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Karen Litwin
Occupation: Design Engineer
Starting Salary: $40,000
Top Salary: ??
"I was able to get my feet wet in the smaller, relaxed environment [of CCRI], where professors were accessible and classes were affordable," says Karen
What I taught myself is that I can do anything if I want it badly enough, and I also learned that I know more than I thought I did."
-Karen Litwin, CCRI Engineering Transfer Graduate.
| Name | City / State | Occupation | Company | Education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary T. Dugan | Saunderstown, RI | Design Engineer | Texas Instruments | CCRI - AS in Engineering URI - BS in Mechanical Engineering |
| Industry | Years in Field | Ethnicity | Age | Professional Associations: |
| Aircraft Sensor and Control Technology | 2.5 years | Caucasian | 45 | American Society of Mechanical Engineers |
Link to Karen Litwin's Resume
[Go to Program]
How I Did it...............YOU CAN DO IT!
Getting started:
10 years ago, at age 34 and a single parent of an 8-month old son, Karen Litwin needed to earn more money. She had been out of school for 19 years and was scared out of her wits about returning to the classroom. Her work experience was as an outdoors blue collar worker – her job history ranged from managing horse stables to stringing bait for lobster boats. But for the sake of her son, she knew she had to "switch from brawn to brain."
Education:
Karen’s education began with Project Opportunity, a continuing education and career development program. From there she went onto a drafting course at a vocational-technical school where aptitude testing suggested that math and science were her strengths and that engineering might be her destiny. After completing the one-year drafting course in 1993, she began her course work at CCRI for an Associate of Science degree in Engineering.
"I was able to get my feet wet in the smaller, relaxed environment [of CCRI], where professors were accessible and classes were affordable," says Karen.
With good preparation at CCRI, Karen "...then dove into the less forgiving world of university at the University of Rhode Island where I obtained my BSME [Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering]" in 1997.
Greatest Professional Accomplishment:
Being part of a team that successfully redesigned a circuit breaker while meeting a seemingly impossible deadline to retain a $1 million contract with the customer.
"What I taught myself is that I can do anything if I want it badly enough, and I also learned that I know more than I thought I did."
Barriers...
didn't stop Karen. She overcame them. For example, Karen struggled with some of her courses, such as calculus ("I still think triple integration is a magic trick!" says Karen) and circuitry ("How can I measure it if I can't see it?!" exclaims Karen). But with persistence and taking full advantage of study groups, peer tutoring, and meetings with teachers, she turned barriers into stepping stones.
Working with men...
is the norm for Karen, as the only woman in a group of about 20 people. She thinks that her co-workers are the greatest group of people she's ever worked with. She also acknowledges that "Women working in a male dominated arena should go in knowing that it may get lonely. Sometimes you may have to work harder to be valued as much. It's not the way it should be. It's the way it is. We can manage it until it gets better. And it is getting better. WE are making it better!"
Advice for Women:
"First, I would suggest that any woman be sure that engineering is her forte. The required schooling is not an easy road (for anyone), but we certainly need more women in the industry. I would encourage any woman embarking on this academic journey to take advantage of all available support (study groups, peer tutoring, help sessions, etc.). I also highly recommend dabbling in as many diverse areas of engineering as possible through elective coursework, independent study and internship. One of my few regrets was that I didn't have as much hands on experience as I would have liked; time was at a premium with a young son. Part-time jobs and summer internships are also a great way of finding your direction."
Typical Workday/Work Environment:
Karen describes her job this way: "I currently manage a program for design and manufacture of a high-volume aircraft circuit breaker. I am responsible for the continuous improvement (re-design) of the product. A typical day may include communications with the customer as well as various suppliers of the device components, support on the production line (dealing with assembly issues), handling changes to the production prints and bills of materials, leading or attending regularly scheduled team meetings as well as brainstorming sessions and analyzing customer returns and in-house line rejections. My work environment is very relaxed (one of the things that drew me to Texas Instruments); unless there is an looming deadline! I love the fact that I can wear jeans and a tee shirt if I just want to be comfortable (or it's laundry day!). We do dress "corporate" for meetings with customers and suppliers as well as for formal presentations, where appropriate."
Career Ladder:
Starting salary for an entry-level design engineer is typically $40K. Three years experience may bring $46K. Texas Instrument offers tremendous benefits, including comprehensive medical and dental plans, 401K, an employee stock purchase plan, profit sharing and more. Texas Instruments encourages career development and offers a "technical ladder" program in which engineers can set goals and be recognized for their leadership and managerial abilities as well as their technical achievements.
Hobbies:
Karen is an avid Providence Bruins hockey fan (half season ticket holder) and enjoys watching NHL games on TV. She also enjoys mind-benders and doing jigsaw puzzles and loves to hike and camp. She relishes yard work (when she can find the time), but her most favorite thing to do is to sit on her little dock on her pond … and breathe … and just listen.
