WeLocal Bellevue Conference Sessions

Society of Women Engineers

April 4th - 7th, 2019

Bellevue, Washington

Friday - 4/5

Saturday - 4/6

This year's SWE WeLocal campaign was "Meet Locally. Learn Socially." Not all sessions offered at the WeLocal Bellevue Conference are listed below. The attendees chose two sessions they found valuable to share and wrote summaries and short takeaways. The sessions are separated by day. Friday sessions are located on the left half of the page with Saturday sessions on the right.

It is recommended to find session titles that fulfill personal interests and read the summaries and takeaways below for more insight.

Questions and further conversation on these topics should be addressed to the attendee whose name is associated with the session. Please reach out to them directly.

Create Mid-Career Momentum in Senior Leadership

JeanAnn Nicholas - Intel

Summaries:

Dana Gill - VPs and directors look for nine distinct characteristics when promoting someone in leadership: vision, advocate, systems thinking, authenticity, executive presence, emotional intelligence, allies, sponsoring, and patient persistence. The first critical tool in seeking leadership is to know yourself - know your likes, dislikes, skills, struggles, goals, and how to describe yourself. The second tool is to know how others view yourself. This is crucial, because if someone does not see you in the job, you will not get the job. If you are known for something you do not like, work to change it. Leaders must have technical competence, results, team member abilities, business acumen, leadership skills, and executive communication.
Katie Lenz - First, this was an AMAZING session. The speaker was super knowledgeable and I got advice that I can start applying to my internship this summer. This session focused around the question: I am think I am ready for a promotion but how do I make sure and how do I get other to notice it too? The speaker first covered what is required of a successful person at each level of the contribution hierarchy and how success is different from significance. She then went into 2 tools to help you focus your career vision and identify your strengths and weaknesses. The first tool was an Affinity vs. Aptitude chart to help one recognize what they are good at and enjoy, what they are good at but don't energy, what they enjoy but aren't good at, and what they aren't good at and don't enjoy. This will help one look for a good-fit position on job characteristics versus on job title. The second tool was asking others "What am I known for? What do I do more/less? and What do you come to me for? Perspective is reality and this can help you see if others perceive you as ready for the next level. She finished off her talk by sharing 9 valued senior leadership behaviors and ways to take action to get yourself that next promotion!
Manasa Thada - JeanAnn really focused on the steps one must take to be truly ready for a promotion. She provided us with several tools and characteristics that need to be demonstrated to be able to show a superior that you are ready for a promotion. The two tools she told us about are to know what you do and don't want, and to recognize what you are known for. She talked about the importance of knowing what colleagues perceive you at work to know what areas to improve upon. She also provided a table that helped you get to know yourself and what you are looking for a job. The table was a 2 by 2 table that addressed what you Enjoyed/Affinity and the Attitude/What you are Good At. This table is something she recommended we all use to help get into a job that you enjoyed. She also talked about the 9 valued Senior Leadership Behaviors, which are Vision, Advocate, Allies, Systems Thinking, Authenticity, Executive Presence, Emotional Intelligence, Patient Persistence, Sponsor.

Takeaways:

Dana Gill - In order to successfully move into leadership, you must know yourself and how others view yourself.
Katie Lenz - Perspective is reality so learn to tone your personal brand. Be honest with yourself about what you are good/not good at and what you have a passion for. It never to early to start setting yourself up for success!
Manasa Thada - There are several unknown/unfamiliar characteristics that one must actively demonstrate in order to make large career loops.

Engineering Happiness: Guide to Finding the Perfect Job for You

Supriya Thote - Callaway Golf Company

Summaries:

