Last night I watched one of the most inspiring films I’ve ever seen – Hidden Figures. It revolves around the lives of 3 African-American women who are unbelievably clever and work at NASA. I really felt like I could relate to the 3 women: Katherine Johnson, a mathematician, Mary Jackson, an engineer, and Dorothy Vaughan, a mathematician and leading programmer for the IBM. As an engineer in the 21st century, the stereotyping I experience is nothing compared to these women and learning about their triumphs and success despite everything they faced was incredible. It made me want to be a better engineer for them.
Someone asked me the other day why I am bothering trying to change industry and apply for programming jobs, having spent 5 years studying for a degree in mechanical engineering. For me it was simple, I love it and I didn’t understand why someone would question the path I wanted to take. Now, as I sift through the virtual pile of rejection emails from job applications, I wonder whether I am crazy wanting to advance towards a career in programming and modelling.
But no. I love it. And I don’t see why I should have to settle for a career in something that I don’t love. I may not be the most experienced or knowledgeable, but I try to show companies that I will be the hardest working and dedicated employee. The film inspired me not to give up on something I enjoy just because people are trying to put me in the “box” of a mechanical engineer. My dissertation supervisor told me that to advance in engineering we need to climb out of the box we are put in and talk to others, learn new things and become multi-disciplinary people. I agree.
So now I am going in to this new week with a renewed sense of purpose and desire to achieve, all thanks to watching this film. This was one of my favourite quotes from the film from Katherine chatting with her husband-to-be and I think it’s just brilliant:
“You’re a computer at NASA. They let women handle that sort of…?” “Yes, they let women do some things at NASA, Mr. Johnson, and it’s not because we wear skirts. It’s because we wear glasses.”
Boom.
Life of a Fi-male Engineer 