I was just browsing on social media, as one does before heading to work, and I stumbled upon this video prompted: girlies in engineering what was the most unhinged things you did to get through your degree. And there was a comment that said: I dated a man just long enough so he would do all my CAD assignments.

This made me so angry… everyone that replied was saying how funny it was or how they should’ve done that.

All throughout college I kept my head into my studies and worked day in and out for my classes. I just feel like this comment undermines every women’s efforts to get an engineering degree.

No shade to this girl, but I felt disappointed. As women in engineering, we already deal with stereotypes about our capabilities, so seeing people celebrate a joke about having a man do your assignments just rubbed me the wrong way. I worked hard for my degree, and I want that hard work to be taken seriously. Am I overthinking this?

I got laid off in March 2026 and I’ve been job hunting since then. I got pregnant shortly after and I’m currently 32 weeks pregnant due mid December. I got a job interview this week and I wanna cancel it. My priority has changed and I want be at home with my baby as long as possible. Scheduling the interview I was curious and like oh it’s an opportunity to meet people and get to know more about working there as it was something I was interested in previously. but now I’m feeling nesting mode. it’s hard to show up in person super pregnant, not even sure what I can wear that will fit, and knowing I’m looking at less than 2 months more of pregnancy, then postpartum, and then honestly not sure I want to go back to work or when. do I just need to boost my confidence and go for the interview? or honor how I’m currently feeling?

Soooo I started my first year of general/undeclared engineering in uni almost 2 months ago coming from an all-girls school, so the flip in gender majority is almost a bit of culture shock to me. I’m grateful I have 2 friends that are also girls who are in most of my classes!

I was asked out by a guy I spoke to in a practical class one time as I was getting off to switch busses after uni. He was polite about it and so was I when I turned him down; I kinda just said I’m gay, which is true. All was fine.

Thing is, I’ve been so much more conscious of myself and the way I act now. I spoke to that guy without any thought at all, and hadn’t thought about him since until a few days later when he asked me out. I’d like to make friends with guys, but now I find myself nervous that they’ll think I’m interested in them - I’ve been censoring myself and becoming a bit more awkward because of the spotlight on my gender due to being in the small minority. Rejecting somebody makes me feel like crap too 😭.. It’s pretty silly but it’s making me acknowledge and occasionally feel burdened by my femininity. I’m not even all that feminine to start and I’d rather be proud!!

I know rationally that it’s not a big deal and I’m lucky not to have experienced any direct and hateful misogyny, but I’m finding the integration to uni life difficult. I also am aware that it’s something I need to become comfortable with with pursuing engineering.. I guess that’s why I brought it here 🙏🙏

If you have any, it would be nice to hear similar stories / advice on how to move forward in the next few years :)

I started an engineering job 6 months ago after graduation and I’m unhappy.

Since starting here I’ve been noticing how differently I’m being treated. I’m the only woman on my team. The other inexperienced male engineers are given different opportunities. Aside from the male dominance that I know will exist in every engineering industry, the work environment is not the best. The pay is not enough. I don’t see myself excelling here like I thought I would. There is very little opportunity to do so. I feel as if my talents are being wasted here. Should I apply to different jobs or is it too soon?

I’ve always wanted to be an engineer and overcame many challenges in order to become one. Since working here I’m beginning to question whether engineering will make me feel fulfilled…

Share your success stories, or stories of pivoting or switching between engineering jobs. How did y’all overcome the male dominance in the field?