Dana Gill - In the following respective order, jobs come from these sources most frequently: networking/referrals, job boards, recruiters, and internal movements. The six steps to job searching are assessment, research, presenting yourself, project management, interview strategies, and project updates. Statistically, it takes three months to find a job. Location, company, pay, and job should all be prioritized prior to looking for new roles. Some recommended tactics when job searching include asking for a tour at interviews, asking to job shadow, tracking your job applications, and using the STAR method. It is crucial to build relationships during interviews and ask meaningful questions.
Katie Lenz - The session compiled a ton of tips for successful job search and securing the job you want. The process all starts with knowing what and where to search. A tool was shared for deciding on the priorities one looks for in a company and then multiple websites were shared for job search. We realized as we shared that priorities can change as you get older and your situation and experience change. Next the speaker recommended making a checklist/tracking spread sheet for jobs applied to, Creating a handy star template with at least 8-10 stories to use in interviews, and having good follow-ups to the dreaded interview question: "Do you have any questions from me?" The speaker finished the presentation by answering question including mine: "Do you go to a company for multiple rotations if you basically like them or do you try a new company in the hopes that you like them even better?"
Claire Penrose - Supriya talked about finding a job after suddenly finding herself unemployed. The process can be difficult, but the key to staying positive is doing the work and following six important steps. The first is assessment, discovering what you want out of a job, and what you find important. From there, you can do the research in learning about companies, roles, and benefits /pay. Presenting yourself is the next step in process, followed by project management, and then interview strategies. Using STAR techniques for interview is a key way to ace your chance at your dream job. Project update is the final piece, as constantly revisiting your accomplishments, and updating and improving can be the key to future successes. Look at the most important things in a job, and prioritize.
Allison Whitney - When picking a company to work for, you should evaluate your preference of location, job, pay, and company. You can rank those four qualities of a position and then evaluate them in subsets to determine how different companies and offers relate to one another to make the best choice.

Takeaways:

Dana Gill - Before being able to find the perfect job for you, you must prioritize and analyze what's important to you.
Katie Lenz - You are young - try new things/companies/industries/job-types. If you did well at an internship companies will still keep their high opinion even if you want to try something else but then possible come back looking for a full time offer.
Claire Penrose - Working hard and putting in time can lead to success to your job search, and ultimately your happiness in your career.
Allison Whitney - As you go through your collegiate and professional career, you should continue checking your priorities to make sure you're choosing a job that fits best at that point in your life.

Journey Confidently from College to Career

Alexsis Kennaday - Lam Research

Summaries:

Yvonne Johnson - Focused on money, morale and maintaining goals. You have to build confidence in money. Familiarize yourself with expenses, save money and talk to your support system. Have confidence in morale by finding an escape and rely on your supposed system. Have confidence in maintaining your career goals by documenting your career needs and hold yourself accountable. Think about what you want out of your employer and what factors are important to you. Consider getting a credit card but you have to know your level of self control. Consider postponing your graduation trip and saving up instead. You can find a temporary job opportunities until you start your full time job. Revisit your resume once every two weeks when you’re getting close to graduating. Create a cover letter outline to cut down on the time it takes to write a cover letter and they kind of follow a format. Focus on telling a story not just listing traits. Once you start interviewing with companies begging establishing a budget and establish a minimum salary. When you’re interviewing make sure you wear an outfit that you’re comfortable and confident in. Once you start getting offers know it’s ok to negotiate especially if it seems to low. Think about who you have interviewees with, do they seem happy with their job? Maximize retirement matching. Acquaint yourself with the debt you have and create a plan to pay it off. Adjust your budget for fun that you might have now that you’re out of school. Once you start, trying connecting with everybody in your office. Make sure you are still maintaining your goals and creating new ones.
Claire Penrose - The woman talked about journey from college to landing your first job and how to be confident in that. She walked through the steps via money, morale, and career goals and how to fulfill each of those things at each stage in your journey. She began with student life, and for money about saving and taking advantage of student discounts and opportunities. For morale and career goals, it was focused more on gaining knowledge and finding the peace during the hectic times of being a student. This time is also used to continue to review your resume and work on building your cover letter. These items will be crucial in the job search process. The next stage is the interview stage, and this can be crucial to finding your perfect fit in a company. You want to establish budget, learn how to deal with rejection, and look for jobs that excite you. The next stage is the offer letter, and this can be the most exciting. This stage is about choosing what you want, learning what to do with your new income, and finding the place for work. The final stage she mentioned was finally starting your new job, and how to stay motivated, financially stable, and create your goals.
Amanda Slager - Alexsis gave us tips on how to manage money, morale, and maintaining your career goals during all stages of finding and starting a job after college. She talked about building confidence, student life towards the end of graduation, time as an interviewee, weighing an offer letter, and starting your new job. She suggested things like getting a part time job in between school and your first job to help you make money in the meantime and keeping your morale up even when you get rejected from companies. She also taught us how to make sure that the companies you are looking at align with your long-term career goals and that you select the company that is the right fit for you.
Rachel Chodikov - This session covered the ins and outs of transitioning from college to career. It highlighted the 3 main items that you need to be confident in: Money, Morale, and Career Goals. The presenter discussed topics including student life, budgeting, reevaluating the job, and starting the job with the main 3 items in mind. She discussed the importance of budgeting to see what you actually need to live comfortably while starting a solid savings. Secondly, she went through a list of things to think about and update before graduating, like your resume and cover letter. This session was informative and really made everyone think about the next steps after college, even if they are not at that point yet.
Morgan Smith - This session discussed five main topics: building confidence, student life, time as an interviewee, weighing an offer letter, and starting your new job. Through each of these, Alexsis covered how they are all a part of money, morale, and your career goals. The building confidence and student life sections discussed how you have to have faith in your abilities to achieve your career goals while also saving money that you will need in the future, through actions such as postponing the post-graduation trip. During the interviewing and offer letter parts of being a college student, we learned that it is important to keep your morale up and really think about where you want to be in 3-5 years. The last part of this session talked about starting your new job and making the final transition from college to career. Although several of the money and goal tips should remain what you focus on, it is also very important to celebrate and start trying new things.
Abby Warburton - This session unraveled how to manage building confidence, student life, time as an interviewee, weighing an offer letter, and starting your new job. During each one of these aspects, she outlined it in a way that focused on money, morale and maintaining goals. These three key aspects helped establish that during each phase in a collegiate's journey to a career, one must be fiscally smart, keep their chin up and always remember what the end goal really is. This session was smart, concise and offered a simple approach that any collegiate could follow during their job search. There was also a matrix that she provided that helped her determine whether a job offer was right for her. She decided what aspects to her career were most important, weighted those criteria and then scored the job in each criteria. This is a great way to compare job offers or see how ideal a position is for you!

