Interview With Director Of EngineerGirl Program Simil Raghavan!

 

Hello Everyone! Today I am bringing you an Interview with the Director of EngineerGirl, Simil Raghavan! I found this very inspirational and I know that you will too. Learn more about Director of Engineer Girl, Ms. Raghavan by clicking  HERE, It leads to a page about her! If you are interested in engineering and technology and want to have access to resources that will help you on your journey to your career, click HERE. (leads to EngineerGirl.org) Without further ado, here is the interview! Read and share it with your friends!

 

Interview With Director of EngineerGirl, Simil Raghavan

1. As a female leader, what has been the most significant barrier in your career?

I think my biggest barrier has always been figuring out how to do something when I didn’t know anyone who had done it.  I floundered in college choosing a major that would work for me.  It took me way too long to discover engineering, mostly because I didn’t know any engineers.  I didn’t know what engineering was, and due to my preconceived notions, I didn’t take the time to find out.  When I decided on graduate school I didn’t know any biomedical engineers or what to expect.  I talked to as many people as I could, but I still felt like I was leaping into an unknown.

    2. Who inspired you and why?

I always used to despise the idea of heroes.  I thought that idolizing someone else could only set a person up for disappointment since people are human and bound to fail if you think too highly of them.  However, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been inspired by many people along the way.  I was inspired by kindness and generosity by many neighbors and friends who supported and encouraged my dreams in high school and beyond.  I was inspired to excellence by an undergraduate physics teacher who consistently took the time to walk me through work I didn’t understand, and teach me the calculus I hadn’t studied yet.  And now I am inspired every day by young girls who aim to change the world and take the steps necessary to make it happen.

3. What message would you like to share with any girl that wants to achieve her goals but is afraid of failure?

A wise person once said that failure is success in progress.  You won’t accomplish much of value without failing along the way.

4. What is some of the advice you share with young women entering a male-dominated profession?

I share lots of advice, mostly, I suppose, because I never knew how to find good advice when I was considering my own career.  For someone considering engineering my advice is to find people who have been there and surround yourself with a support network that works.  A great way to do that is through professional societies, and an organization like the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is a great way to find other women who can be a support for you when needed. Other affinity societies like the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) can also expand your support network.

5. Did people tell you that your career was not meant for women, and what kept you going?

I can’t remember anyone ever telling me that, but unspoken insinuations are often more powerful than someone just telling you that you can’t do something. In my case, if someone had told me I couldn’t do something because I was a woman, it would have inspired me to prove them wrong.  However, the little comments that caused me to question my own judgment were the ones more likely to take me off-track.

6. Were you ever afraid that you wouldn’t succeed in your career, and how did you overcome that fear?

I’m still afraid that I won’t succeed in my career!  I let that fear motivate me to work hard so that it keeps me on track instead of slowing me down.  I also find that I enjoy my work more when I am concentrating on the good I can do and not on how far it will take me personally.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young women that are struggling with self-doubt?

We all struggle with doubt.  The only thing I can say is to try to get your advice from people who want to see you succeed and make sure their ideas of success match your own.  Letting those people be a sounding board for you can help you see things from a more realistic perspective.

8. What do you think is the most significant barrier to female leadership?

Women are more likely to be tuned in to things that don’t work.  Sometimes they are described in higher education as the canaries in the coal mine because they don’t like ineffective teaching and will be the first ones to leave a class because of it.  In that way, and in more overt ways, ineptitude and/or corruption at the top will often keep women down.  If they leave when things are poorly run they are less likely to have the opportunity to change things from the inside. That may not stop them from storming the gates and changing things from the outside, but for certain institutions change is almost impossible to lead from the outside. So women need to set themselves up with the right credentials to make a difference, and as more women break in and take leadership roles, the way becomes easier for others.

   9. What advice would you give to young women trying to break into engineering and technology fields?

Breaking in is fairly straightforward if you can access the resources.  Just go for it.  Get the degree, and do the work.  If resources are a problem, look for organizations that want to help.  If you look in the right places, lots of people are eager to hire and train young women engineers.  That doesn’t mean you won’t face obstacles, and the best way to overcome them is by hard work and by surrounding yourself with other women who have been there who can provide advice and support and help you through it.

  10. What advice would you give to young women in countries where gender roles prevent many women from pursuing their dreams?

Women have struggled for millennia all over the world for equality and equal opportunity.  You can only judge yourself by what you do with what you have. Make the most out of every opportunity to ensure you won’t look back with regret, and do what you can to change the system in order to ensure that those who come after you will have an easier way.

 

I hope that all of you enjoyed this interview from the Director of Engineer Girl, Simil Raghavan. Be sure to visit engineergirl.org to use the resources there! Share this interview with the Director of Engineer Girl with your friends!

 

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