Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
When I decided to start my company, I had already spent a lot of time on the traditional path. I had been working in different parts of media, marketing and communications for 8 years before the glimmer of entrepreneurship even caught my eye and I can still remember thinking: “Really? Me?” So imagine being four years into your college experience and already knowing that the path we’re sold and told to follow isn’t for you. That’s what happened to Erin Winik, Founder and CEO of Sci Chic and our guest blogger for today.
From day one of college as an engineering student, you are told repeatedly to get leadership experience, hands-on practice in engineering, and internships as soon as possible. Get your resume in tip-top shape for recruiters. Network with large engineering firms at career showcase. Get leadership titles. Inundate your resume.
I have always been someone who has striven to please the teachers and people around me, and therefore I dove into my classes and my school’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers headfirst to work to fill up my resume with exactly what these companies wanted. I worked my way up through the organization and took any opportunity someone would give me.
As I entered my 4th year of college, I was struggling to find the exact company that fit me and my personality. My resume was full to the brim of what everyone else thought I should be, not what I wanted to be. I can now easily get offers for jobs, but they are not the ones I want. I have passions for writing, photography, business, making, sewing, and so much more past the technical experience that I can fit on the front side of one sheet of paper.
At this moment I had a thought, why I am I following this path? Sure, it is the path that college most easily funnels you towards, but forget company name recognition. Forget stable jobs. Forget the normal path. Is this my dream?
Why not make the company for which I am so longing to work?
If the company is not out there, I could be filling a gap both in the market and in my life by creating it. Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work”. I decided that the work was worth it, and what better time to take a chance than my senior year of college. This led me to creating Sci Chic in October 2015.
The biggest lesson I have learned in college is that you do not have to wait for someone else to deem you worthy to get experience. You can make those situations yourself.
At Sci Chic we used advanced technologies like 3D printing and laser cutting to create customizable science inspired jewelry. I am able to get experience learning about finances, business, manufacturing technologies, marketing, and so many more things that would have taken years for me to get a chance to experience waiting for someone else to give me the opportunity.
However, starting your own company does not come without risks or difficulties, and the difficulties of a senior year of college compounded with this caused some issues. Company deadlines and group project deadlines can often interfere. Needing to study for a midterm can get in the way of the ten emails you really need to send. Add this onto the fact that I am already a minority in mechanical engineering as a woman, and a now a minority as a female entrepreneur/business owner. I somehow seem to always pick the paths where I am a minority, but am happy to do so. I am proud to represent women in an area where we are still so underrepresented.
Strangely though, the thing I have struggled with the most is publicly selling myself as an entrepreneur. Up until starting my own company I have stayed on a traditional college leadership path that didn’t draw any attention for being different. Breaking into entrepreneurship has had to be very public for me since I am trying to draw on many of my college and social media connections to support my business. This makes both my successes and failures within the business very public and open judgement of my choices is not something to which I am accustomed.
But then I hear a story of a little girl wearing our jewelry every day to school. I 3D print a new jewelry design. I go out and meet people who are excited about what we are creating and realize I could not get this experience anywhere but with what I have created and I am grateful for making myself balance classes with this company. I realize that this is where I am meant to be and that all the struggles that come with it are worth it.
—–
Erin Winick is a 4th year mechanical engineering student at the University of Florida and the founder of Sci Chic. Erin can be found on Twitter @bcofengineering.
goldee-loxs reblogged this from selfrescuingprincesssociety goldee-loxs liked this 
selfrescuingprincesssociety reblogged this from beinggeekchic 
iamlareina liked this worth to read it especially for beginner like me 😃
thedawnofthedoctor liked this thedawnofthedoctor reblogged this from beinggeekchic 
beinggeekchic posted this 