Three years ago in 2022, I returned back to a career in engineering consultancy after three intrinsically linked events: repatriation from working abroad, doctoral research, and a parental career break of two children.
All three things are big lifetime events, but at the time the isolation and challenge to return to work felt enormous.
I was unemployed with great knowledge, but the landscape around me had changed.
I wonder who else is working through similar transitions, so I am sharing for International Women’s Day my personal story of how I re-engaged with the profession, and to become a Vice President of IStructE.
I appreciate that this blog won’t be for all, but hopefully it will resonate and help readers know that returning to work after a long career break is possible and enjoyable.
Finding advice during a time of change
We often associate success with achieving outcomes of projects: the complex problem solved and sense of pride of meeting or nearly meeting targets that were set.
I am one of those people. I constantly like assessing my success in measured chunks of time or science. But at a peak of my involvement of projects, ten years ago, I stepped away to become a parent.
At the time, I was working aboard, and the circumstances of maternity and paternity were different then. This was not that long ago, and we can see that attrition rates of engineers of +35-40years is a problem, and particularly for women. We should hold up the mirror and ask some challenging questions about why?
Finding myself in career limbo was not planned. With amazing qualifications and experience, I had very few engineering peers or role models who I could turn to for advice when returning to work.
Frustrated, I went through the Women’s Returners Network just to apply for jobs. Job applications are challenging when your current role is “career break” and they provided interviews for part time roles.
When I was job searching for engineering roles, ten years working away in another country became an issue, and part time was seen as an obstacle for many roles.
IStructE peers
In the end I found myself contacting my peer network at IStructE, and was encouraged to contact people to get talking about myself and my research. I remember everyone who I spoke to, encouraged me and helped me find focus. Thank you.
Finding a new role
Eventually, I was rewarded for these hard efforts of self-evaluation, and I joined Cundall. I was starting to use my research findings and put them into practice. I was resourced on a project, and met people of all ages who were engaging with my knowledge of cities, resilience and sustainability.
After ten years of being away from the office experience, I also observed that there was more diversity. However, still for me, there were not many peer women around. This is a sign of the profession, one that still needs attention and consideration. I will come back to this point, whilst I go through some other reconnecting milestones.
Overcoming my barriers on returning to work were a challenge. I am aware that those career break challenges can be anything, not just parenthood, and what matters the most is feeling supported by others.
The best way to gain support - for me at least - is through participation. From my research, I learnt that generating change is about putting knowledge into action, so a few months later, I saw the position for Vice President at IStructE was available.
I contacted my network (because you need signatures), and I will say, I was fearful that I would not find people - but everyone I spoke to said “go for it”. So I did and was supported by the membership. Thank you.
Being a member
Returning to this membership organisation was another personal challenge – and opportunity - because the landscape had changed here too.
Familiar faces were still about, but there were many new ones to get to know. I remember meeting Tanya De Hoog, our recent past President, and it was not long before we were talking about the need for mentoring for returning parents into the profession.
I also found myself before a room full of people at a members’ Certifcate Ceremony event’, and there were returning parents with children in the audience, who were delighted that I was honest about my ‘limbo phase’.
I also felt huge support from men allies, and found the obstacles that I was trying to climb actually had steps - with encouragement. I am lucky to have a very knowledgeable and supportive peer network but I suspect that most structural engineers – and even more IStructE members – will offer support if asked. With their help I started to gain confidence again.
It was not long after this that I found myself being mentored by a group of women engineers for Fellowship. What is said in the discussion forum stays there, but just talking about what good leadership looks like, and sharing that encouraged us all to apply. Thank you.
Allyship
Now, my final story is unexpected but the best.
Being a part of IStructE Board, I chaired the James Sutherland lecture last year on historical skyscrapers in NYC. The lecture is held by the historical society. I was asked to join a dinner after the event, all very informal, and I found myself around the table with a group of ‘elderly’ men and women (they won’t mind me saying that).
I was amazed by them and their stories of allyship of past years. I didn’t even bring up the subject matter, they were just delighted to see “me” and wanted to share their supportive experiences. I had great fun listening. Thank you.
You may have noticed that I have said “thank you” at the end of key paragraphs.
This is deliberate, and because people gave me their time and without it, I might be another statistic towards attrition.
This journey I have been on to date about re-engaging with the professional world after a period of isolation is that I have put myself out there beyond my comfort zone and when I have, I have met support.
I have to admit, it took a while to recognise it because the frustration had built a very high wall, and fortunately I can share my story to hopefully help others.
Next time however, what I really want to celebrate is the fact that I did a PhD with two young children, and the power of learning new things is so important.
Overcoming attrition rates is going to be challenging, and mentoring is one way and participating and sharing knowledge helps. Acknowledging that a straight pathway might be efficient, but the unconventional path has travelled more, and I found a way through and sometimes that is what needs celebrating!