Takeaways:

Yvonne Johnson - I learned money is a big factor in the transition between college and career but so is keeping your ambition up in a pretty scary time.
Claire Penrose - This talk was insightful, and I mostly learned that a career is a process, and each step along the way takes time and consideration, so to enjoy it and learn with each step along the way.
Amanda Slager - There are certain things you can do in between graduating college and getting your first job that can help you be successful during the beginning of your young-professional life.
Rachel Chodikov - To help the transition from college to career, it is smart to have a tentative plan in place in order to best support yourself.
Morgan Smith - Through all the rush of studying in college and finding a full-time job, don't forget to celebrate your accomplishments and enjoy your new free time when you graduate.
Abby Warburton - Don't take a job offer just because you got one, take time to weigh whether or not this job AND company is right for you!

How to be a Catalyst for Change in Any Environment

Shawn Brownlee and Mary Stubbs - Honeywell

Summaries:

Manasa Thada - Mary spoke about the 4 types of change that can affect someone. The first category is ecstatic change, change that is socially accepted and doesn't take extra effort to achieve. The second is desired change, change that takes lots of skill development, however, no significant undesirable impact will occur if change doesn't occur. The third change is required change, change that will affect you significantly if it doesn't occur. The fourth is traumatic change, change that will suddenly change your priorities. She also continually stressed to challenge your inner perspective. One thing that she mentioned that I really liked was how starting as children, we look at people who get low grades and make lots of mistakes as slackers who don't try, therefore training us to think that making mistakes is bad and doesn't allow us to take risks into our adult life. She also advised us to "say most what you fear most" to change your perspective on problems.
Louann Kovach - This secession was about how to change your perspective to make different decisions in life and in career. The presentation started off with 4 types of change. 1) ecstatic change: what we usually see in our lives (dream job, marriage, children) 2) Desired change: skill set growth and end bad habits 3) Required change: if you don’t make a change now, there will be a negative impact. 4) Traumatic change: These changes take priority (natural disaster, death). The presentation concentrated on desired change and required change because those are what we can control in our lives. The presenter looked at mistakes made in our life, taking the next best actions, and self care. She highlighted to look at the mistakes and learn from them. Also, do not be afraid of them. When in a situation, take the next best action or do “the right thing right”. This all has to do with coping with these mistakes in life and by changing how you see the mistakes, active decision can be made for better outcomes in the future. She also expanded this way of how you perceive things with self care. Her whole presentation was through examples, person and non personal with great quotes and motivational and uplifting messages. She was very interactive and engaging.
Amanda Slager - She talked about how to deal with desired and required change. Desired change is a change associated with a skill growth or change of a bad habit. A required change is a significant change that you have to make in order to prevent an undesired outcome from happening. She said that you need to change your perspective on things like mistakes and being wrong. Mistakes and the fear of being wrong often prevent us from making necessary changes. You need to overcome these things in order to make positive changes in your life.
Rachel Chodikov - This session discussed the different categories of change and how to challenge your inner perspective. The 4 categories of change are ecstatic, required, desired, and traumatic (focusing on required and desired). These two categories make up the majority of decisions and therefore are most important. To challenge your inner perspectives the presenter discussed looking at your mistakes, the ability to be wrong, and that self care is always important. By dreading on your mistakes, it makes it hard to learn from them and move forward. You should learn to say what you fear most so that everything does not seem so bad. We need to learn to celebrate failure to learn how and how not to do things. This session made everyone look at their goals and how they can work towards making them happen.
Emily McDonel - There are four different categories of change: ecstatic, desired, required, and traumatic. Ecstatic and traumatic are changes you are motivated to do while desired and required take a little more work. To deal with and work towards these changes it is important to look at your mistakes and not fear them. Because of how we were raised we tend to cling to doing everything right and getting the correct answer because it makes us feel safer, but we need to look at our mistakes and learn from them so we don't get stuck in life or career. To deal with mistakes it is important to first say what you fear most -- usually your screw up isn't as bad as you think. Then, you need to think of the next best action, don't compound your mistakes. Afterwards, you need to leave the baggage and stop making yourself feel guilty. Use the mistake as a learning experience and another tool for your tool box. Not only is it difficult when you make mistakes, but also when you are wrong. We tend to live in a bubble of consistent correctness, but it is only when we change our perspective that we realize we were wrong and being wrong usually leads to the next best thing.
Morgan Smith - To start the session, we discussed the four categories of change: ecstatic, desired, required, and traumatic. We focused on the desired and required change necessary where we also needed motivation. I learned that mistakes are perceived as the worst thing by society, but we can change that by "saying first what you fear most." This will show you that the impact of your mistake may not be as big as you thought it would be. From here, to continue the change in your environment, you must focus on the next best action and leave all the negativity and baggage behind. With this in mind, all projects and plans won't feel as terrifying and will lead us to the next best thing.

