Electronics, IT and engineering fields

Post Reply New Topic

I have recently been laid off due to the credit crunch and now have to start looking for a new job. I looked through my CV and noticed all my positions have been at electronics, engineering or IT companies... In admin positions as I don't have a technical background.
I noticed I find working in groups where the male to female ratio was bigger. Say 3 women to 11 men was easier. I also noticed a few of my collegues show AS symptoms especially the engineers. I find it really hard to work in an office environment where there are a lot of women, in general I always got on better with men than women, or females who get on better with men.... has anyone else had this experience?

Well, men behave differently from women at the job. They are a bit open about their intentions and do not take things too personal.

I have a few female colleagues and when somebody does not help them or something goes wrong they take it soon to a personal level. For most male colleagues it is all part of the game and when you encounter a bump it belongs to the game, you stay calm and solve it.

Of course this is a bit extreme, but there are is a basic truth to it. Working with women takes some more effort, at least for me. But they can be good colleagues, especially to ease official paths for me.


But to look at your resume, maybe you can put the experience at technical companies as some pro in your letters?

I seem to find it the other way around. A lot less posturing...and I work for a woman-heavy company.

There are 3 IT areas that come to ind where Women are still very well represented.

Software Quality Assurance
Business Analysis (Tech Writing, etc.)
Project management

The last two are likely because they involve a lot of interaction with people and relationship building.

Not sure about the SQA stuff, but in almost all the teams I've been on in that field, the majority of the people were women.

and support.

I am the only woman on my team of 15 people. We do hardware design so it is definitely technical. We are all engineers.

I wouldn't necessarily say that I enjoy men more. I have always felt that women were more inclined to help me when I had a problem. However, I am an extremely competitive person, and for whatever reason I have had an unrelenting desire to compete with other women mercilessly my entire life. Because of that, being around women tends to stress me out. With men, it sort of feels like I'm on another playing field entirely.

This is kind of odd, but I also enjoy the fact that a lot of men in my field get nervous talking to young women like me. It makes me feel more confident knowing that I'm not the only nervous one in the conversation (though I am generally nervous because I'm awkward and can't interpret what others are feeling, not because I have some subconscious need to impress them).

Also, people recognize me around the workplace because I stand out. There are only a small handful of young girls working in my area, but all the hundred or so 28-ish year old Caucasian men tend to blend together.

I'm not sure about the rest, but engineers are way up there in the "may have AS" category.

For nearly 50 years, I've been a nerd and an engineer. I get along with machines way better than people. Fortunately for me, I figured out this fact and found a way to earn a living from it.

However, I also have a useless skill, because when I retire from my government job (the only place weird enough to give me a good job), then I'll have trouble selling my skills. I can run circles around very talented people, in a rather obscure yet high-demand field. It probably will be better for me to start a business selling trinkets on e-bay or something.

But I digress. If you're an aspie, then stick with the engineers. We can talk your language!