[BC] Female Engineers

[Jim Seaman]

> Thanks for the encouraging remarks all. I never had a problem with the> jokes, I rather enjoyed them. 
 
Kim, 
 
As you can see, whether you choose to make a career of this business, or not, it won't be for lack of encouragement. 
 
I haven't made note of it for a number of years, but I think the SBE used to host a reception for female broadcast engineers at the NAB or at one of its own conferences. Industry conferences are always a good place to network and meet your peers. You made a good start of things by joining the SBE, but I would suggest that you also join the SMPTE and/or the SCTE. The SMPTE, in particular, now has a female engineering VP and a female executive director. I always see a number of females in attendance at the SMPTE engineering conferences.
 
You will have a little bit more company if you ever decide to shift in to TV, but overall our craft is overwhelmingly male. There are many reasons for the lack of female broadcast engineers, and I'm sure they would fill a list. A lot of it has to do of it has to do with the problems and issues surrounding the broadcasting business that effect male and female engineers alike. As much as I derived great satisfaction from being a radio engineer, the truth of the matter is that radio today is seen as a stepping stone into something else, usually TV, satellite, or the telecom field. If you want to advance and grow professionally, you need to look at the business as a whole, even if you want to focus on radio.
 
Regards,
 
Jim Seaman
Germantown, MD
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