Ladies, I’m at a cross roads. I lost my job, and I don’t really want to completely depart from engineering, but I can’t handle the work life balance I’ve been experiencing in consultant work. I don’t want to be forced in to working every weekend. I don’t want to be expected to work through lunch everyday. I don’t want to be forced into working until 8 pm every day. I don’t want to be forced to work through almost every holiday. Is this unicorn job a pipe dream, or does it exist? I live in Minneapolis, and I just desperately need to take care of myself. I’ve been applying. I’m on a third round interview with Foth as an environmental engineer doing CQA work on landfills (I have direct experience with this, and am already shaking at the thought of losing all my time again) but I really don’t know if I want to keep at it if work life balance won’t exist. I know very little about the company, as there isn’t much info on it online. I’m currently single, and would really like to not be forever, so I’d like some time to date eventually, and maybe have a family? I’m 28, so I just don’t want to put my life on pause to make some firm an insane amount of money while I waste away. Any advice would be so so so appreciated.

hi guys I’m a collegiate member in charge of my school’s sponsorship and industry participation! it’s awkward to bring it up to people. we have a good amount of sponsorship!

its also hard getting industry involvement without blurring the lines of non-company involvement and paying-sponsors (often recruiters). often companies reach out asking if they can host a recruiting meeting without paying, and my response is… sorry, but most of our income is from corporate sponsorships. it’s how we pay for everything.

but at the same time, industry perspective really is helpful. invaluable to college kids.

i was curious if anyone had any thoughts on this topic.

I’m a mechanical engineer based in Montreal, currently working as a contractor at Boston Scientific on a one-year contract. I’ve only been in the role for two months.

I’ve received an offer for a permanent Mechanical Engineer position at Alstom in Derby, UK. The role involves railway systems, supplier management, requirements, and testing, and I’m interested in developing more practical engineering experience.

However, I’m worried about making the move to the UK, discovering that I don’t enjoy the railway industry, and wanting to return to medical devices.

Would taking the Alstom job hurt my chances of returning to the medical device industry in Canada or elsewhere? Would employers see my railway experience as a detour, or would my mechanical engineering skills still be transferable?

I’m trying to make a decision that supports my long-term career without unnecessarily closing doors.

I’m curious about what it may be like to pursue patent law. I’m currently a refrig/HVAC engineer with a FE and I’m planning on getting my PE soon.

I never had a good perception of patent law bc all the classmates I knew who were pursuing that were known to be manipulative/chronic liars. Basically they were the type to cheat or talk other people into doing schoolwork. But I only knew 2 people wanting to do patent law.

But I think they’re just people who may think that patent law is an easy ticket to money. I’m interested in women patent lawyers. Please let me know ur experience and share if you like ur field or not.

Hi everyone! I am attending WE26 in Boston and am looking for fellow conference attendees to share accommodation with and help keep costs down!

I have already booked a room at the Courtyard by Marriott Boston-South Boston for November 4–8 (4 nights). The reservation is for 4 adults, and the room has two queen beds. I am hoping to find up to 3 roommates to share the cost!

A few details:

• Dates: November 4–8 (check-in November 4, check-out November 8)
• Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Boston-South Boston
• Room setup: Two queen beds, with up to four people total. We will coordinate sleeping arrangements together before confirming.
• Cost: Hoping to split the accommodation cost evenly among everyone. I can share the total and estimated per-person cost via DM.
• More about me: I am a undergraduate senior that will be graduating soon. I will be attending all the WE26 sessions, events, and networking opportunities, so I expect to have busy days!

If you are attending WE26 and still looking for accommodation, please feel free to DM me! Let me know your dates and whether you are comfortable sharing a queen bed. I would love to connect beforehand to coordinate logistics.

Looking forward to WE26 and meeting other women in engineering! 😊

I've been with the company for almost 9 years and have grown up here. I am currently supervising the team I took over my supervisor was promoted to a new role. I've been in the PM role for the past year and do a bit of design (want to do more, honestly). I'm a perfect example of a high-achieving technical person promoted to people management. I took it seriously, and I work my ass off to be the best supervisor I can.

I'm working on myself (imposter syndrome yey) in therapy and go through leadership coaching. I recently asked my boss one of the self-challenging questions: What is one thing I do on a daily basis that is inspiring? He responded, "You make my life easier."

He didn't want to elaborate on the answer...

His answer makes me feel used, like he's objectifying my skills to meet his needs. I guess the worst part is that this was the only thing he thought to say.

