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Rather haphazardly! I got into computer
science because it was one of few majors that I *knew* I
could handle. I ended up in graduate school because I was in
a bad work situation and because I ran into a former student
of mine and remembered how much I liked teaching. I ended up
as a professor because after finally finishing graduate
school, I wanted to shoot for the one job for which the
Ph.D. was a necessity.
-- Margo Seltzer, Prof. of Computer
Science, Harvard University
Choosing field: based on what subjects interested me in school; choosing
to get a Ph.D.: because of encouragement from professors; choosing to
be a professor: While I was working in industry, I saw that my husband
was enjoying his job teaching more than I enjoyed my job so I decided
to switch.
-- Mari Ostendorf, Associate Professor
BU College of Engineering
Growing up in an urban environment on weekdays and a rural environment
on weekends (my parents had 2 homes) made me appreciate the diversity
and opportunities of a city and the beauty of the country. I always
wanted to bring a little country to the city; therefore, preserving
the small amount of urban open space (i.e., keeping parks clean) became
a secret mission of mine as a child. I was also moved by a TV litter
campaign showing a Native American crying at the sight of pollution
along the oceanfront. In 8th grade, my science teacher played a development
game with our class that identified the negative side effects of development
including a growing landfill/solid waste disposal problem, air pollution,
water pollution, decrease in open space, etc. Preserving the beauty
in our environment became a passion. When I began senior year of high
school, a family friend mentioned engineering to me since I was good
at math and science. I attended some engineering career days to find
out more about engineering. I applied to technical colleges. When I
got to college, I told a professor about my passion and he told me,
"You should be a civil engineer with a concentration in water resources!"
And that was that.
-- Rita Fordiani, P.E., Environmental
Engineer, CH2M HILL (consulting)
When I was in high school, I enjoyed science and math
classes a lot and began to think about a career in science.
I did some volunteer work in science labs during the summer
and also attended summer science programs for high-school
students in Astronomy and Oceanography. These experiences
made me realize that I preferred science fields that
involved a lot of math, like chemistry or physics.
During college, I continued to work in labs during the
summer. I also took a summer position that involved teaching
high-school students and I worked as a tutor during the
year. I discovered that I enjoyed teaching quite a bit, so I
decided to aim for a career that would include both
education and research. As a result, I continued my studies
at the graduate level, ultimately obtaining a doctoral
degree. After completing a postdoctoral research fellowship,
I joined the faculty at Boston University and have been
there ever since.
-- Elizabeth Simmons, Assistant Professor
of Physics, Boston University
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As an undergraduate I studied Applied
Mathematics, with a focus on computer science. I then worked
in industry for nearly five years as a software and hardware
developer, mostly at small, young companies where I got to
do a variety of things. Finally, I went to the of
California, Berkeley for a Ph.D. in computer science.
-- Margo Seltzer, Prof. of Computer
Science, Harvard University
As much math as was available and physics.
--- Mari Ostendorf, Associate
Professor
BU College of Engineering
Most technical undergraduate college curriculums are
pretty well structured with little room for "other" classes;
therefore, my course work included calculus, physics,
organic chemistry, aquatic biology, ecology, limnology,
fluid dynamics, but I also took as many labs as possible
since I am a very "hands-on" learner. My humanities
concentration was in creative writing which was a welcome
diversion from technology and also provided me with the
writing skills I use today to translate technical concepts
into something understandable by the general public.
-- Rita Fordiani, P.E., Environmental
Engineer, CH2M HILL (consulting)
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I spent an enormous fraction of my day
answering e-mail. Another large fraction is dedicated to
preparing slides for talks, notes for lecture, or other
presentation materials. I also meet with students regularly,
typically to discuss research projects. Finally, (when I'm
lucky) I get to spend some time actually writing software,
analyzing data, and writing up results. During the semester,
I also spend some fraction of my time up in front of a class
teaching. One of the nice things about the job is that no
two days are the same, and there are so many things to do,
it's virtually impossible to get bored doing anything.
