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Name: Christine Fain
Age: 25
Company Name: Texas Instruments (TI)
Years With Company: 1
Previous Jobs: interned at Siemens Stromberg-Carlson in Orlando, FL
Education: B.S. in industrial engineering
1. What is your official job title?
Facilitator
2. What is the job title you'd give yourself?
Supervisor/Production Planner
3. What makes your job unique?
4. How did your college major / graduate school degree help prepare you for your career path?
None of the tangible skills (programming, calculus, etc.) I learned in college have come into use here; the main skill that has helped me is the analytical thinking process I had to learn to get through those classes.
5. What necessary career information was missing from your studies? How did you pick up those skills and knowledge?
People skills were sorely lacking from my studies; I had to pick them up as I went along, and I'm still learning. I imagine I will always be continuing to learn those skills!
6. What difficulties did you encounter entering your chosen field?
The lack of women in my workplace: engineering is male-dominated, and it's difficult to find female companionship and support.
7. Why would you recommend your company or job?
TI is an excellent place to begin. You can learn just about anything; it is a very diverse company, and you can find many diverse tasks.
8. How does the size of your company impact your sense of job satisfaction?
I sometimes feel as though I'm not making as big a contribution in a company this size as I would in a smaller company. I would like to feel like I'm really making an impact, and that's difficult sometimes.
9. What three things are most rewarding about the work you do?
- implementing a new process, and finding it really does make a difference!
- getting through to the people that work for me, so that they actually enjoy their jobs
- making significant improvements where others have not been able to
10. What three things are most frustrating?
- government regulations
- TI bureaucracy
- uncooperative co-workers
11. What three things are most fun?
- being able to kid around, have fun with the assembly people
- sense of camaraderie with other facilitators
- really feeling needed!
12. How do you handle work stress?
I laugh it off. Many times, I also talked things out with my manager. After work, volleyball plays a big part in alleviating stress. It's amazing how good it can feel to smash the ball over the net!
13. How big a role does technology play in your career?
Huge! I couldn't do nearly as much without it. My specific area of expertise is robotic insertion of components into boards, not possible without the level of technology we have.
14. How do you distinguish yourself from your co-workers?
By looking more than at the day-to-day operations; I try to look ahead, plan for the future, look at the big picture.
15. Which popular song best describes your working life?
none given
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