I feel gut-punched, and as I said, it makes me feel used, unseen, and not part of the team, but a tool for him to succeed.

I truly loved working for my supervisor over the years, I feel comfortable in having /bringing up hard conversations and we can usually find a solution. I always considered him my mentor (he was not my supervisor at the beginning) and supporter.

Plus, I recently noticed double standards in what's expected of me vs. my counterpart. In short, whatever I send always needs at least small tweaks, whereas my colleague's work goes out unreviewed (I know because I'm on emails and can see what was submitted with obvious mistakes), and he gets a 'great job'

I'm in male dominated field, I've been through some things already due to that, but for the first time I'm upset to the point that I'm feeling like a need to look for a new job.

Hello hello!

I’ve been recently hired as lead engineer for a manufacturing team (Aerospace Startup) at my company. Feeling nervous about my first time management experience just overall. I would love any advice y’all can share that helped when you were first starting out in management, or even later in a manager role!

I’m mostly nervous because I technically only have 1.5 YOE outside of school. I came into full-time with 1.25 years of cumulative internship experience so in total I have almost 3 years of relevant engineering experience. I think between my internships and the work I’ve done at my current company it really accelerated my ability to work as an IC during full time employment because I got to see how a lot of different teams and engineers operated.

So overall just nervous that I was asked to apply and offered a lead role so early in my career and how to navigate this new journey.

Thank you all!

I have a bachelors degree in Biological Engineering (food, water, energy), and I have been working as a water resources engineer at a civil consulting firm for 5+ years. I earned my PE in water resources engineering early this year and have since been training to become a project manager. I am trusted and well-respected by my team, have some semblance of autonomy in my workday, and get a say in the sorts of projects I work on. Despite all this, I feel stagnant, unfulfilled, bored, and sad! On top of that, I received a raise bumping me to 6 figures this year, and those golden cuffs are heavy.

When I was in college, I felt like I could do anything!!! This was in part because some of my professors literally said this to the class regularly. They told us an engineering degree opens so many doors that we could essentially go anywhere with what we’ve learned. This was so inspiring to me! The possibilities the future held felt endless!

During my senior year, we toured a farm and got to learn about the food side of bio engineering, and I felt literal awe at the idea that some farm in a small corner of the US feeds hundreds of thousands of people every year. It was a true emotional experience. I searched high and low for Ag Engineering positions but wasn’t able to find anything at the time, and that ultimately led me to water. I liked my watershed class enough, so I thought it would be fun and interesting to do watershed management at a civil firm. BITCH I WAS WRONG.

Don’t get me wrong—I have learned SO much. I have a lot of technical skills that seem transferable to me, but the job boards say otherwise… I’m qualified for NOTHING except water resources engineering at another civil consulting firm. I cannot fathom the idea of doing this shit for the rest of my working life. It’s miserable. I’ve started to feel resentful towards my former professors. But then like, should I??? Were they wrong or am I not looking in the right places? Was I naive to believe them? Am I missing something?? I feel crazy and burnt out.

While in college, I had felt like I could change the world, and now I feel like a corporate slave. I have just started learning python thinking this can qualify me for something more fulfilling, but I really don’t know if it will or what that thing will be. At least I’m learning soemtbing, I guess. Any advice or thoughts you care to share??

I’m older than my peers at the same point in their careers (was a non-traditional student), and really don’t want to go too far backwards in my salary. I have a husband and a mortgage and other responsibilities. My husband is so supportive and wants me to be happy, but I don’t want to send us backwards financially. :(

Today while I was on the field, I was told by a contractor to smile 😀...

I hope he falls in a ditch!... Anyhow, I'm just venting, that's all.

Happy Friday my strong and beautiful ladies!🩷

Basically the women's sizes are aggressively hourglass shaped and I don't fit any size according to it. My body isn't that weird. I've had two kids and I'm a software engineer.... I just have more of a belly but still look good if that makes sense. Look at the differences between bust and waist! I'm losing my mind over what to pick. Should I just pick a men's size?

