IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2021 - 24

Career Advisor

Goals Are Sometimes
More Viable Than
They Seem
Know that you can do it

From the already-small number of feSupport For My Goals
male students enrolled in undergraduate
For me, when I applied for the Ph.D.
engineering programs, very few conprogram at the System and Engineering
tinue to pursue a career in academia. As
Department at Carleton, I was pregnant,
a result, encountering a woman holding
and the idea of me starting a Ph.D. dea doctoral degree in engineering is ungree seemed unbelievably challenging
common, and within the research and
for many reasons. Honestly, on many
academia field, in particular, such
occasions, I doubted that I could go
an encounter becomes rare.
through with it. NevertheHowever, one visit to
less, I was determined
Women,
the Advanced Realto pursue my lifelong
including myself,
time Simulation
dream of achieving
Lab (ARSLab) at
a Ph.D. degree.
represent five out of
Carleton UniThis determinasix postdoctoral fellows
versity in Ottion pushed me
working at the ARSLab,
tawa, Canada,
to finish the
holding a doctoral degree
shows a differcourse requirein science, technology,
ent perspecments and
tive. Women,
comprehensive
engineering, mathematics,
including myexam
as well as
while researching in the
self, represent five
to start working
field of engineering.
out of six postdocon my thesis in just
toral fellows working
eight months. I canat the ARSLab, holding
not deny that the thesis
a doctoral degree in science,
path was challenging, but I was
technology, engineering, mathematics,
lucky to have the support that many
while researching in the field of engiwomen in my situation do not receive:
neering. Each of us has a unique backstarting with my mother, who traveled
ground, challenges, and dreams.
overseas to provide care to my young
children while I presented conference
papers; my husband, who watched over
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MWIE.2021.3062922
the kids to offer me a quiet home to
Date of current version: 5 May 2021

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

JUNE 2021

study for my comprehensive exam; and
my children, who entertained each other
while I studied. I was also fortunate to
have an understanding, flexible, supportive, and open-minded supervisor,
who became a mentor and friend. The
support I received and the determination I had helped me to focus on my goal
until I graduated.
A few months later, the ARSLab
director offered me a postdoctoral
fellowship. Being new to this area of
expertise, I felt that I was restarting a challenging route again. Not
long after that, I realized that I had
a new support system consisting of
my supervisor and colleagues. Later,
I was recommended to teach courses
at Carleton University, along with
the research; however, I was not as
confident that I could juggle all of
those responsibilities.
" Take it. We will support you, " my
postdoctoral supervisor said. I consulted
with him about adding teaching to my
full plate, and he spent hours advising
me on how to navigate through my first
teaching experience.
It has been 17 months since my
appointment in the lab. During this
period, I have published papers in
the field, written articles, t aught
graduate and undergraduate courses,
earned a teaching certificate, and
learned a lot. No doubt, things get
stressful, but I am enjoying ever y
part of it.
So, for all the women out there,
know that you can do it. The question is
not whether you can or not, because you
certainly can. The question is, " What is
it that you want to achieve? " Goals are
more viable than they seem, and with
challenges comes support.
-Hoda Khalil

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2021

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