Semtech 和 Society of Women Engineers：社区、多元化与包容性

就在几周前，我有幸在加州理工大学圣路易斯奥比斯波分校 (Cal Poly SLO) 的女工程师协会 (SWE) 大学分会上发表演讲。我作为一名活跃的 SWE 成员已有 5 年之久，并且是文图拉专业分会的 2019-2020 年主席。我非常高兴有机会代表 Semtech 参加 SWE 的活动，得益于 Semtech 建设本地社区的企业文化以及 Semtech 领导层的热情支持，这场活动顺利举行。Semtech 的首席执行官曾多次表示（如近期接受 Authority Magazine 采访时）多元化的重要性，这是 Semtech 致力于打造多元化员工队伍的基石。团队中的每个成员都恪守 Semtech 核心价值观，尊重所有人，在支持全球团队和多元化招聘方面也是如此。多元化与包容性相得益彰。

This trip, along with the support for SWE within Semtech’s Protection Products Group, exemplifies this Core Value and the impact which putting people first can have.

From Intern to Engineer

I was thinking about the symbiotic network of corporate support that came together to make this trip possible as I was driving up the breathtaking California coast from Semtech headquarters in Camarillo. I had a few hours to reflect on what Semtech’s community outreach has meant to me personally. The subject for my talk at SWE was “Internships and Finding your First Engineering Job.” My own first “real” engineering job was at Semtech as an intern. I got that internship in 2012 through a scholarship sponsored by Semtech and the Ventura County Community Foundation, and two years ago, I joined Semtech full time as an Applications Engineer in the Protection Products Group. On my path from collegiate to career, community involvement was key to finding the right fit.

Being an early-career engineer, and until recently a collegiate myself, I was used to being on the other end of an event like this. To calm my sense of impostor syndrome at suddenly being the speaker and not the listener, I thought of another great piece of advice from a SWE mentor: Expertise is relative. So, I suppose I am an expert on navigating internships, which is another way of saying I am an expert at being a beginner.

An Inclusive Community

The meeting opened with the SWE Cal Poly SLO section president, giving updates on events and Cal Poly SWE’s outreach into the local community. One thing I love about SWE members is that no matter where they are in the world, they are always advancing SWE’s mission supporting diversity and inclusion in engineering. My message to the students at Cal Poly SLO was straightforward: Get involved in your community, communicate with your network and keep an open mind. We talked about strategies for applying for jobs, interviewing skills and the practicalities of hunting for internships. Being SWE members and Cal Poly engineering students, I was not at all surprised that these students were a wonderful audience. They were attentive, engaged and asked great questions.

我的演讲已接近尾声，我们要分享的一个重要见解是：根本没有糟糕的实习！我们总想找到能给我们启发的工作，但往往避免不了艰难的环境和各种挑战。对于没有耐心的学生来说，“糟糕”的实习可能让人度日如年。实际上，学生有必要用三四个月的时间去实习，以确定自己喜欢什么工作、讨厌什么工作以及想做什么样的工程。毅力是个优秀品质，越早拥有越好。对于工程专业的学生来说，尝试实习或轮岗计划可帮助他们发现什么最适合自己，并在个人目标和公司文化之间找到平衡。提供实习机会的组织也能从中受益，因为他们的团队将获得多样化的新观点。

当我在三月初发表这个演讲时，我完全无法想象新冠病毒的迅速传播会给我们的日常生活带来如此巨大的变化。现在，我比以往任何时候都更感激能成为 Semtech 和 SWE 这样把社区放在首位的组织的一员。虽然我们的组织目前都在远程办公，但我们仍然可以共同努力，相互适应和支持。

Semtech 和 Semtech 徽标是 Semtech Corporation 或其附属公司的注册商标或服务标志。