We all know the real reason women go to college: to find the man of our dreams to take care of us for the rest of our lives. You know… the medical student who will become a successful doctor one day or the engineer who will make so much money we won’t know what to do with ourselves.
Just kidding!
Us Gator girls are strong, independent, beautiful young women who want more than a MRS degree! Through the journey of self-discovery, one of the hardest decisions you may face is not necessarily picking a major. The real struggle is picking and sticking to it no matter what obstacles or criticisms you may face.
I was inspired by a conversation I had with an incredible collegiette, Chelsea Krist, who gave me an exclusive look into what it’s like to break into a male-dominated major: electrical engineering.
What got you interested in electrical engineering?
“Two things: I was originally going to go the doctor route, but if you only get a bioscience degree and don’t go to medical school, it’s really hard to find a job, and in electrical engineering, all the electricity that flows through the walls is comparable to the electricity that runs through the body, so the knowledge is pretty much transferable.”
How did your family respond when you told them what you decided for your major?
“A lot of my aunts and uncles said, ‘Wow, you’re a tough cookie.’ My dad was proud because he is an engineer, too. My mom was supportive and proud of my decision, but on days that I’m feeling down or extremely stressed out, she reminds me why I chose this major in the first place and tells me to toughen up.”
Has anyone ever discouraged you from pursuing your degree because you’re a woman?
“Jokingly but not really in a serious manner. I don’t know if there is truth behind the jokes, but I don’t really take it personally. My whole life has been being an underdog and overcoming, so I keep that mentality.”
What does an electrical engineer do?
“There are so many different divisions within electrical engineering. Like you could do coding, but you can also be figuring out alternative energy… I would like to explore different divisions to make a positive impact in people’s lives.”
What core skills does an electrical engineering major need to have?
“Discipline because it’s a lot of work. The biggest thing is being able to analyze in a different way — be able to problem solve. Anyone that is dedicated and disciplined can be taught the important skills. Just like any degree, if you want to be successful, you have to have drive. The ability to handle stress is a big one, too. If not, you may not be very happy doing your job.”
Electrical engineering is not a common major among women.
Why do you think it’s important for more women to consider male-dominated majors like EE?
“I don’t think that women should have to do ‘electrical engineering.’ I think they should do what they’re passionate about no matter if it’s a male-dominated degree or something else. I think that women shouldn’t feel held back. They should do whatever interests them. EE is exciting because it’s not something you can really see. It exists; everyone knows it exists, but you can’t see it… you can’t touch the electrons floating through the wire. It takes a different mindset.”
What are some challenges a woman faces in a major like electrical engineering?
“Overcoming the stereotype that women don’t belong.”
What don’t you like about your major?
“I don’t really like the competition between students. Everyone is going to have a job, so there’s no reason to compete. It shouldn’t matter how other people are doing. What matters is what you’re doing for yourself.”
What’s a day in the life of an electrical engineering student like?
“Labs, homework, and studying for exams. A lot of people work in groups in labs, but I don’t really do that. I prefer to go to the source, the professor, or the TA instead of relying on other students for assistance.”
What do you hope to achieve with your degree?
“I want to benefit other people’s lives and don’t have to directly be acknowledged for it. But I want to know that I will be able to make people’s lives easier, a little better, safer — the list goes on and on.”
If you could choose any company to work for, what company would you pick?
“Probably John Deere because there’s a huge demand for food all over the world, and there’s places still to this day that manually harvest their crop. I mean, thinking about how much food and how many people it takes to do a job like that is insane and to also have to know that at some point you’ll have to produce even more food than they are producing right now… the equipment that Deere makes in my opinion is helping the farmer bring the crop to their customer. Farmers are the ones that feed the world, and so those farmers have a huge responsibility because they’re responsible for making sure we have food for next season and Deere helps make that possible.
I also like that there’s a lot of passion in the product. One of John Deere’s famous quotes was, ‘I will not have my name on the product that does not have the best that is in me.’ That quote is pretty consistent with every engineer, at least the ones I met during my internship with Deere. Their mentality was that their job wasn’t just a paycheck… it was much more.”
What advice would you give girls who have thought about going into a male-dominated major like electrical engineering?
“Definitely be aggressive with what you want with your career. This advice serves for both guys and girls. But the only difference for a guy or for a girl is that girls can have babies. That’s the only thing that can hold you back. That’s about where it ends. I would just say: it’s not about the people you’re in class with; it’s about you and your career. The other students are going to come and go. Why should it matter whether you’re pursuing a male-dominated career?”
Why do you love your major?
“I don’t love my major. I love what my career will be. There are times when I don’t want to keep going to school, but I know that to get something great will take a lot of sacrifice and a lot of work. I enjoy the material that I learn, but I don’t love it all the time. It’s just like anything else.”
If you’re interested in learning more about what electrical engineers do, click here to find out more.