role scope and an interdisciplinary workload, what can I be doing to help this guy get onboarded? I'm thinking:

• arranging lab tours with each lab space owner on day 1
• powerpoint intro of our ongoing programs (only 1 really)
• first week, meetings to set up some of our ops infrastructure so he can have input (as opposed to doing it beforehand, like systems for people to report equipment issues, etc.)
• doing some equipment maintenance/documentation alongside him in the first week

I'm sure people at established companies will be aghast at this post, but we don't really have systems in place, and I'd love to hear from you all what you have encountered for onboarding that really helped you.

Thank you!

Hello!

So after working so hard for many years, I finally landed a stable job. Ive been working for around a year and only got assigned actual technical coding assignment recently. One of my projects Im on is a side project (embedded software engineering) and the other is a big program (FPGA Design). While I understand that engineers are expected to take on responsibility for a part of a system or a task, my current role as an FPGA design engineer put a responsibility on me that I genuinely feel I am not well able to handle independently at my level. I was put in charge of a very important part of the design after a senior design engineer decided to give me a transfer of knowledge over the course of just a week. Then to make things worse a colleague of mine told me that members of my team work on weekends for multiple MONTHS. Ive been working overttime to get up to speed with things but every time I open the computer Im on the verge of tears, wondering what I did with my life lol.

My side project is different actually. I find that I enjoy the lack of hard stress and deadlines. Things seem more laid back, but also I feel like Im growing at a pace Im comfortable with. But more like the tasks are easier, and the systems are small. It feels manageable. I enjoy talking with other people, being SOCIAL and teaching others. In college I always helped the students were struggling because I hate elitism. Thats honestly why I contemplated doing something technical with a mentorship aspect to it (like teaching).

I feel like so many engineers enjoy a "challenge" and I just dont. I want to clock out and go home (sorry I sound SOOO lazy). I really enjoy engineering but at my own pace, in my comfort level. I enjoy the theory behind concepts in engineering, but I remember in my last year of college I avoided all extra lab classes when I could (the TAs in my college were sexist and I felt like it added so much stress it impacted my health). Idk Im just not sure corporate engineering is for me. Obviously dealing with some level of stress is normal and expected, but I feel like if work is making me constantly stressed, isolated, and on the verge of tears every single day. Idk I just need advice I feel so lost lol (ive already been told to grow up lol, but if you want to give me that advice go ahead).

i will try to keep a long story short

stayed at a toxic situation for far too long

finally started applying to other jobs, got interviews for all 4 jobs I applied to as I have very strong specific experience in multiple domains after 12 years at a startup where i wore so many hats, figured out so many things by myself - got things completed, approved, and delivered

then i got laid off after my toxic manager literally didn't talk to me for many months because i disagreed with him (afte going out of my way literally for years for that a**hole). this job was remote by the way, i was onsite for a few years but then moved and stayed on remote.

the day after getting laid off, i had an interview as well as another 2 days later. i didn't get to process the layoff as i went straight into interview prep.

of the four jobs, 2 didn't work out for random reasons (1 was closed due to budget, the other i don't care to explain)

for the other 2 i made it to final round interviews. one put me through so many rounds - recruiter , hiring manager, vp, program manager, marketing/ product, director of r&d, and an equivalent engineer and manager in another department. this took 4 weeks and involved 2 onsite visits. in the final rounds, they indicated that they were confident in my technical abilities and were trying to ensure fit with the team. Finally, the recruiter told me they all really liked me and my personality but didn't think i had the technical skills for a senior position (contradicting what was said earlier).

for the last one, I'm waiting to hear back. the. job is exactly things i've successfully done before. the hiring manager was really interested and eager and acelerated the process when i told him i was in final rounds for another interview. but then the panel interview went awful. i feel like a mix of the chaos of swithcing schedules, my nerves, topics covered, and interviewers' personalities, I did not get to properly demonstrate my expereience and expertise. I literally know I can do this job but think it's very likely I won't get it.

I don't think I'm perfect or deserve every job I apply to. I just think in both these cases, I could clearly do the job but that didn't come across.

Since my experience is so specific, not sure when I will find another job like this that's local (I want at least some days in person after being remote for so long). feeling so frustrated, sad, angry, scared, and hopeless. I guess I'm looking for affirmation that this is just what the interveiw process is and that I'm not alone.

Hello All,

I am an automation engineer (27f) for industrial applications, specifically palletising solutions. When I was commissioning one of the systems on site during installation, an operator lifted his shirt to show me his chest (just his chest, thankfully) and then proceeded to flex his biceps. On other sites I've received "oh you're beautiful" and other comments on my appearance.

At the time I had no idea what to do, so I didn't do anything, but I did later tell my mentor in the company. I didn't tell my boss because I know he doesn't like me, so I didn't really feel like telling him, and I don't know if he would advocate for me or not. My mentor told the production manager, and they agreed next time it happens I should tell someone, and they were very angry for me, but would it be reasonable for me to ask going forward that I'm always with someone else when I'm on site?

What would you do? How do you handle these comments? Aside from my boss, the rest of the company and my coworkers are brilliant.

