Engineering is one of the top career options for people across the USA, with there being branches to different types from rocket engineering to trains on the tracks! They are the mathematicians that use their hands, the problem-solvers full of new ideas and engineers have the know-how to advance technology in a way that those in basic tech roles don’t. The biggest problem in engineering? Only 11% of working engineers are female.

Attracting and retaining women in the engineering workforce is not easy, and it’s the goal of most companies to push diversity and create sustainability for the future for women in engineering roles. It’s not that women wouldn’t be hired because they’re women; the issue is a lack of understanding. Engineers have been primarily men for decades, and so there isn’t enough information or education out there to explain to women all over the country how they could make such a tremendous difference. It’s a dirty and physical job for the most part, but it can progress into so much more than that.

If you are looking to go for a career within engineering, then an engineering management masters is going to help you go a long way to get there. The best thing about being a woman in engineering? The sheer diversity of the role. It’s not just limited to IT or technology. If you want to build rockets, you can. If you want to build cars, you can. There is a beauty in the work you would be doing and it’s a career that comes with challenges that go beyond the usual 9-5 behind a desk. The industry itself may be in dire need of rebranding to attract more female engineers, but the basics are that if you are a key problem solver and you know exactly how to find the answers that you need, you’ll be able to do well within engineering.

Careers within engineering are limitless, especially for women, who are sought after for the senior roles out there. Most companies are angling in a very small pool for women who can fill the big jobs, and so it makes it a clear pathway for women in the field to do very well should they want to. Being creative isn’t just limited to art careers and careers in music and storytelling. Engineers are some of the most creative in the bunch, because their ideas change lives. Some of the most famous female engineers (listed here) are lauded in the field for their work that changed the world. You could be a huge part of that change if you take the time to research the career.

Don’t be stuck thinking that just because you are a woman you can’t look into engineering as an option. There may be challenges, sure, but there are challenges with every industry as a female worker. You could be the one to break the mould – so go and chase your engineering dream and be somebody who counts.