From Circuits to Leadership: A Woman’s Journey in Engineering
As part of our career consulting work, we at Crescent like to keep in touch with what’s happening in the market and we frequently interview candidates or clients about their area of expertise, so we can share this with those who are looking at a particular career path. We recently had the pleasure of interviewing a female client who progressed from Embedded Software Engineer to Engineering Lead, across various countries and industries. Here is the extract of our interview:
In the male-dominated engineering field, carving out a career path can be challenging, especially for women. One Engineer’s journey from technical studies to leadership provides valuable insights for navigating this landscape.
Her career began with uncertainty. Despite showing aptitude for physics and maths in school, she initially gravitated toward traditionally “feminine” subjects like cooking and knitting – areas where she admits she “wasn’t good at that.” This early hesitation mirrors the societal expectations many young women face when considering technical careers.
The turning point came during her extended schooling, where she discovered electronic engineering and programming classes. She recalls the moment of realisation: “Oh, that’s a lot of fun actually.” Her fascination with understanding computers “from that little, tiny piece of electronic up to what I can see on the screen” guided her university choice, where she selected a Computer Science pathway focused on programming microcontrollers, rather than front-end development.
After graduating in 2009, the recession limited job opportunities at major companies that typically employed engineering graduates. Instead, she found work as a subcontractor in a remote location of her country, far away from family and friends – what was intended as a temporary position became a seven-year tenure that proved invaluable for her professional development.
The subcontracting experience exposed her to diverse industries and projects:
- Programming control units for 20-cylinder engines
- Testing software for airplanes
- Working on satellite systems
- Developing medical incubators
- Creating actuation systems for first and business class flight seats
This variety taught her not just technical skills but adaptability – “how to learn, how to get used to new environments.” She observed that despite industry differences, “the basic rules are all the same for engineers” across aviation, automotive, and other sectors. This perspective continues to serve her when implementing change, as she notes that “people who’ve already been through a lot of change know that they can do it.”
Her transition to leadership wasn’t deliberate at first. When a new general manager asked about restructuring, she suggested building a software team to improve collaboration and reduce single-person dependencies on products. When asked who could lead such a team, she hesitated to nominate herself, reflecting: “That’s the one thing you don’t learn at Uni. You don’t learn how to lead teams.”
The revelation came when her manager pointed out she was already informally leading: organising agile practices, implementing daily meetings, and establishing standards for reviews and unit tests. She had been “leading the team from the inside” without recognising it as leadership, simply viewing it as sharing good practices with colleagues.
In the technically focused, often introverted engineering environment, she found that building trust is crucial to effective leadership. Making herself vulnerable first helps others open up, particularly in one-on-one settings. She embraces the distinction that “a manager is someone that makes me feel like they are important, a leader is someone who makes me feel like I’m important.”
Her leadership philosophy centres on supporting team members rather than directing them – helping with organisation, equipment needs, training, and “standing up for them” when they won’t do so themselves. This approach has created an environment where even introverted team members feel comfortable speaking up in meetings.
She believes women bring valuable qualities to technical leadership, combining necessary technical understanding with typically stronger empathy. While men might try to redirect emotional situations back to technical problems, she recognises that emotions “will just be there” if not addressed, “everyone brings to work their whole self” – including emotions and personal struggles.
Despite the advantages women can bring to technical leadership, she deplores the scarcity of female applicants for engineering leadership roles. Family responsibilities often interrupt women’s career progression and limit the interesting projects they get to work on, as she observed with women who returned to work after having children: “You don’t get those interesting projects or promotions if you work part-time as you have to pick up the kids in time.”
The path forward requires introducing more young women to engineering possibilities earlier in their education and supporting those who choose this path through family formation years. As this female Engineer’s journey demonstrates, the technical world needs more women who can bridge the gap between technical expertise and empathetic leadership.
Our conversation also explored what is needed to become a successful Embedded Software Engineer and topics centered around career options in this profession:
Key Attributes of an Embedded Software Engineer
Strong logical thinking and mathematical aptitude form the foundation of embedded software engineering. The ability to structure code for easy maintenance and upgrades is crucial, regardless of industry. Curiosity about new tools, programming languages, and technologies helps career advancement. Problem-solving skills and a Computer Science degree are key attributes employers look for during recruitment. Beyond technical skills, employers value soft skills that align with company culture and team values. The way candidates approach problems is essential but often difficult to assess during interviews.
Career Pathways to Embedded Software Engineering
Most embedded software engineers come from Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Mechatronics, or Physics backgrounds. A Computer Science degree provides the most direct path, but other engineering degrees supplemented with self-study can work well. Home projects demonstrate initiative and practical skills. Online platforms like Pluralsight and Udemy offer valuable resources for gaining foundational knowledge. Proficiency in at least one programming language (typically C) and an object-oriented language is necessary, along with understanding operating systems that are increasingly used in embedded devices.
Leadership in Engineering
Effective engineering leaders balance technical expertise with people skills. Empathy helps leaders understand colleagues’ feelings and needs, while good listening skills enable effective coaching. Technical knowledge earns respect at team lead levels, but becomes less critical at higher management positions, where business, finance, and human resource knowledge take precedence. The key attributes for progression from Embedded Software Team Lead to Engineering Lead include organisational ability, patience, emotional control, communication skills, empathy, and reliability. Experience across multiple industries provides valuable perspective on compliance guidelines and processes.
Gender Balance in Embedded Software Engineering
Women still remain underrepresented in embedded software engineering. This imbalance often stems from confidence issues rather than ability gaps. Many women hesitate to pursue computer science, believing they lack sufficient background knowledge compared to male peers who may have been programming for years. Encouraging young women to believe in their engineering capabilities is essential. Mentoring programmes can build the confidence needed to start and sustain careers in embedded software engineering. The field rewards logical thinking and the ability to break down complex systems—skills that can be developed during university studies.
New Zealand’s Position in Embedded Software Engineering
New Zealand’s embedded software engineering training compares favourably with global standards. The University of Canterbury produces strong engineering graduates who can compete internationally. Businesses in New Zealand support on-the-job training, and workplaces that encourage open feedback contribute to professional development. Christchurch offers promising opportunities for embedded software engineers starting their careers, with numerous innovative companies developing products that require embedded software. The variety of products and organisations provides valuable learning experiences across different contexts.
The Future with AI in Embedded Software Engineering
AI is transforming embedded software engineering, particularly through enhanced design-to-code tools. These tools will likely improve rapidly with AI integration. The role of programmers will shift toward architecture and validation rather than syntax details, which AI can increasingly handle. However, AI currently lacks the creativity needed to program well-structured software, and AI-generated code will still require human validation and verification. The embedded software engineer of the future will need to adapt to these changing dynamics while maintaining core problem-solving and architectural thinking skills.
We hope that this interview article will encourage many young women to explore this field of technology and engineering. Canterbury offers a huge range of opportunities with companies producing engineering solutions for the global market and we would be very keen to hear from women interested in this career path. We would also be keen to hear from organisations who are offering graduate programmes or internships within this field.