Yolanda Shields
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
I grew up in South Setauket, NY. I went to High School at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. I graduated in 1990. I then went to college at Ketterling University (Former GMI Engineering and Management Institute) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. I was not very familiar with all the aspects of engineering when I was growing up but all throughout I loved science and math. I knew my career would involve one of these areas. Kettering University is unique in that you work as a co-op student starting as a freshman. So I began getting experience at General Motors and then worked for Xerox. With each of these companies, I learned all aspects of the business, as well as, working on special engineering projects. Some of my key focuses were on process improvements.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
Today, I am an engineering manager at UL, LLC. There are 40 engineers that report to me that are located in our Melville and Northbrook offices. I am responsible for ensuring that we are meeting our revenue targets, utilizing sound engineering judgment to support the needs of our customers, developing new business opportunities within our industry, developing process improvements to ensure staff efficiency.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
In working with our customers and reviewing products that are submitted to UL there is always a level of STEM that is relevant. We review material requirements, determine safety requirements based on sound engineering, look for new business development opportunities through technology. The information I learned from my degree helps me understand the design of products and allows me to know what could possibly cause potential hazards in a product.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
When I first started at some of my co-op projects at GM, I noticed that the guys were given some of the tougher assignments and I was given things that were more administrative. I didn’t make any commotion in regards to it. I just did what I was asked quite efficiently and waited my turn to be given big project. When I did, I made sure I knocked it out the park. My advice for up and coming women is make sure to have a voice, state your opinion and back it up with rationale and finally when given an opportunity, prove yourself.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is when I see my staff succeed. I see people that I hired right out of college and watch them grow. The worst part of my job is when people don’t give 110%. I am a manager that gives a lot of respect and trust people to be professional. I hate being taken advantage of or when people try to go around the system. I look forward to coming in everyday and working with customers to determine solutions. I like looking to make our process more efficient and working with the engineers daily to support that effort. I wish I could change a lot of the politics that happen when you get higher up in the organization. Sometimes decisions are made that may not always be in everyone's best interest but people are focused on themselves and not the company.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
That is difficult. I have worked with the company for 18 years. Work and personal balance was easy at the beginning. As I moved up in the organization and now have a husband and 3 small children the balance is difficult. I don’t necessarily call it a balance, its doing what needs to get done in the time needed. So there are times when work takes precedence and you may spend more hours that week or month at work. Then there are times where your personal life shifts the pendulum. As long as you are aware and ok with the swings, that’s how it gets managed. I spend a lot of potential down time, (i.e. at soccer practice, once the kids are in bed, etc.) following up on emails and completing things that can get done quickly. The best advice is allow yourself to decide which side the pendulum needs to swing. None can make that decision for you. However, be sure that no matter what you are giving 110% all the time. To your family and to your job and it should work just fine.
7. What do you define success as?
I define success as happiness. Money doesn’t make you happy and if that’s what you are striving for you will never be happy or successful. I am glad I found a job that I am good at, I like the people and I believe in what we do. That’s what makes me happy and I feel I am extremely successful.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Wow . . I can’t give just one. Ok, if it has to be one I would say RESOURCEFUL. You have to make sure that you are humble enough to “know what you don’t know”. If you can do that, you will be successful. WHY? Because if you can say, “I don’t know but I will get you the answer.” Now you have provided someone with the support they need to accomplish their goals. Just saying I don’t know is not helpful and no one else will consider you helpful and will never come back to you. If you make their problem, your own and help them with it . . now that’s someone that I would like to work with in the future.
9. 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 parents were my mentors. They are hardworking and love to live life. They were both teachers before they retired and the entire school (administrators, teachers, students and parents) respected them. They gave everything to their jobs and then gave everything to our family. Which is why I think it’s important to give 110% to both. They impacted me by teaching me never to quit. Engineering is not an easy discipline and I was away from home. There were many opportunities for me to want to come home and try something new. They instilled in us, once you start something you have to finish no matter what.
10. 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?
When I was working at GM, my co-op sponsor told us, no matter what you are doing ALWAYS walk with a sense of purpose. She said, it doesn’t matter if you’re walking to the bathroom, if someone sees you they should be thinking wherever you are going it must be important. Don’t give people a reason to think you are not working hard. Even if at first you don’t have much to do. Find something, do research, ask to help . . don’t make you being around become a burden. Look for opportunities and act on them.