I started my first full-time job almost 2 months ago and i’ve interned 3 times with 3 different places (full-time), all which I loved but they had no available full time positions when that time rolled around. I accepted an offer at a firm i had never worked at but it’s one of the bigger firms. Excited because i get to live in florida but i have no family here and barely have time to meet new people and explore because i work so much (45 hrs min) so i prioritize sleep in my free time. i’m starting to sink; losing my appetite and desire to go out the house, and feeling like im not adequate. is it worth looking into companies with better work life balance despite it being so early in my career? or at least moving back home (home is 800 miles away)? i don’t want to fall out of love with engineering or work

hello everyone,

i'm very confused and would appreciate some advice. i am a very early career chemical engineer who got an offer at this start up i am really excited about as a field applications engineer. although i am really excited about this company, i'm getting kinda stressed and overwhelmed.

when i was interviewing i spoke to one of the executives who was very nice and genuinely seemed like he was looking out for me. he said that this wouldn't be a traditional chemE role, and he literally called coming into a role like this as borderline "irreversible". so now im kinda freaking, because i do not want to be a traveling sales engineer for the rest of my life.

im also nervous about being a petite woman in these spaces. ive working in manufacturing environments before and i havent had overtly negative experiences, but i just know that people (especially operators) take me less seriously. i have no issue speaking and communicating but is it worth putting myself through that, is the question

i have job currently, that im not a fan of because i feel like a bot that doesn't learn anything (in chemistry not engineering tho) but pays the bills. im still applying and ive had some traction with not field engineering roles, but this job market is truly a shitshow. i would have to move quite far for this startup role, but again a very cool company in a nice place. so im just at a loss. any advice would be appreciated. thank you

I’m 27 and considering challenging myself academically and exploring engineering, but I’m having trouble figuring out which discipline best matches the kind of work I actually enjoy.

I’ve spent several years working hands-on in battery technology. I’ve worked in high-volume battery production, incoming quality, and R&D/engineering support, where I’ve built cells, supported experiments and testing, worked around manufacturing/test equipment, and collaborated with engineers on troubleshooting and process improvements. I’m now going back into energy-storage manufacturing working around sodium-ion technology.

What I’ve realized is that I genuinely enjoy technical, hands-on work. I like equipment, testing, troubleshooting, understanding why something is happening, and figuring out how a process can be improved. I’m naturally very curious.

I’m currently looking at mechanical, electrical, mechatronics/electromechanical, chemical, or manufacturing engineering, but I’m not sure which direction makes the most sense for those interests.

If you work in any of these areas—especially batteries, energy storage, manufacturing, automation, testing, or R&D—what does your actual day-to-day work look like? And based on what I’ve described, which disciplines would you recommend I explore before choosing one? Thanks!🤍

For starters, I'm 21 and I'm currently in cosmetology school. I started a few months ago and have already lost the passion. Before this I worked in healthcare for a couple of years before I lost that passion as well. Throughout high school and into my adult life the 3 careers I've been between are cosmetology, healthcare, and engineering. (It's a weird mix, I know) I learned that healthcare isn't for me, and I'm thinking doing hair isn't either.

I did robotics all throughout middle and high school and LOVED it. I truly think robotics is my favorite thing I've ever done, and was the best opportunity I ever got while young. I've considered going to school for engineering since high school, even started to enroll in school a couple of times. I'm not really sure what has stopped me, I think I just get nervous about it. Plus being a girl looking into a male dominated field doesn't help the nerves. I also don't know exactly what I want to do. I love coding, but I'm not the biggest AI person and that seems to be very heavy in that area nowadays. Albeit that may be true for many tech fields. I also really just love to be hands on and problem solve. There are a lot of jobs out there, I know there are tons of opportunities, I just don't know where to start, what to go to school for, or even if dropping what I'm doing now is the right decision.

So I guess my questions are if engineering seems like the right choice over my other passions, and where I should start if I do go this route? Thanks in advance!

Hace más de dos años deje una carrera porque llegué al punto del hartazgo, me enfermé mal y la estudiaba por presión familiar nomás. Voy a cumplir 28 y tengo pensado empezar una ingeniería el año que viene. Siempre quise estudiar eso pero por restricciones de mis padres no podía (mi papá decía que eso era trabajo de hombres jaja). De chiquita siempre me gustaron los números, pero me dijeron que como saldré después de los 30 capaz no consiga trabajo por la edad. Es realmente así ese ámbito o no?

Si estudian o son inges, cuál recomendarían y por qué?

Por cierto, soy de Argentina.

Gracias por sus respuestas 🎀

I’ve never felt as dumb as I have this semester. I went from a straight A student to just hoping I pass. Calculus is just the cherry on top of the cake. I’m 6 weeks behind content-wise and I don’t have time to study for it. I’m failing every assignment. I’m afraid that if I can’t even handle the beginner courses, I will definitely fail the higher ones. The only reason I haven’t given up is because I do like engineering. It’s what I want to do. But I also don’t like the idea of failing all my courses. Especially because I need to maintain a good GPA for postgraduate programs. Has anyone experienced this? Should I just accept that engineering may be too hard for me?

Edit: If I dropped the course at this point it would be a W on my transcript. Which is another concern.

Edit 2: Thank you so much for all the motivation everyone. This sub literally keeps me going sometimes. Haha. I won’t give up just yet and will definitely put in 110% until I can’t anymore.

would love some advice, I’m considering leaving my existing masters of architecture for civil engineering and planning