My measurements: bust: 39", waist: 37.5, hips: 41"

Here are the men's sizes:

I actually saw this on my managers calendar not mine.

But does it mean the manager is getting fired?

My paranoid brain is thinking maybe my company has layoffs and my manager is signing an NDA idk. Or that they want to pip someone. Idk.

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing very well.

I wanted to share that there is currently a Colombian engineering student studying at a prestigious French engineering school (Grande École), where she serves as the Communications Manager and is also part of the Composites Team.

Her interview has just been posted on Instagram, and it would be amazing for her to feel the love and support from other woman in STEM.

I can't share the full link here, but you can find it at:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DezftdQu9-D/

The Instagram page is @enimetzracingteam.

Her name is María José Quintero, and the interview was posted about 20 hours ago.

Thank you so much, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day! 🇨🇴✨

I’m currently a senior in college and have been considering Kiewit as a potential employer after graduation.

As a Black woman entering the industry, I wanted to hear about other people’s experiences working at Kiewit, especially women and minorities.

I’m curious about the overall work environment, diversity, company culture, and opportunities for career growth. Do you feel supported and respected by your coworkers and management? Have you experienced or witnessed any discrimination or unfair treatment?

I’ve also heard mixed reviews about Kiewit’s work-life balance, so I would love to hear more about that as well.
I know experiences can vary depending on the location and project, but I would appreciate any honest feedback, whether positive or negative.

Thanks in advance!

I just got accepted into mechanical engineering coop (direct entry from hs to a pretty good uni) but when I looked online I saw that the male to female ratio for mech eng is really awful with only around 15% of mech engineers being female.

I got accepted today and the sexist comments have already started. Someone told me that it was good I was going into such a male dominated degree bc I wouldn’t have a difficult time finding a boyfriend. Someone else asked me why I could even consider going into such a male dominated degree. It’s insulting bc I busted my ass off in grade 11 and I’m working so hard in grade 12. I’ve sacrificed so much. I applied with a 93%, which is objectively good. So many guys I know are applying with mid 80s, so it pisses me off that they’re trying to mansplain when I’m the one who got in with a better average and with better prospects. I know I sound superficial but I’m upset that people have already started making sexist comments. The most insulting part is that these comments are coming from my friends, people I trust. I was so happy when I saw I got accepted w an entrance scholarship, but after hearing all this bs it makes me wonder if I’ve made the wrong choice. I’m not irrational and I’m not gonna drop out of mech eng, but I’m definitely scared. It’s been a DAY since being accepted and I’ve gotten multiple sexist comments.

When you work hard and get 90s in all of your classes, end up with a 93 average, and get into a prestigious program at a good school, you expect people to be happy for you, point blank. It’s insulting to have your hard work somehow connected to your dating prospects or guys. If I was seeking male validation I wouldn’t go into mechanical engineering, and that’s an incredible rude and superficial thing to say to any girl. I’m not an engineer yet, but my eyes have been opened to how blatantly sexist people are.

This is mostly just venting, but to any mechanical engineers, or really to any female engineers, is working around a predominantly male workforce difficult? Do you guys experience sexism in a way that it sort of makes you feel like you’ve done something wrong? Will things be okay?

I am writing an article on the subject ‘Why do female F1 fans have to prove they belong’ and I am enquiring as to women’s experiences being a fan, whether new or longtime. If you would be happy to contribute to my article, please provide your experiences below.

Any responses would be appreciated and please confirm that you would be happy to be included in the article.

Hi everyone! I’m an engineer located in Mexico looking for remote opportunities.

From what I’ve seen, it’s more common to have engineering related remote positions in the US than in Mexico (or at least from the city where I live in, where most engineering roles are focused in way more technical and hands on skills) since Mexico is a well known place for companies to bring in their product manufacturing.

What are some websites to look out? Or what companies are open to remote jobs?