It's a glamorous job

In case you didn't know, I'm an engineer.  I'm legally obligated to specify that I am only a licensed engineer in the state of Oregon.  There... that's out of the way.

No I do not drive a train.  I design crap.

And it is just as glamorous as it seems.

So far this week, I have checked a truss design, figured out how long it will take me to design a retaining wall, written a memo, and evaluated concrete mix designs.  And it's only Wednesday.

I know what you are saying... "Wow.  I wish I had your job."

I know.  You're super envious.  Try to calm down.

I also get the privilege of working with almost all men.  And they are all way older than me.  That means I often get mistaken for a receptionist or note-taker.  I do take notes during meeting, but only for me.  Not for the other men who are too lazy to write stuff down.

And because I am a woman, nobody makes eye contact with me during these meeting where they want me to take notes.  Whenever one of them does actually look at me, I suddenly become extremely self-conscious.  Is there something in my teeth?  Do I have lipstick on my forehead?  Or was what I just said so absolutely stupid that they couldn't help themselves from looking at me?

But having this job has illustrated to me that I am good at several things:

-  Staying awake despite hours and hours of calculations.
-  Keeping my cool during meetings when I make a suggestion and no one acknowledges it and then five minutes later when a man repeats my suggestion and everyone rants and raves about what a great idea it is.
-  Drinking coffee.

Drinking coffee is almost like a sport for most engineers.  Gotta keep the mind sharp and alert.  You don't want a sleepy engineer.

So back to work I go!  I need to finish that memo.