From “Little Lass” to “Engineering Student” to “Tech Woman”!

Now how did that happen? As a young girlie, I never expected to end up in Engineering!

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To start with, maybe a short explanation of my upbringing – my Ethiopian father was a career diplomat and we moved around quite a lot, living in 6 different countries on 2 continents by the time I was 18 years old. Whilst on assignments abroad, my Swedish mother was a diplomatic “housewife”, and when not on assignment, she was a medical secretary. There was not much “Tech” that my parents nor my 5-year older sister could have handed down to me. When my Dad was not busy with political issues, he was at home busy with his passions. Playing classical and flamenco guitar, listening to music or down in his workshop as a Carpenter. I spent many hours with him in his workshop sawing, hammering, drilling, and building things, like our complete kitchen at home in Ethiopia. He also taught me how to play some serious Chess, and I took classical guitar lessons for some years, but unfortunately have never kept it up. I don’t really recall any shopping sprees with my Mom as she sewed a lot of our clothes. I would sometimes get the luxury of owning the same clothes twice, only 5 years apart! ?? Together with my Mom, I did master the art of sewing, knitting, and baking cakes! And when playing with my girlfriends (cause back then we did not dare play with boys), we could spend hours on end with our Barbie Dolls and Lego! A typical normal upbringing during the late 60’s and 70’s, wouldn't you say?

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Which probably explains why Engineering was never really a passion, not even a conscious part of my youth, when growing up in this nomadic diplomatic environment. I had no close family remotely connected to Engineering! There were some Engineering Uncles in the background, but I guess I was happily oblivious to this fact. What I do remember from my childhood is the following fact: Even though my parents did not stimulate “Tech” in any way, they NEVER set any boundaries as to what I CAN and what I CANNOT do in life! It was entirely my choice, and for me it has always been a given – the fact that there is no difference between boys and girls, with a slight physical exception??! Many decades later, I feel even more strongly about this, and more. I am a strong advocate for gender equality, equal opportunities for all and women's right to choose for both career and family, amongst a whole load of other strong beliefs! Things I have always taken for granted but know that this is not the case in many parts of the world, unfortunately.

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So back to the question of how I did end up in “Tech”? The Engineering awareness probably popped up in my last year of high school (at that moment in time Ghana International School (GIS) class of ‘82) cause you know something has to come after graduation. So, I just went with the flow of my high school classmates, where most of my friends were going off to either Canada, USA or UK to study some sort of Engineering. I really excelled in Mathematics, and was good enough in Physics and Chemistry, so the question to myself back then was “Well, why not”? On the other hand, I was not too bad with foreign languages, so I could have also ended up in a linguistic field of study. So, me ending up in Engineering? Pure Chance! BUT there was never ever a reason NOT to consider Engineering because of my gender (=> always make the right choices based on the right reasons)!

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I eventually got my Master’s in Electrical Engineering, majoring in Microelectronics at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, all the time never really reflecting on the fact that girls made up only a handful percent of the Engineering Students then. We were completely and naturally integrated into the Student Life as individuals and never treated differently in any way. We had the time of our lives.

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I started my career at Ericsson in Stockholm in their CMOS waferfab as a Process Engineer for Etch, Lithography and Metallization processes. It is actually here, processing silicon wafers at the beginning of my “hands-on” career that I developed a total fascination for Semiconductors. The layer-by-layer building of mini components and transistors on such a tiny area! Later on, my fascination only grew when working in the MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems)?world - the building of miniature “3 dimensional” electrical and mechanical structures on strange kinds of substrates. Products like high frequency and flexible ultrasound transducers using CMUT and F2R Technology for creative and innovative applications e.g. CMUT catheters with high resolution imaging to place stents or early detection of bladder cancer. It is amazing when you see these creations through a SEM microscope!?And even more amazing when you create the first prototypes, and they actually work as intended! Wow!

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After about 15 years, including a big move from Sweden to Holland, I slowly transitioned into product and process development as a Project Manager, still within Semiconductors. I enjoyed running projects even though this meant taking a step back from the real “hands-on” technical work. I do believe that you are a better Project Manager if you have the technical competence and understanding of your projects you run. It is easier to work with your team experts and be accepted by your team during serious technical discussions.

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Today, I enjoy doing what I believe I do best. People Management here at Nexperia Semiconductors in Nijmegen! Lots and lots of interaction (preferably face to face) with everyone in my organization. Over the years I have picked up and acquired quite a few skills, the main one being: Never be afraid to say out loud and be verbal about what you are really good at! Of course, with a touch of modesty. ??

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Looking back, I see my M.Sc.E.E. ?as a necessary steppingstone to get to where I am today. I am not the same person today as I was decades ago, and back then most likely not suited for the same kind of role I choose today.?We are constantly developing and changing and making choices in life. Today, I am doing what I believe I am good at, thanks to my nomadic and mixed cultured upbringing, my Engineering degree, my 35 years working experience within Semiconductors AND my 29 years of bringing up my 3 feisty daughters!

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I think what drew me into Engineering, was my personal love (=obsession ??) for logic and structure. Things just need to make sense and fit into the right boxes, very simply put. Does one have to have grown up constantly fiddling around with electronics to choose for Engineering? I don’t think so! So come on all you “Beta Gals”, “Why Not Engineering”? In the last decades, Engineering has become so broad that there is something for everyone and every type of person whether you are an introvert or extravert, a thinker or doer, an analyzer or strategist, a leader or follower, logic driven or creative, curios, critical and so much more. Passion for sustainability, AI or just wanting to make a difference? Engineering can offer you that too and more. We all know the more diverse (gender, culture, age, religion, etc) teams are, the better the results due to wider and more complete perspectives. The better the results, most likely the happier we are. A simple fact of life.

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As a recently joined Role Model with Role It Out non-profit foundation, a personal goal is to learn how to step out of my (by default introverted) comfort bubble and put myself out there, hoping to make a difference. Let's make Engineering Gender Neutral! I would like to share this message with more young people on the brink of making one of the most important choices they need to make during their lives: What to study and major in? Engineering should definitely be one of the options to consider, no matter what your background is, if you have an affinity for the Beta Subjects. This, of course, does not necessarily mean you will be doing the same thing for the 40+ years of your career!

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What has been a constant all through my life and career could be summed up with the following mindset that I heard at a Fe+male Tech Heroes conference a few years back: Choose not to care what others think of your choices, as long as YOU are sure that they are the right choices for YOU! The less you care of what others think of you, the further you will travel!

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Footnote #1: When it comes to today’s hot topic of “Diversity”, I guess I failed terribly when it comes to creating family diversity, as I “only” succeeded in giving birth to 3 girls! And to top that off, NONE of them have followed in Mom’s (or Dad’s) Engineering footsteps! But if they are happy with their choice of education, then all is good in my view as a Mom. As a Tech Woman, I might have done better! In the end, I know I am happy with my choices in life!

Footnote #2: I still have an enormous box up in my attic, full of Barbie Dolls and accessories. Some of the content originating from my own childhood supplemented with a lot of more modern additions from my own daughters. It is now waiting for some grandkids (any gender) to come along, hopefully coinciding with my retirement, and guess what I will be doing with them? I just can’t wait! ??