Takeaways:

Manasa Thada - To be a true catalyst for change, you must change your perspective on things and not allow small events take over your temporary life situation.
Louann Kovach - This secession was very through provoking and I got a new tool on how to think differently about different situations.
Amanda Slager - Don't be afraid to change your perspective in order to re-frame your mindset in a way that will allow you to make positive and necessary changes in your life.
Rachel Chodikov - We need to learn to celebrate failure, not be afraid to be wrong, and learn from the people around us.
Emily McDonel - We all make mistakes and are wrong about various things, but what defines you and makes people great leaders is not the mistakes or wrong doings but how you deal with them.
Morgan Smith - View your mistakes as catalysts for change instead of something terrible.

Budgeting - It's Not a Dirty Word

Stephanie Chin and Jennifer Bly - Intel

Summary:

Natalie Kennedy - This session focused on budgeting best practices. Some common misconceptions of budgeting are that the balance sheet needs to be 0 and it’s only a way to track spending. Jennifer and Stephanie split budgets into short term and long term categories. Short term is monthly expenses and long term is larger purchases. They recommended using overall net worth to value potential investments and expenditures. Stephanie explained the value of using pie charts to create visual representations of your budget. They both recommend reevaluating your budget frequently (on a monthly/bi monthly basis).

Takeaway:

Natalie Kennedy - MINT is a great tool to use to start tracking your budget and it’s free!

How to Survive and Thrive in the Face of a Difficult Co-Worker

Diane Budzik - Northrop Grumman

Summary:

Dora de Melo - This session was about hot to deal with a difficult co worker. The speaker gave an example of a difficult experience she had to handle, how she did so, and her biggest takeaways. She also spoke about tips on how to improve this interaction in order to prevent more conflict from occurring. It was a really great session that gave lots of insight on what one should do if caught in this situation. I really appreciated hearing a first hand experience of something that was tough to deal with and how she persevered.

Takeaway:

Dora de Melo - It is crucial to handle difficult situations with a level head and objective approach.