-- Margo Seltzer, Prof. of Computer
Science, Harvard University
Varies tremendously from day to day, but may include:
I juggle several types of balls -- I have several
clients. With some clients, I make sure they receive
whatever services they need and that they're happy with the
services they receive. With other clients, I am the project
manager responsible for delivery of a technical project
within budget and schedule. Typically my projects involve
field work, numerous meetings with the client and state and
federal regulatory agencies, and lots of report writing. My
current projects include:
- a 2-year combined sewer overflow abatement master
plan development (combined sewers include sanitary
wastewater and storm water which often overflow to
surface waters during rainstorms) for Camden and
Gloucester City, NJ
- development of a hydrologic and hydraulic computer
model of an urban sewer system in Hartford, CT
- alternatives evaluation of providing 25 million
gallons of reservoir storage in the Quincy/Milton, MA
area
- review of the operation and maintenance of the sewer
system for West Springfield, MA and New Haven, CT
- I do business development (i.e., talk with people
about potential upcoming business opportunities and
prepare proposals and presentations about our services)
- For my company, I am the water resources technology coordinator
for the northeast region which means I need to keep up on advancements
in this field (read and participate in conferences and on committees)
and be a resource
- I also mentor younger staff
My typical day includes a little of all of the above since on any day
I can receive a phone call that requires that I jump into action to
solve a problem or several problems (for example, sometimes the client
has a question or needs some documentation, sometimes the field crews
are having a problem collecting data, sometimes equipment breaks and
we need to prepare a presentation in a different manner, etc.)
Basically, I need to be ready for anything; the fact that
I need to be spontaneously resourceful is both challenging
and exciting! For my job, and at my level, I need excellent
technical, business, communication, and people skills. Many
of these skills you will improve upon as you work and learn
and succeed; you're not expected to be an expert just out of
school - you are expected to have some skill and ambition to
improve and succeed; most employers are looking for
enthusiasm and energy in recent graduates.
-- Rita Fordiani, PE, Environmental Engineer, CH2M HILL (consulting)
My days vary a lot. That's part of what I like about
being both a teacher and a researcher. On days when I'm not
teaching, I try to spend as much time as possible on my
research: doing calculations, checking the literature via
the world-wide-web sites on particle physics, talking with
colleagues and graduate students. Sometimes I travel to
other universities to give seminars or colloquia about my
work; or I may go hear a lecture by a scientist who's
visiting Boston University.
The night before a day when I'll be teaching, I spend an
hour or two going over my lecture notes and practicing what
I'll say. The next morning, I visit the lecture
demonstration room to practice the demonstrations
(experiments) I'll be doing in class. Then I hold an office
hour so students can come ask me questions about the
material. At the end of the morning, I lecture for an hour
and a half. If I've given a lecture quiz, I spend some time
after class grading the quiz and recording the grades. In
the afternoon, I may meet with student advisees, attend a
departmental meeting, or work on writing part of a technical
manuscript.
-- Elizabeth Simmons, Assistant Professor
of Physics, Boston University
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New College graduates from our program
typically earn annual salaries between $40,000 and $70,000.
Today, it is also common for students to get "signing
bonuses" that range from $5000 to $15,000. Students
graduating with Ph.D.s typically go either into academia or
industry. Academic starting salaries are approximately
between $55,000 and $60,000 for a 9 month salary, so this
should be thought of as a range of $67,000 - $73,000.
Students who go into industry are earning between $75,000
and $100,000.
-- Margo Seltzer, Prof. of Computer
Science, Harvard University
In industry: $65k-$85k for a new Ph.D., $100k for senior person --
much less in academia.
-- Mari Ostendorf, Associate Professor
BU College of Engineering
Recent college graduates make about $30,000/year; recent
master's graduates make about $40,000/year; salaries
increase with the # of years of experience up to about
$150,000/year.
-- Rita Fordiani, PE, Environmental Engineer, CH2M HILL (consulting)
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Not really. I've had one or two fairly minor
incidents with individuals, but in all cases, I felt that
the organization to which I belonged was supportive. The
offender was reprimanded and I never felt any negative
repercussions.
- - Margo Seltzer, Prof. of Computer
Science, Harvard University
In school by teaching assistants in electronics labs who
did more supervision of our lab work than the guys -- just
lived with it. More subtle things at work included getting
fewer opportunities than I thought I should have gotten --
dealt with it by making my own opportunities and pushing
hard for things I thought I needed.
-- Mari Ostendorf, Associate Professor
BU College of Engineering
I usually respond by allowing my work to speak for
itself. I work hard and most supervisors appreciate that. If
you work hard, then you make your supervisor look good, too.
I have had very good supervisors. In 1 instance, a boss was
not paying me fairly, and I found a better job elsewhere
(then my old boss wanted me back badly, but it was his
loss). In another instance a subordinate (a woman) who
worked for many engineers (all others were male) and did not
want to work for me because I was a woman; I tried to work
things out with her but she refused so she was fired. In
another instance, a man from another department began
sexually harassing several women in the office; we joined
together and brought the matter up with management and
management spoke to him. The harassment stopped, and he
refused to speak to any of us which made working with him
difficult so we just worked through other people. He was
fired within the year.