I grew up in South Setauket, NY. I went to High School at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. I graduated in 1990. I then went to college at Ketterling University (Former GMI Engineering and Management Institute) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. I was not very familiar with all the aspects of engineering when I was growing up but all throughout I loved science and math. I knew my career would involve one of these areas. Kettering University is unique in that you work as a co-op student starting as a freshman. So I began getting experience at General Motors and then worked for Xerox. With each of these companies, I learned all aspects of the business, as well as, working on special engineering projects. Some of my key focuses were on process improvements.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
Today, I am an engineering manager at UL, LLC. There are 40 engineers that report to me that are located in our Melville and Northbrook offices. I am responsible for ensuring that we are meeting our revenue targets, utilizing sound engineering judgment to support the needs of our customers, developing new business opportunities within our industry, developing process improvements to ensure staff efficiency.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
In working with our customers and reviewing products that are submitted to UL there is always a level of STEM that is relevant. We review material requirements, determine safety requirements based on sound engineering, look for new business development opportunities through technology. The information I learned from my degree helps me understand the design of products and allows me to know what could possibly cause potential hazards in a product.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
When I first started at some of my co-op projects at GM, I noticed that the guys were given some of the tougher assignments and I was given things that were more administrative. I didn’t make any commotion in regards to it. I just did what I was asked quite efficiently and waited my turn to be given big project. When I did, I made sure I knocked it out the park. My advice for up and coming women is make sure to have a voice, state your opinion and back it up with rationale and finally when given an opportunity, prove yourself.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is when I see my staff succeed. I see people that I hired right out of college and watch them grow. The worst part of my job is when people don’t give 110%. I am a manager that gives a lot of respect and trust people to be professional. I hate being taken advantage of or when people try to go around the system. I look forward to coming in everyday and working with customers to determine solutions. I like looking to make our process more efficient and working with the engineers daily to support that effort. I wish I could change a lot of the politics that happen when you get higher up in the organization. Sometimes decisions are made that may not always be in everyone's best interest but people are focused on themselves and not the company.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
That is difficult. I have worked with the company for 18 years. Work and personal balance was easy at the beginning. As I moved up in the organization and now have a husband and 3 small children the balance is difficult. I don’t necessarily call it a balance, its doing what needs to get done in the time needed. So there are times when work takes precedence and you may spend more hours that week or month at work. Then there are times where your personal life shifts the pendulum. As long as you are aware and ok with the swings, that’s how it gets managed. I spend a lot of potential down time, (i.e. at soccer practice, once the kids are in bed, etc.) following up on emails and completing things that can get done quickly. The best advice is allow yourself to decide which side the pendulum needs to swing. None can make that decision for you. However, be sure that no matter what you are giving 110% all the time. To your family and to your job and it should work just fine.
7. What do you define success as?
I define success as happiness. Money doesn’t make you happy and if that’s what you are striving for you will never be happy or successful. I am glad I found a job that I am good at, I like the people and I believe in what we do. That’s what makes me happy and I feel I am extremely successful.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Wow . . I can’t give just one. Ok, if it has to be one I would say RESOURCEFUL. You have to make sure that you are humble enough to “know what you don’t know”. If you can do that, you will be successful. WHY? Because if you can say, “I don’t know but I will get you the answer.” Now you have provided someone with the support they need to accomplish their goals. Just saying I don’t know is not helpful and no one else will consider you helpful and will never come back to you. If you make their problem, your own and help them with it . . now that’s someone that I would like to work with in the future.
9. 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 parents were my mentors. They are hardworking and love to live life. They were both teachers before they retired and the entire school (administrators, teachers, students and parents) respected them. They gave everything to their jobs and then gave everything to our family. Which is why I think it’s important to give 110% to both. They impacted me by teaching me never to quit. Engineering is not an easy discipline and I was away from home. There were many opportunities for me to want to come home and try something new. They instilled in us, once you start something you have to finish no matter what.
10. 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?
When I was working at GM, my co-op sponsor told us, no matter what you are doing ALWAYS walk with a sense of purpose. She said, it doesn’t matter if you’re walking to the bathroom, if someone sees you they should be thinking wherever you are going it must be important. Don’t give people a reason to think you are not working hard. Even if at first you don’t have much to do. Find something, do research, ask to help . . don’t make you being around become a burden. Look for opportunities and act on them.