Women’s Programs and Office of Career Development co-sponsored a discussion this past Thursday led by Maria Ramos, a Stevens alumna and IT Manager at Johnson & Johnson. As fifty female students (and one male student) sat and dined on Italian cuisine from Vito’s in Jacobus Lounge, Ramos discussed the various hindrances females must overcome in the workplace.
Ramos graduated from Stevens with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, and 15 years of experience have given her much insight into gender and income inequality, group dynamics, and the importance of respect. However, she encourages females to overcome the gender biases with hard work, confidence, and determination: “Wear lipstick. If you wear your lipstick, you know your place and men won’t think you’re trying to be a man. You’re just trying to be an equal.”
Engineering has become an increasingly competitive field, and Ramos has commented that women are less likely to support each other in the workplace: “Why? Each woman has her own unique desire to be here; regardless, we need to mentor and support each other to get things accomplished.”
As an IT manager at Johnson & Johnson, Ramos has come to understand what makes a company successful. In addition to supporting one another, she said, “We all have styles, but we need to learn how to work with other people. If they’re analytic, give them data. Appeal to those different work styles.”
Maria Ramos is a confident and successful engineer who became an IT manager. In order to be an accomplished worker, she suggests abiding by a performance, image, and exposure mantra, or PIE. According to Ramos, “Success is 10% performance, 30% image, and 60% exposure.” Exposure, or the network and support systems that people make in their professional careers, is of the utmost importance according to this model.
While networking is essential, when it comes to social media, many women forget the importance of respect. As Ramos says, “Your social media brands you. Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn… they all say something about you. There is no privacy, so respect yourself and take off the pictures that shouldn’t be there.”
Ramos knows that advancing in the work field can be especially difficult for a woman. However, she exemplifies the payoffs of hard work and commitment to goals, and hopefully her expertise will entice the women at Stevens to not fear inevitable hardships when pursuing their careers.
Be First to Comment