What is the biggest obstacle you have faced when you first started in the engineering field? How did you overcome it?

My first engineering position was at a large biomedical corporation in Silicon Valley. Two big obstacles I faced were 1) feeling like I was just a "cog in a wheel" where my role was very limited in this big company, and 2) many decisions made by upper management were entirely driven by financial motives rather than the science and technology. To be totally honest, to overcome these obstacles, I had to leave the large biomedical corporate culture. I found that I loved working with other engineers and scientists in a smaller company setting, where each person's role is vast and full of new learning opportunities. Also, important company decisions (that still had major financial implications) were made with greater transparency and respect for employees. Sometimes a valuable experience is one that teaches us what doesn't work for us!