Marissa Mayer. Elizabeth Holmes. Mary Barra. Ivanka Trump. Do these names ring a bell? If you haven’t heard of these women, you should seriously consider doing some research. For me, these women – in addition to a handful of others – have proven that anything is possible, but more importantly that my gender should never be a barrier in my life. I work and study in school with hopes of pursuing a career in an industry (business) that is heavily male-dominated, but I am not fearful that I won’t find a job. Instead, I am highly motivated.
Mayer, Holmes, Barra and Trump are brilliant, hardworking and successful individuals that certainly have put forth a great deal of effort to be in their positions today… perhaps more effort than the average male would require. Nevertheless, as they continue to achieve such great successes in the business world, I hope that they will inspire many other young females like myself to set goals throughout college and beyond.
When I was younger I never knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. Honestly, I still don’t, but I do know one thing for sure: I know that I want to pursue something worthwhile in a career that has a positive impact on many, many people. In my opinion a life without purpose is a life not worth living. The fact that I’m a female has – personally – never really impacted my goals or career ambitions in life. Sadly though, I see this happening to many other students around me. Why aren’t women being more ambitious?! I don’t mean to sound vain in the slightest, but sometimes I even feel as if students are intimidated when I begin to talk about my experiences and goals for the future. Is there anything wrong with dreaming big (and being a female)? Certainly not!
Point blank, I believe that more females today need to realize their potentials. We are smart. We are strong. We are focused, organized, motivated and able to do anything and everything that life throws at us. If I want to be CFO of a major public company one day, what’s stopping me? Do you want to be the president of a major non-profit organization? Go for it! As females we should never feel as if we have to downplay our ambitions, study a certain subject in school, work in a particular field or serve under another boss for the rest of our lives.
This article is definitely not meant to criticize men, but instead to make a point: there are countless examples of successful women in business today and furthermore amazing women in technology, medicine, politics and engineering. I look to these women as motivation while I’m studying in school and planning my career path. I hope that you will do the same. Set goals. Take a risk, and never look back.