Join Dallas SWE to kick off our Book Club for FY23! We will be reading Think Again by Adam Grant for our first book club meeting. Read the book (or don’t), bring a friend, and come learn with us! We will be discussing the book in a guided discussion format, with a book summary provided.
Think Again is a great book about the power of rethinking, unlearning, and questioning what we think we know in pursuit of learning better.
Date: Saturday, October 8 Time: TBA, likely ~10AM Location: TBA, likely a Dallas coffee shop Book: Think Again by Adam Grant
Join Dallas SWE and Analog Devices for our professional development event presented by Claire Jordan. September 29, 2022 from 6:30pm to 8pm address included on Eventbrite upon registration. Registration closes September 19. Refreshments and appetizers provided.
Join Dallas SWE for our kick off event for the Fiscal Year! The Kickoff Brunch will be Saturday, September 17, 2022 from 11 AM – 1 PM at True Food Kitchen in Preston Center Plaza. Registration closes September 12.
We will be enjoying brunch and networking at True Food Kitchen at Preston Plaza Center. Come ready to introduce yourself, hear all the great things we have in store, and meet more of Dallas SWE!
On June 15 th , Dallas SWE hosted its final Professional Development Event for FY22 at La Madeline in Plano. FY23 President, Rana Karimi, presented on the topic of Women and Negotiation.
Rana began the presentation by setting the stage on the current gender wage gap. The current gender wage gap is largely drive by the occupational segregation, which is the separation of job by gender. Women are more commonly in lower paying fields than men, which contributes greatly to the current gap in median wages for men and women. The more women we can promote in typically male-dominated, higher paying fields, the faster we can close in on this gap. Similarly, the more girls we can influence to learn about and pursue STEM will also help in closing that gap. Since we are all professional engineers already, the next best thing we can do is advocate for ourselves more, negotiate our pay, and spread awareness about doing so.
We also discussed common fears when it comes to negotiating, such as negotiating your starting pay, knowing when biases or cultural or gender expectations might be holding you back, and not getting bogged down by rejection. These anecdotes allowed members to open up and share similar experience of their own when negotiating. We learned that we are not alone in experiencing many of these challenges and how greater awareness can help us to advocate more effectively for ourselves.
Finally, the presentation focused on strategies for how we can develop a competitive negotiation plan. We discussed a 5-step process that was adapted from traditional Sourcing methodology on how to tactically approach your next negotiation from a data-driven and well-researched background. These steps are rooted in defining what is of value to you and knowing how to define, measure, and maximize that value during your negotiation. We also discussed how to advocate for yourself when you are already in an organization and looking for a promotion or challenge opportunity. The five steps to the process are:
Research
Define value
Evaluate
Identify levers
Engage
The biggest takeaway of the session is that we can all take action to help address the gender wage gap. Action might include negotiating when required, but it also includes spreading awareness to our women co-workers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends, and other women. The more we can normalize the act of women as negotiators, the more common it will be and more we can take down gender norms.
Dallas SWE would like to recognize our Professional Development Committee Leaders, comprised of Katia Gomez and Gretchen Landego, and Dallas SWE Secretary Sammy Zellner, for the support in coordinating and delivering this event. We look forward to more impactful Professional Development events in FY23!
As we begin preparing for FY23, Dallas SWE needs your support in building our committees so we can continue delivering great programming. All Dallas SWE Committees are looking for volunteers for FY23! We are excited about gearing up for more great events, many of which will be in person. To do so, we need your help! Our Committees are a great way to build your leadership experience and network while volunteering your time to areas you are passionate about. Dallas SWE depends on volunteers for all local activities so any commitment you can make is greatly appreciated!
Registration for WE22 in Houston, TX from October 20-22 is now open! You can find out more and register here. Check out our summary of WE20 too!
Let us know if you’re going by filling out the Dallas SWE Conference Coordination survey. If you’re interested, we can help you find other carpoolers, roommates, share rides to the conference center from the airport if you’re flying, and put you on the Dallas SWE Slack WE21 Channel, so we can keep in touch while there! If you have questions about WE22 or travel coordination, please email us at dallas.swe@gmail.com.