Ride the Seismic Waves to Underground Infrastructure Resiliency

Geneviene Han - Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

Summaries:

Dora de Melo - This session was about how the LA district is rebuilding their pipe systems to be earthquake resistant. The speaker presented on a new type of pipe that is being used to ensure that they do not break when the ground shakes. She explained the differences between the traditional cast iron pipes and the new ones being implemented. It was awesome hearing about this new technology and how it is being used to create safer water systems that will be available in the event of a natural disaster. Using these water pipes would be crucial to ensuring delivery of water to hospitals and first responders in the event of a natural disaster. I also really appreciated hearing about the geological aspects of dealing with an earthquake, as this is something I like learning about.
Louann Kovach - In this secession, the water pipes underground were discussed and how the city of Los Angeles is trying to have pipes that can withstand seismic activity. California lies on the fault lines and so there is lots of movement. When water pipes are broken, it can take days to restore water and it can be devastating to the community, especially if emergency facilities do not have water. Using Earthquake Resilient Ductile Iron Pipes (ERDIP) instead of regular iron pipes are being installed. These pipes are unique in 3 ways. 1) it expands and contracts 2) joint deflection up to 40 degrees and 3) lock mechanisms to prevent the pipe from pulling apart. These pipes have been very successful in Japan where there has been no report of failure. While these pipes are more expensive, they will be more beneficial in the end. Los Angles currently targeting to place these pipes in seismically active locations with emergency facilities and responders. The long term goal is to make a ERDIP network system where water will be able to be supplied to the city at all times no matter what the conditions will be. However, the process is very slow and tedious. The pipes are made in Japan who use different measuring standards and it takes a while to get permission from the neighborhoods in Los Angeles to allow these pipes to be installed.
Emily McDonel - Areas that are prone to earthquakes have had an increasing need to use piping that is earthquake resistant as buildings such as hospitals, fire departments, schools, etc. cannot go without water for extended periods of time. Earthquake resistant ductile iron pipes (ERDIP) is piping that has been designed to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, and others that have proved extremely harmful to underground pipes. ERDIP has been used in 90% of the underground pipelines in Japan with no failures over the past 40 years. The United States has just started to use this technology with LA being the first. How it works is instead of the traditional flush connections between pipes, a lock-ring mechanism has been designed that expands under pressure. This then creates a chain reaction between the other pipes causing the pipes to bow instead of break. Although this piping seeing potentially life saving, there are some drawbacks. Currently, it is only produced in Japan with American manufactures just beginning to make it, so costs are high. There is also a learning curve with the installation of now pipe as construction workers are not familiar with the new design/material. Therefore, construction times are longer which is not ideal with LA traffic. Although, once the benefits of this piping is explained, the community supports the project and is happy to have a water system to have a water system that is earthquake resistant in an extremely earthquake prone city.

Takeaways:

Dora de Melo - Mitigation efforts need to be put in place now to avoid major failures in the future.
Louann Kovach - I didn’t realize how complicated and interesting the infrastructure of water pipes were.
Emily McDonel - Engineering solutions exist in many forms in many countries, so it is important to keep an open mind in designing as a solution to a major problem may already be out there.

Emotional Intelligence: The Other Kind of Smart

Kim O'Rourke

Summaries:

Catherine Wang - Emotional Intelligence is the "something" in each of us that is a bit intangible. It starts with having self awareness (accurately perceiving your emotions and staying aware of them as they happen), then having self-control (using the awareness of your emotions to stay flexible & positively direct behavior) and empathy (accurately pick up on emotions in others and understand what's really going on), and finally influencing (building bonds, developing teamwork and collaboration).
Anna Posta - Kim O'Rourke gave us her 9 1/2 steps to improve emotional intelligence and what emotional intelligence is. Emotional Intelligence is how well you control emotions and relate to others. This can be enhanced through mentorship and coaching. Emotional Intelligence, simply put, is self-awareness of emotions, behaviors and reactions. Personal Competence and Social Competence are the key components. These relate to the inward and outward focus that is essential for emotional intelligence. Some of her 9 1/2 steps included: be relentlessly positive, pinpointing your feelings, practice mindfulness, be present, let go but don't forget and choosing your battles. Additionally, having boundaries for yourself like not being afraid to say no.
Sam Thobe - Kim wanted to break the stigma that traits such as empathy lower your ability to be a successful leader. So, in this session, she talked about EQ, the measure of your ability to control your emotions, relate, and interact with others. Research suggest that emotional intelligence is responsible for up to 80% of success in our lives. Research also shows that EQ is more important than IQ in almost every role and many times more important in leadership roles. Since EQ evidently IS important in leadership, Kim shared her 9 1/2 steps to improve your EQ, or, emotional intelligence. There are 9 1/2 instead of 10, because she is still working on that last one. 1. Be relentlessly positive: don't get caught up in things you can't control, focus your energy on the 2 things you CAN control: effort and attention 2. Pinpoint your feelings 3. Practice mindfulness: S.T.O.P. = Stop, Take a deep breath, Observe your feelings without judgment, Proceed with something that will support you in the moment. Come up with an idea of how you want to be remembered when you are gone and remind yourself of this often and act on it. 4. Be Present: we really can only do one thing at a time so we ought to do those things wholeheartedly 5. Let it go, but don't forget 6. Don't let anybody limit your joy 7. Choose your battles: be self confident and open minded which creates a pretty thick skin 8. Squash negative self talk 9. Have fun!! 9 1/2. Don't say yes unless you really WANT to.
Abby Warburton - Not many people realize that in order to be successful, an individual must not only have a high intelligence quotient, but also a high emotional quotient (EQ). EQ is one's ability to control and recognize emotions. A key factor to EQ is one's ability to respond to emotions in the most appropriate way. Emotional intelligence can always be improved using three ideas: change, choice, and principles. An individual who has both personal competence and social competence tends to be a better leader and manager because of their awareness of themselves and others. And in order to have influence one needs to have appropriate self confidence, empathy, and self control.

