In Schlumberger's Stiletto to Steel Toes contest, three winners were chosen from the RPI SWE section. Check out their essays below, in response to the prompt: "What will kick-start your career?"
1st Place: Megan Curtin
Following
a path that one might expect me to has never been anything I have been
interested in doing, even at a young age. This is shown really well in one my
favorite pictures from my childhood. In it, I am around the age of five wearing
one of my typical everyday outfits, a dress and puddle boots. I am in the
backyard in front of a pond with the biggest grin on my face because in each
hand I am holding a snake that one of the older neighborhood boys had caught. I
feel like this picture captures the child I was, I could be quite girly; making
fairy houses and being a princess for Halloween, but I could also be rough and
tumble; not afraid to get muddy catching frogs. Within reason, I did what I
wanted and never tried to force myself to follow a path outlined by society.
Even
at this point in my life, my path can parallel some of the more typical ones,
but I do not feel as though the one I am treading on is well-traveled. I am a sister, friend, runner, volunteer,
engineer, and much more. Where I have come from has lead me to the point I am
at, and where I chose to go will continue to define me. My path is mine and
though it may be similar to that of another runner or engineer, it is not quite
the same because we started in different places and will chose our own
individual ways that best suit us. I
feel fortunate as an engineer because a mindset with many opportunities to
apply it is created, all of which lead to slightly different paths. What I am learning now will help me reach a
point later on where I will be able to see a few more of the less traditional paths
that are a little more overgrown and I intend to try them out. For the swampier
trails I will keep my puddle boats on hand, but I am also willing to try
stilettos, steel boots, or even snow shoes if they suit the path I find myself
on.
2nd Place: Niyati Desai
I never was
a great connoisseur of shoes. Being the tomboy of my family, my mother
and sister had to wrest me from my comfortable sneakers and introduce me to the
wide world of female footwear, of which I am now a proud consumer. Much
to my father’s chagrin, I brought a plethora of footwear to college with me,
possibly causing him to think that his partner in crime has ditched her steel
toes forever in favor of ballet flats. He need not worry though, because
all those Engineering Expositions he took me to throughout my childhood had
already left their own type of footprint. Seeing all the projects and
hearing the “grown-ups” talk about how rewarding engineering is and how high
the demand for women engineers is, made me realize what I was made for.
While some women deviate to the shoe and purse sections of stores, I tend to
find my way into the technology and hardware departments. I always knew
that I was meant to do something unconventional, and growing up seeing my dad
work on his engineering projects gave me a very good idea as to what that would
be. My parents always provide a strong support system for me, just like
the perfect pair of platform heels, encouraging me to follow my dreams, which I
soon realized included me attending RPI and becoming a great Electrical
Engineer.
Graduating at the top of my high school class, I marched to the podium wearing
my white heels. Having recently mastered the art of walking in heels, I
realized that this was practice for the future- wobbling through unfamiliar
territory, and making my own path to run and excel on. Today I run
toe-to-toe with my peers in a male-dominated industry, but I’m not
worried. I can step out of my heels and don my steel toes in an instant,
running with the guys to overtake them and prove that I can go above and
beyond, giving employers a unique mixture of what they are looking for-
passion, talent, steel toes, and heels on the side.
3rd Place: Dannah Laguitan
When I was younger, I believed the
future contained doors of opportunity, excitement, and surprise that would
streamline a life of constant adventure. As I began to understand how the
‘real’ world works, I had to regrettably confront the possibility of daily
monotony; it was a difficult concept to face, but it gave me initiative to
search and attain that childhood dream. Can you imagine living in a black and
white world? I need spontaneity; I need variety; I need a daily medley.
Some
imply that I keep busy, that my schedule is overbooked, and that I am far
surpassing the limit. I say nay. How much is being done does not concern me; it
is what I am doing that drives me forward. I want to be a part of different
experiences to fully enjoy every bit life can offer - the road less traveled[1].
It is a journey I enthusiastically take in the hopes that one day I’ll find the
path I’m meant to take.
This
is why a nontraditional job is ideal; to enjoy life, find my adventure, and
procure a daily medley would mean that I have experienced, I have learned, and
I have lived. Discovering a career that generates an innate energy is what will
start my adventure. My dream is to witness the unknown and unfamiliar with a
steadfast attitude and be ready to try something new. The unorthodox may be
what will kick-start my career.
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