It's really cool to be an engineer
I feel like I've run the gamut of experiences as a female engineer recently. After being sidelined for several years, given less technical work than my male peers, I am finally doing my first proper design work from scratch. I've had some unfortunately gendered ups and downs these past few months. But the first working prototypes are in, and oh my GOD! The absolute joy of seeing it function! The satisfaction of knowing that was my idea and my execution, and it's real! It works! It works WELL! Ugh! I have had so many frustrations about my obstacles as a woman in engineering. But my god, this is what it's all for! I did such a COOL THING!
The pursuit of cool things is what drew me to this profession to begin with, and here I am designing robots that ultimately improve access to quality healthcare! That's fucking COOL!
I'd love to hear about cool stuff y'all have worked on too! We talk a lot about what we have to overcome, but what are you proud of? What do you get hyped about at work? What makes the bullshit worth it for you?