|
Getting Started: Lisa had worked in a variety of occupations - from retail display work ("changing mannequins and window trimming") to bank teller - but, she says, "they pay very low wages." When she and her husband divorced, Lisa needed some skills that would help her earn more.
Lisa "fell into" accounting work for some time - which paid well but left her feeling unsatisfied. "I came to the realization that I would just be sick to my stomach if I thought this was what I was going to be doing for the rest of my life," she says. When her company hired a outside consultant to test each employee's personality 'fitness' for their particular job, Lisa not surprisingly tested as a "very poor fit," and was let go. In hindsight, she calls it "a very lucky break."
She took the results of her test to a counselor at North Harris College, where a new batch of job-compatibility tests came back: "Working with tools and equipment, investigative." Armed with little more than this piece of paper, Lisa embarked on the search for her new career.
TOP
Education: Lisa talked to the campus recruiter for women in non-traditional jobs, who gave her some literature on welding inspection and Non-Descrtuctive Testing. "I'd never touched a welder or anything," Lisa says. "I just crossed it off mentally because I didn't think I could do it." She spent the summer of 1998 talking with different instructors, until she landed at an ultrasonics class one evening. "The instructor gave me about ten minutes of his time before class, and it excited me enough about Non Destructive Testing," she says, that she waited until she could speakat length to Ron Theiss, the head of the NDE department at North Harris College. After discussing career options in Non Destructive Testing with Mr.Theiss Lisa signed up.
Lisa took a number of classes - from metallurgy to pre-certification for welding inspection - at North Harris, and found herself eager for more. "North Harris offers various occupational certificates," she says, "but I wanted to get the full, two-year degree." With a transfer of credits to nearby San Jacinto College, she'll be able to earn her degree and ASNT certificate with only a few more classes to go. "It is important to have that," she says.
Greatest Professional Accomplishment:Landing the student/co-op job at Siemens Westinghouse, Lisa says, "was probably equivalent to winning the lottery." As a lab assistant, Lisa gets valuable hands-on experience, learning and earning as she completes her degree.
"When they brought me in I told them I had no experience in applying this, and they wanted me to help with projects that would involve Infrared Thermography. It was a whole new thing - and I'm being trained and brought along."
TOP
Barriers: Holding down a full-time job while studying for an entirely different career - some nights taking two classes back to back - was a challenge for sure, Lisa says. Early on, she admits, "I had doubts." But by the end of her first semester, she says, "I was loving it! I was loving learning what I was learning."
Lisa thinks of each day as an investment in her overall goal. Driving 90 miles three times a week, between work and school "is a pain - but it's worth it," she says. "It puts me just one more step closer to that degree."
TOP
Working with Men: "Getting up there in class - it was difficult at first," Lisa says. You're going to make mistakes, but everybody does that." She recognized early on the importance of stepping forward in class, overcoming shyness or hesitation to make sure that she learns all she needs. "Sometimes I just have to take a deep breath and go first," Lisa says. "I've usually been the only woman in there, but I've held my own very well." "I'm there for my future and I don't feel out of place at all."
And though women are still a minority in the field, sharing a common interest in technology and the problem-solving process helps build a team atmosphere among her co-workers. "You're going to get your hands dirty," she warns. "But if you're technical, if you like to investigate things, research things, find out 'why is this thing doing what it's doing?'" she says, this could be the field for you.
TOP
Advice for Women: Lisa says her own experience - knowing only that she wasn't happy in her old job, but "having no idea" what she ought to pursue - taught her the importance of taking time to explore. "If they're out there looking for something and they don't know what they want to do or what they'd be good at - it could be the wildest thing you never thought you could do - so just take a chance, poke around." Talking with career or college counselors, exposing yourself to a variety of career fields, is one way to discover talents or interests you might not have imagined.
"Don't cross anything off just because you've never done it or you don't have a background. You never know what's going to happen," she says. "Don't let someone else discourage you from trying something because they don't think you can doit."
TOP
Typical Workday/Environment: Lisa's current work is mainly lab-related ("I haven't been sent out in the field yet, but there's a possibility that I might be"). Her research duties at Siemens Westinghouse include assisting with developing new and highly sensitive technologies and techniques.
TOP
Career Ladder: Non_Descrtuctive Testing and Inspection has applications across many industries - from utilities to construction, shipbuilding, welding, aerospace and much more. This wide range of work opportunities is one of the most attractive things about the field, Lisa says. "There's about nine different industries [using NDT]," she says "and the earnings potential is very good. It's lucrative to get into." As you advance beyond the Level One (basic ASNT certification in NDT), your skills and earning power expand significantly.
NDT professionals are ranked according to their qualifications as Level One, Two or Three - with corresponding advances in salary and position. A Level One technician, starting off a career can expect to make $18-23,000 per year - depending on location, specific industry and employer. Higher up, the Level Two and Three workers can make from $40,000 to $60,000 annually, and more.
(For full salary surveys by geographic region, see American Society for Non Destructive Testing web site or Personnel for Non Destructive Testing at www.pfndt.com).
TOP
Hobbies: In her off time, Lisa - a south Florida native - says she loves the outdoors, especially the water. "I love to fish and jet-ski," she says, and can often be found at nearby Lake Conroe, launching her own jet-ski. "I'm very much a water person," Lisa says.
TOP
|
