How can women excel in the instrumentation control industry?
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After working for a few years, I felt the disadvantages associated with my gender. I’m a female engineering student working in the control industry; I don’t know much about the instrumentation field, which is hindering my career progress. I’d like to hear everyone’s opinions and experiences. Are girls really not suitable for working in chemical production? Not suitable for instrument control? Is there no prospect for development? My current workplace is relatively small; there are 4 people in the entire system team, and 2 of them are also involved in instrumentation work. Two people are enough to handle the workload; there’s little work related to maintenance, which in other words means it’s not given much importance by the company. Of course, the device has also performed well, remaining very stable; it has been in use for 5 years now without any instances of system failure or power loss. As a result, the management also thought that two people were enough for the control system, as there wasn’t much work to be done. Occasionally, some miscellaneous tasks are assigned, such as holding a video conference or attending an event as a formality, since everyone else is busy. Essentially, there really isn’t much room for *growth and development. I want to change jobs and find an organization with great opportunities for growth where I can improve myself. But it’s a bit difficult to step out of one’s comfort zone. Feel free to criticize. . . . . Automatic control instruments
Well, this topic can be discussed at length. First of all, instruments are not given much attention in factories; the benefits are always attributed to the manufacturing process, while any problems are blamed on the equipment. If you want to make progress, then don’t stay in a factory; you might consider working at a design firm, an engineering company, or an equipment manufacturer. Only by gaining expertise in design, construction, or certain types of instruments can you achieve better career development. Secondly, I think that among cross-industry comparisons, gender discrimination in the instrumentation and control industry is much better than in other industries. Generally, people are reluctant to have women work on-site, but in areas such as product selection, quotation, technical support, drawing, budgeting, and even sales and marketing, there are many women working there. In short, to stand out in the industry, one must break free from factory thinking.
It’s not easy to work in this field; recently, there has been a trend of outsourcing tasks related to instrumentation, which is not optimistic at all~~~~~
Actually, studying women’s studies can also work; if one studies it diligently, it’s easier to achieve success compared to men. The current industry isn’t good for this, and it likely won’t improve in the future either, unless the processes no longer require human intervention – only then will this industry gain importance. Instruments aren’t given enough attention mainly because one hasn’t managed to make others pay attention to them.
It’s not just girls; it’s also very difficult for boys to stand out, as the nature of their work determines everything.
Apart from the fact that it’s difficult to stand out in the upper-level paths because you’re a woman
A girl I used to work with later became a civil servant.
For one’s own safety, given the many occupational hazards in chemical plants, and for the sake of future generations, it’s better not to be on site; staying in the office building is a good option
At first, the female staff needs to go to the site to get familiar with the instruments there, and then her main focus will be on the systems. In a company I used to work at, there was a female engineer who was a DCS engineer – she was really talented. On the other hand, if a person isn’t motivated to make an effort, there are many who marry a man and just go through the days without any ambition.