July 21, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR SHEILA ENGLAND IN PA
This is a fantastic question. Currently, my position is Technology Officer
/ Software Engineer III. My competitive advantage is based on (not in order
or priority):
1. Having an undergraduate degree in Applied Mathematics.
2. The technical focus of my master's degree. My advisor while I worked on
my Master's degree told me to stay technical. It was the best advice I have
been given.
3. Getting my Master's degree.
4. Not being afraid to pursue a career in a male-dominated field.
5. Being proactive about my work experience, proactive about for whom and
with whom I worked and proactive about the projects on which I worked. For
example, as a software engineer my goal when I went to work was to perform
all the tasks involved with the software engineering life cycle. I have
achieved this goal and this is what recently qualified me for my current
position.
6. Taking initiative and filling in the white space between my
responsibilities and my colleague's responsibilities. This means I do not
have the attitude "that's not my job". Of course, I cannot let my tasks go
undone to help someone else but often what my colleague has to do impacts my
progress and thus, helping them helps me and my team.
7. Being an excellent team player.
8. Continuing to learn.
9. Being willing both to follow and to lead.
10. Learning the business domain.
11. Being able to communicate effectively with management, colleagues, other
staff and customers.
12. Not being afraid to do something new and stretch my abilities.
13. Volunteering when given the opportunity at the workplace and in my
community.
14. Taking the time to have fun with coworkers.
15. Treating everyone in the workplace with respect.
16. Refusing to give up and become negative about the obstacles that I have
had to overcome as female and being willing to confront those obstacles
without becoming bitter.
17. Refusing to be relegated to the 'acceptable' positions women are allowed
to have in the software engineering field. Typically, these jobs are
documentation, test and quality assurance. I have performed all these jobs
because they are a part of the software engineering life cycle but I have
insisted on being allowed to develop and design as well which typically are
the jobs that the most males seem to consider their domain.
18. Staying focused on my objectives when I become discouraged.
19. Integrity.

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A: FROM MENTOR ANDREA GUNTHER IN WA
I am a structural engineer working on airplanes for commercial aviation
(planes that regular people ride or for that transport cargo). Most
people that I work with are well educated and highly ethical. What sets
people above their peers is attitude and a thirst for knowledge. The
great engineers have a positive attitude that accompanies a willingness
to try something new or read through information to find something that
would help with whatever engineering problem they have. These traits
are fairly easy to obtain if you are interested in your field of work.
On the other hand, if you aren't inspired by either the problem or the
general interest of science, it could take an excruciating amount of
will power to search out new information and apply it.
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A: FROM MENTOR BARBARA KONTOGIANNIS IN CO
Having technical skills with a degree in engineering, complemented by writing and communication skills, has really given me competitive advantage. There are many engineers and scientists who are absolutely brilliant when it comes to the technical details, but they are poor communicators, and therefore do not stand out in a crowd. Many technically oriented people shy away from writing or any form of public speaking. If you have strong technical skills and think you would enjoy a career in science and technology, don't ignore the "softer" skills in communication. Your communication skills, like speaking and writing, can set you apart and give you a competitive advantage.
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A: FROM MENTOR CAROL TOMAN IN IL
Besides being competent in my area (software design and development),
I think the biggest advantage comes from being flexible and always
interested in learning something new. Some people seem to stagnate in
their jobs which is a definite disadvantage. The pace of change in
our world continues to accelerate so people who can adjust to the
changes are the most valuable over time.
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A: FROM MENTOR NANCY WHITE IN WA
* ability to learn on a daily basis
* flexibility
* strong communication skills, regardless of the business area
* deep and wide network of contacts
* sense of humor
* commitment to caring about the people I work with and the quality of the
work I do.

I'm an entrepreneur. These qualities bring customers to me and keep
customers for me. But I think they apply in any setting!