10 Women Engineers Give Advice to Future Generations

At the core, engineers are problem solvers and inventors. In some cases, they are also pioneers. In honor of International Women in Engineering Day, meet some of the women who are engineers at Honeywell. 

Phoebe Henson, Systems Engineer, Glendale, AZ

Advice for future women engineers: “Try a lot of different things and figure out what you do and don’t like. When you find a project that you want to be involved in, find the place where you can make the biggest impact and dig in.”

Prudence Hoffman, Technical Solutions Consultant in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Advice for future women engineers: “Follow through with what you promise and understand the impact of your work on others. Gain respect by delivering on your commitments. Be confident in your ideas and thoughts, and believe in yourself. Be brave and keep going.”

Claudia Alexandra León, mechanical design engineer, Mexico

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Advice for future women engineers: “My advice for future engineers is not to listen to any stigma surrounding the profession and choose a career path where you get to do something you really enjoy so going to work every day doesn’t feel like work at all! Stay in the know for new technologies and try to see what new solutions and innovations you could bring to the world.”

Minaz Makhania, Lead Technology Services Specialist in Delhi, India

Advice for future women engineers: “Determine your short-term and long-term career goals early in your career and then focus on finding the right path and mentors to achieve your goals. Every glass ceiling can be broken by consistent efforts, so do not be discouraged by existing stereotypes.”

Arti Pandita, Project Manager, India

Advice for future women engineers: “Be sensible and sensitive at the same time. In my experience, women tend to be overprepared and under-confident. It’s important to match your competence with your confidence. Trust your instincts; believe in your brilliance and take advantage of the opportunities in front of you.”

Sue Strothers, Technology Fellow in Spokane, WA

Advice for future women engineers: “Be an engaged team member. Celebrate the successes of the team, but don’t forget to recognize the contributions of the individuals in it. Find good mentors along the way and, in turn, share your knowledge and become one. Be willing to take on new assignments and roles, even if (perhaps, especially if) they are outside the scope of what you typically do. They will expand your network and give you different perspectives and an appreciation of what others do to make the business successful.”

Mercedes Valladares, Director Engineering in Clearwater, FL

Advice for future women engineers: “My advice for future women engineers is to always believe in themselves, lean in and take on the most challenging technical or leadership roles (the ones others are afraid of), find mentors and learn from them, deliver on commitments (even if it means working harder than everyone else around them), realize they are not alone and always help others succeed.”

Tanuja VijayKumar, Staff Engineer in India

Advice for future women engineers: “Technology is changing too fast, faster than you can imagine. You need to keep pace with it. Economics, jobs, personal lives are getting digital, more connected and automated.  Develop as many skills as possible.”

Juliana Brucker, Research and Development (R&D) Scientist in Czech Republic

Advice for future women engineers: “Enjoy life, offline, rather than online. Don’t miss any chance to meet smart people and learn new skills.”

Angela Xu, Principle Research Scientist in China

Advice for future women engineers: “Keep believing and dare to accept challenges. Remain confident and live with no limits. Be persistent, focused and proud of your job. Learn from others and your career mentor, keep moving. Develop a career plan and live out loud.”