Jennifer Paluska Yakel
Interview Posted By: Ashley Smith
1. Can you tell us a little about your background? i.e. Where you grew up, what education do you have, a summary of your resume, did you always want to do what you are doing now, when did you start to become interested in STEM, what internships/ volunteering
My father was an electrical engineer so my family was the first in my circle of friends to have a computer. I grew up helping my mom reboot the computer when it would crash. During my Junior year of high school, I went to a technical school half the day and got a certificate in Electrical Engineering. It was fun but I wanted to work with people somehow. During my senior year I enrolled in college courses as concurrent enrollment through the local community college. Once I graduated high school I got an internship with my uncle at Ownes Corning as a web designer for an intranet, because I took one class in HTML. I wanted to go to be a psychologist, however, my dad wanted me to be an engineer. I decided to get my undergraduate in Psychology with a Minor in Business. Once I graduated college with by BS in Psychology I knew I needed to go back to get my Masters. I was working for a small business as a web designer and they were talking about a degree in Human Factors. It sounded interesting so I decided to go back to school and get my Masters degree. I ended up at George Mason University with a Master in Human Factors and Applied Cognition.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
Today, I am Human Factors Engineer at Sprint. I work with developers and the business to create a user experience on the phone that is friendly and usable. I build wire frames (like an blueprint for a house, but in this case it is a blueprint for a website or application) to help define the user experience.
3. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I have a family and 2 kids. It has been very challenging to balance my career with family life. I have been lucky that I am in a field that allows me to work from home. It took 14 years but now I work from home full time. I knew when I started my career that my family was important and that I needed to create space for them. I have had to make hard decisions at times choosing my career over my family or vise versa. You have to look at the long term patterns. If I feel balance over a 2 year period that I am doing good. If I do not feel balanced than it is time to make a change. I have left a lot of jobs because the fit was not right. It is ok to look for the best job that fits your needs. All the different jobs gave me lots of experience and more raises.
4. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
You have to have a hobby, I.e., art, yoga, hiking, journaling, sports. A hobby will keep your creative juices flowing. If you are creative than you can solve any problem in your career.
5. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
My mentor taught me to negotiate. It is very important to negotiate when being hired. Never take the first offer on the table. Getting a job is a game and the person who is hiring you knows how to play the game. It is your job to learn the game so you can get the best job and salary that fits with you.
6. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
I would tell my younger self that I need to have fun in life. It is not all about your career. A career is just a part of who you are. We also need to have family and friends. Give back to the community. And most of all enjoy waking up everyday. If you do not enjoy waking up everyday than you need to change what is not working for you. Be brave and expect the best!
My father was an electrical engineer so my family was the first in my circle of friends to have a computer. I grew up helping my mom reboot the computer when it would crash. During my Junior year of high school, I went to a technical school half the day and got a certificate in Electrical Engineering. It was fun but I wanted to work with people somehow. During my senior year I enrolled in college courses as concurrent enrollment through the local community college. Once I graduated high school I got an internship with my uncle at Ownes Corning as a web designer for an intranet, because I took one class in HTML. I wanted to go to be a psychologist, however, my dad wanted me to be an engineer. I decided to get my undergraduate in Psychology with a Minor in Business. Once I graduated college with by BS in Psychology I knew I needed to go back to get my Masters. I was working for a small business as a web designer and they were talking about a degree in Human Factors. It sounded interesting so I decided to go back to school and get my Masters degree. I ended up at George Mason University with a Master in Human Factors and Applied Cognition.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
Today, I am Human Factors Engineer at Sprint. I work with developers and the business to create a user experience on the phone that is friendly and usable. I build wire frames (like an blueprint for a house, but in this case it is a blueprint for a website or application) to help define the user experience.
3. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I have a family and 2 kids. It has been very challenging to balance my career with family life. I have been lucky that I am in a field that allows me to work from home. It took 14 years but now I work from home full time. I knew when I started my career that my family was important and that I needed to create space for them. I have had to make hard decisions at times choosing my career over my family or vise versa. You have to look at the long term patterns. If I feel balance over a 2 year period that I am doing good. If I do not feel balanced than it is time to make a change. I have left a lot of jobs because the fit was not right. It is ok to look for the best job that fits your needs. All the different jobs gave me lots of experience and more raises.
4. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
You have to have a hobby, I.e., art, yoga, hiking, journaling, sports. A hobby will keep your creative juices flowing. If you are creative than you can solve any problem in your career.
5. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
My mentor taught me to negotiate. It is very important to negotiate when being hired. Never take the first offer on the table. Getting a job is a game and the person who is hiring you knows how to play the game. It is your job to learn the game so you can get the best job and salary that fits with you.
6. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
I would tell my younger self that I need to have fun in life. It is not all about your career. A career is just a part of who you are. We also need to have family and friends. Give back to the community. And most of all enjoy waking up everyday. If you do not enjoy waking up everyday than you need to change what is not working for you. Be brave and expect the best!