take the 16 hour exam, covering topics that I had never stud-
ied or taught! Even though I taught wind and earthquake
engineering at one time, the design specifications have
changed so much that it was all new to me. I passed Part I
of the exam in December 2009 and plan to take Part II in
6 months. In engineering, life-long learning is crucial!
It would be a disservice to potential female engineers
who are pondering the decision of majoring in engineering
not to mention some of the obstacles many female engineers
face; engineering is still a male dominated field. The engi-
neering profession, in recent years, has placed more empha-
sis on equal opportunity and has made great strides inemploying more females. However, there are still very few
female engineers in the workforce. This oftentimes hampers
the effectiveness of doing collaborative research. Would I dis-
courage any of my female students or any female consider-
ing engineering as her career? The answer is ABSOLUTELY
NOT!!! I believed 25 years ago and still do, we should all
choose a career that we will enjoy regardless of gender and
ethnic background. The joy and challenge of the work and
the contribution to the welfare of our society outweighs the
obstacles. So, if you are thinking about engineering and
enjoy science and math and are willing to learn and work
hard, just go for it and be an engineer. It is worth it.108 Chapter 4 Engineering Communication
Source:Courtesy of Karen Chou
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