Takeaways:

Catherine Wang - The little things are the big things in life when it comes to relationships.
Anna Posta - Having emotional intelligence will increase your relationships with others and increase happiness!
Sam Thobe - You don't have to be a calculated, to the point, stern type of person to be a strong leader. How you interact with others will get you further than just knowledge alone. Use that empathy, honey and lead, girl!!
Abby Warburton - Emotional intelligence is responsible for 80% of an individuals success in the workforce, so women often thrive more in leadership positions than men (so NEVER feel bad for being empathetic or emotional)!

Becoming an Island of Calm in a Sea of Storms

Swarna Sinha and Mary Stubbs

Summaries:

Yvonne Johnson - This session was an interactive session on how to manage stress. One of the first steps is to call it out and recognize you’re in a stressful situation. One way to help deal with it is to take a break from the situation. If you can, step out of the room and take a walk. This helps get your blood flowing. If you can’t remove yourself try and take some deep breath to relax the body. The speaker for this talk didn’t show up so it was improvised by someone else. Another way to handle stress is to have a support system that you can go to. These people should be generally positive people. Another way is to practice affirmations to yourself and break any habits you have of thinking negatively about yourself. Meditation is also a great way to reduce stress. Someone recommended the app head space which has a discount for college students. Another app someone recommended was fabulous. Someone else recommended active mediation such as exercise like spin class or yoga. You can also write down your stresses and get them out on paper which can make them easier to handle. When you are in a good state it helps to write down those thoughts and then you can refer back to them when you are in a stressful point in your life.
Caroline Karczewski - This session was very interactive, everyone shared their ideas on how to cope with stress. Many people shared different ideas and ways they handle stress and it was interesting to learn what others do. It was cool seeing also how some things work for some but not for others. People mentioned taking walks, doing a power pose, exercising, or writing down your thoughts to get them out of your head. It was a really cool interactive brain storming session and the first I attended which made a great start to the day!

Takeaways:

Yvonne Johnson - What I took out of this is to be careful about falling in a hole of negative thinking which can make stress a lot work. If you can catch the feelings of stress early and are able to mitigate them, then you can ease a lot of your stress.
Caroline Karczewski - Write down everything, stressful thoughts as well as good ones to clear your head.

I Hate my Job, Now What?

Beverly Canham - Intel

Summaries:

Yvonne Johnson - When leaning in isn’t working anymore, trying leaning back. Take a step back and evaluate the situation. A lot of people have unmet expectations. Don’t compare yourself to social media because people only post the good things. Compare yourself against your own expectations, not expectations you see from others. Have realistic expectations. Think more broadly about what success means. It’s about more than just money. People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. Success in life should be more than just success at work. If you base success just off of work you will end up hating your job. Success can be having good relationships with your family. Define success your way. Think about what makes you happy. Figure out what you’re willing to spend in time, emotions, energy etc. stick with what you are willing to spend. Think about what you want to be known for.
Isha Satpalkar - Some of the reasons why people start hating their job is because of unmet expectations, interpersonal conflicts, external factors or a career mismatch. Something that can be done if you are in this situation is to take a step back and consider if you've spent too much time in one aspect of your life. This will allow you to reassess how your lifestyle currently is and how you would like to change it. A good way to start is by creating a mission statement about your job using this as a guideline: I am working for ___________ in order to ______________ by doing ___________. This mission statement should incorporate your values, strengths, and passions and should also reflect what you want to be known for (as a legacy). Along with this, try addressing the issues you are facing at work head-on and change the situation. Ask more questions, try job shadowing other roles, and handle interpersonal conflict with others before deciding to move on from the company.

