Having kids being an engineer?

Does anyone have young children while pursuing a degree in engineering? Is it challenging, do you have time for your kids. What is the normal schedule of a chemical or Industrial engineer?

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Sarah Foster , STEM Like a Girl

Answered Monday, September 24, 2018 at 12:16 PM

Hi Destiny,

While I didn't have my kids when I was in school for engineering, I do have two children now so I'll try to answer your question as best I can.

Having kids makes life in general more challenging! You are constantly trying to manage their needs with your needs so you can often feel like you are being pulled in two different directions and not having enough time for either one. There are two things that help me: (1) having a schedule and sticking to it. I try to devote certain hours of my time to being fully present as a mom so that my kids get my undivided attention. I put away my phone, my work emails, and try to close that part of my brain to just be with my kids. On the flip side, when I have dedicated work hours or study hours if you're in school, I try to make sure my kids aren't distracting me or needing my attention so I can focus on work and get it done. (2) Ask for help! This is a tough one for us moms because we feel like we need to "do it all!" That darn mom guilt creeps in and makes us feel bad if we ask for help from others. But there is nothing wrong with hiring a babysitter for a few hours so you can study or sending your kids to a friend's house for a play date while you get work done.

As far as schedules for an engineer, I think more and more companies are advocating for a better work-life balance, especially for women and moms. There's a big push in the industry right now to attract and retain more women in tech and engineering jobs so employers are being more flexible with work schedules. My biggest suggestion here would be to ask for what you need! If you need to shift hours to accommodate school/daycare pick up, then ask. Employers want talented women in their companies but often don't know what we need to make it work so use for negotiating a job offer. It's hard to ask for these things but you'll be surprised at how many managers are willing to work with your schedule.

Best of luck and let me know if you have any other questions!

Sarah