Elysia , Telford asked April Blackwell, NASA AddedSunday, August 28, 2016 at 3:28 PM All my friends think I'm crazy wanting to do a "mans" job I have always wanted to become someone like you who works for nasa as an engineer I'm still in high school but my question is how did you ignore all the comments about how girls shouldn't be engineers? because all my friends think I'm crazy wanting to do a "mans" job Related to Aeronautical/Aerospace , Internships & Jobs, Opportunities/Challenges for Women, Self Doubt Reset Sort By Default April Blackwell , NASA Answered Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 3:28 PM Hi Elysia!! What a great question! First, you should tell all your friends that engineering is not a "man's" job!! My advice is to search out exactly what you want to do (being an engineer at NASA is my personal top choice ;-), and then do it - no matter what! If you are passionate about your decision and direction the gender or age or race or religious background or really, anything else won't matter. You will probably be so focused you will barely notice differences like these! With that said, in my experience there are still some stereotypes alive and well that you may have to overcome by being a women in this field. Be prepared to "prove" yourself to be taken seriously. You will really want to soak up all the information you learn in college and be ready to use it after graduation - managers may unconsciously "test" you in order to prove to themselves that they can trust your engineering judgment. While this may sound unfair I wouldn't look at it that way. There's no harm in knowing your stuff, it only makes you a better engineer and will likely help you move up faster. Girls can absolutely be engineers - I can't wait to see you break down these superficial barriers your friends talk about! Good luck!