Takeaways:

Yvonne Johnson - Success is more than money, job title etc. It’s even more than just about work.
Isha Satpalkar - Identifying your values, strengths, and passions can help you in determining what you want from your career and how you want to live your life.

How to Thrive in a Competitive Environment

Priyanka Dobriyal and Jill Murfin - Nike Inc.

Summary:

Catherine Wang - Surprisingly, it is easiest to thrive when you share and collaborate with each other (even though people usually think the opposite is true! "hording all the good secrets). Never try to do things alone, because people have different strengths. Set time aside with others to talk about what's going on, so you are on the same page and can collaborate better. Next, it is helpful to reflect on life goals: how much are you willing to sacrifice? Do you really want that? Don't get stuck on what you decided on when you had different priorities. Define what you think your ultimate success should be! Finally, turn lose-lose into win-win: figure out how to get multiple things done by doing one thing to maximize your time and be more productive!

Takeaway:

Catherine Wang - Remember that it's the combination of your strengths that makes you you, and don't ever turn down help!

Product and Program Management

Sandra Chen, Seena Shankar, Nebabie Kebeblew, Rae Parnmukh

Summary:

Natalie Kennedy - This session was a panel discussion from 4 female product managers. They discussed how you can use your technical engineering background to build a strong foundation for a career in product management. All four of them made their career change because they wanted a broader perspective on their companies product portfolio. Product management allows you to have more visibility on the complete lifecycle of a product. The panelists recommended Toastmasters, Smartsheets and MS project as good tools for helping with project tracking. Rae mentioned that she switched to product management since it was the way she could get involved with statements of work which include working with cross functional teams.

Takeaway:

Natalie Kennedy - The most important thing to help you get promoted is exposure (making yourself known).

Time for a Change: Career Transition Planning

Jennifer Carr - Peak Reliability

Summaries:

Anna Posta - Jennifer Carr presented her unconventional path to becoming an electrical engineering career, after MULTIPLE career changes and having seven kids of her own. After she graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in philosophy, eight classes short from her electrical engineering degree, she worked in accounting, marketing, as a nail technician, and an x-ray technician. She finally evaluated her life and knew she was time for a change. Her method she describes is the "IPA" method which stands for Investigate, Prepare and Act. Investigating happiness or financial status are entirely justified reasons to make a change. After it is decided that you are making a change, preparing could entail consulting an expert, obtaining extra education or a certification and finding a support system. Finally acting must take place. No matter how small it is, doing things out of your comfort zone, whether it be wearing a bright purple wig in public or going back to school, is still progress that is helping you act. Jennifer was such an accomplished and well-spoken speaker with lots of wisdom on this topic and helped me realize just how long a career really is.
Sam Thobe - During this lightning talk (short presentation) Jennifer talked about how to recognize when a change in your life or career might be needed and how to transition throughout that change. She shared a discouraging statistic from researched based on 17,000 employees over 19 different industries. Of these 17,000 professionals, 71% of them were not happy. She quickly turned this discouragement into encouragement as she described the steps she has taken when making the (what seemed like endless) career transitions in her life. She proposed the acronym "IPA," no, not Indian Pale Ale. IPA stood for Investigate, Prepare, Act. The first step is to investigate WHY you are making a change, or WHY you want to. This will help lead you in the right direction, so you do not end up in a duplicated predicament. Next is prepare. Before you jump right into that next career or path, do some research. She suggested the following: consult an expert by job shadowing or conducting an informational interview, make a list of what is needed to take that next step, such as a certification or more education, find some type of support system, never do it alone, let some things go, you might not have time for keeping your home spotless and that's okay, and lastly, be prepared to put in the WORK! Finally, you are ready to Act. If you do not act on this step and take the leap, nothing will happen. Jennifer suggested incorporating small activities in your life that will get you out of your comfort zone. Doing this will give you that "I can do it" confidence in everyday life as well as when you are making a large transition. Jennifer closed out the presentation by telling us all to not be afraid to let the path build itself, you may not always know what is to come, and that's the beauty of it all!

Takeaways:

Anna Posta - A career is a very long time and it is never too late for a switch if there is a lack of happiness or fulfillment.
Sam Thobe - Keep those "blinders" on! Sometimes it's best to not think too rationally or too far into things. Think about where you want to go next, set a goal, and go get it even if it is against the norm or doesn't follow a straight path. Lastly, it's never too late to change directions to achieve what's best for you and your happiness.