My experience has been: if you do quality work and are a
reasonable person who tries to be a team player, then you
will most likely be supported in times of conflict. If your
work is marginal and you have difficulties getting along
with people, then you will mostly likely be fired.
-- Rita Fordiani, PE, Environmental Engineer, CH2M HILL (consulting)
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Absolutely! I play women's soccer which means
2 games/week during the summer and 1 game and 1 practice per
week during the Spring and Fall. During the winter, I play
indoor which is typically one day a week. In addition, I
study and teach karate which takes an hour or two for two to
three days a week.
Although both my husband and I are workaholics, we try to spend some
time together and enjoy each other's company. When given a chance, we
take somewhat exotic vacations: 2 weeks white-water rafting and camping
through the Grand Canyon, or scuba diving in Australia (one of our favorites!).
- Margo Seltzer, Prof. of Computer
Science, Harvard University
I work long hours, but I make up for it by taking good
vacations (sailing and trekking in Thailand and Borneo,
skiing in the west and in Europe, sailing in Greece,
Corsica, Caribbean, etc. My family includes a husband also
working full time and 8 month old daughter. In my free time
I enjoy sailing, skiing, reading, playing with my daughter,
cooking and wine tasting.
--- Mari Ostendorf, Associate
Professor
BU College of Engineering
Absolutely; it's critical for your mental, emotional, and physical
health and the health of your family and also your friends who may need
you. Work can be stressful at times; consulting has peaks and valleys
(mostly peaks) of intense activity which is partly what I like about
it. I can juggle a lot of responsibility; but when work becomes too
stressful for an extended period of time, then anyone can lose it -
before this happens though you need to tell your supervisor that you
need help so that the appropriate action plan can be put into place.
Most of the time, it's OK to ask for help. If you do not enjoy the place
where you work, then find something else that makes you happy - life
is too short to be miserable.
I have a husband and 2 children (presently one 2-year old
and one 5-month old)
My husband and I mountain climb. When we go on vacation,
we need to go to remote places for at least 2 weeks away
from all computers, phones, faxes, etc.
-- Rita Fordiani, PE, Environmental Engineer, CH2M HILL (consulting)
Having a part of my life that's separate from my work is
very important to me. I enjoy physics very much, but doing
one thing all the time would make me feel stagnant after a
while.
The most important part of my life away from work is my
family. I have been married for over 7 years and we have a
son who is 6 years old. My husband and I are both physics
professors and during the work week, we sometimes
collaborate on research projects. But after work and on
weekends, we focus on family activities with our son; we
like to go hiking and bike riding with him and take him to
local museums or to fly his kite in the park. During
vacations we often take him to visit his grandparents or
other relatives. My husband and I have always shared equally
in the housework and childcare; I think that's crucial if
both partners are going to have successful careers.
My primary hobby at the moment is reading science fiction
and mystery novels. During the summers, I enjoy hiking and
biking in the mountains. I do a lot of traveling as part of
my work and enjoy visiting new museums and hiking new trails
in foreign climes.
- -Elizabeth Simmons, Assistant
Professor of Physics, Boston University
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Make sure you "like" the field. The most
important thing is that you enjoy doing what you do. Given
that, get a good solid background -- take as many courses as
you can; be adventurous; take the hard courses even if it
means not getting straight A's. Get to know faculty members
and try to work in their research groups (even if research
isn't your long term goal). Take courses outside your field
too. In computer science, it's important to remember that
most of the world uses computers as tools -- their goal is
to get something done. Spend time learning about the
different things people want to do with computers. Finally,
have fun. If you're not enjoying what you're doing, find
something else!
- - Margo Seltzer, Prof. of Computer
Science, Harvard University
Take as much math and science as you can in high school
choose your field based on what you enjoy doing and be open
to changes and opportunities. Don't be intimidated by others
who have more experience as kids - you'll catch up sooner or
later.
-- Mari Ostendorf, Associate Professor
BU College of Engineering
Follow your interests, for there you will succeed. Get
advice along the way. Consider working or co-oping while in
college or immediately after to help you better understand
your interests, then get an advanced degree, at least a
Masters degree. Get your "engineer-in-training" certificate
and your professional engineer's license. Be active in
professional societies. Aside from your technical skills,
practice and work on improving your writing and people
skills. As a technical person, you're expected to solve
technical problems; if you can solve other types of problems
(like people problems, for example), then you'll go farther.
Maintain a positive attitude. And try to give back to your
field, help others. Good luck.
-- Rita Fordiani, PE, Environmental Engineer, CH2M HILL (consulting)
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