The Reality of Mixed Reality

Microsoft

Summary:

Flo Piotrkowski - Microsoft presented the realms of reality (physical, mixed, and digital) and spoke about transitioning between them. They started with an overview of headsets and mixed reality products and described the applications of these devices in different industries. We watched a video of a manufacturing application, where the worker was able to fix a mechanical issue using a VR headset (the Microsoft HoloLens) and off-site assistance. She contacted experts who were able to see and understand the space and the problem using the HoloLens rendering. Instead of paying travel expenses and having to wait until help could arrive, the expert was able to draw an arrow and the headset adjusted the arrows position and depth so that the worker wearing it could fix the problem! We also saw examples of other industry applications, such as simulation planning for the defense industry and medical training for students in medical school.

Takeaway:

Flo Piotrkowski - We still know so little about the health effects from all of the waves and free radicals that are bouncing around so close to our brains. Also, it made me see how this could assist in education for visual learners. They say it is especially helpful for medical school training. For example, you can see the space inside body cavities accurately for anatomy classes.

Fake It 'Til You Make It

Marina Dannecker

Summary:

Flo Piotrkowski - This session really resonated with me personally, and resonates with many female engineers. Imposter syndrome is experiencing negative feelings of self-doubt and insecurity about your job or position or placement despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Marina shared that she felt like she got her job by mistake, even though she did well in school and went through a long interview process to be hired, and was getting positive feedback on the work she was doing in her new career. She felt afraid to speak in meetings and afraid of people "realizing" that she was a failure and got where she was by mistake. She found that improv helped her combat her imposter syndrome. She found that stepping out of her comfort zone and putting herself in situations that she could not control but had to make the most of prepared her for similar situations in her career!

Takeaway:

Flo Piotrkowski - I love theater and would love to try to use it to make me feel more confident at work!

Best Practice Sharing Among Collegiate SWE Members

Aimee Ulstad - The Ohio State University

Summary:

Caroline Karczewski - We were able to come together with other SWE sections and learn how they run their sections. It was cool to see how such a large section like cal poly runs vs a small section like the university of Idaho. One really cool thing I hope we implement is the he for SWE events cal poly does. It would be really cool to hold events for men of Ohio state for education and for fun! One section also sends out hand written invitations to incoming freshman which is very cool to get more members!

Takeaway:

Caroline Karczweski - There’s always room to improve and there are so many people around the country who have so many great ideas that you would never think of on your own.

Fab Fem Finance - 7 Habits for Success

Leanne Plancic

Summary:

Isha Satpalkar - In this session, I learned about the unique considerations we must consider as being financially successful women investors. I learned that women tend to live longer and must plan accordingly for retirement, must factor in the gender wage disparity, take time off work to start a family and are generally more risk averse. In this session, I learned about the 7 habits of financial success which are: 1. Identify your financial goals 2. Live within your means 3. Utilize compounding interest 4. Take Advantage of Tax-Shelters 5. Control your future tax bracket 6. Maximize social security 7. Leverage long term care insurance. Regarding #2 of Living within your means, I learned that it is important to prepare for now, short term, long term, and retirement. Regarding #4, I learned that it is important to have a range of liquid investments (that are readily available in case of emergency), as well as short term, long term and retirement investments.

Takeaway:

Isha Satpalkar - I learned that it is important to start saving, budgeting and thinking about the future as soon as you can and to start building credit as early as you can so you are potentially able to own a house, a car, or even save up for your future children's education.

Artificial Intelligence - Machine Learning

Microsoft

Summary:

Allison Whitney - Machine learning is a new wave in computer science that allows the code to adapt itself to a data set with minimal or no input from the user. Power BI only requires data input but there are many other software advances happening in machine learning at Microsoft.

Takeaway:

Allison Whitney - Microsoft offers some free online resources that you can use!

The next SWE conference is WE19 in Anaheim, California from November 7th to November 9th. WE19's campaign is "We Live > We Learn > We Lead". More information about the conference can be found using the link below.

SWE WE19

It is recommended to pursue attending a SWE conference for the professional and personal growth it provides for all attendees. Ohio State SWE members have benefited greatly from attending previous conferences. For more information about the Ohio State SWE section please click the link below and reach out with any inquiries on connecting with or sponsoring the OSU chapter.

OSU SWE

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