From On-the-Spot Interview to Dream Job: Unconventional Path to Lockheed Martin

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I'm so excited to share this conversation with Daniele Mendez, who has one of the most unexpected STEM origin stories I've heard! We were classmates at Florida Polytechnic University, and hearing her full journey from wanting to be a journalist to becoming a Software Quality Engineer at Lockheed Martin was absolutely fascinating.

In this episode, Daniele gets real about how a negative experience with a teacher completely redirected her career path, leading her to discover robotics and eventually software engineering. She shares the behind-the-scenes story of how we prepared for career fairs at Florida Poly (including our secret portfolio strategy that actually worked!), and how she landed her job through the most unexpected on-the-spot interview.

We dive deep into the challenges of being a young engineer - the imposter syndrome, being the only woman on male-dominated teams, and how remote work during COVID affected her growth. Daniele also breaks down the reality of pursuing a master's degree and whether it actually leads to immediate career advancement (spoiler: it's not what you think).

What I love most about this conversation is how honest Daniele is about the ups and downs of her career journey. She talks about having an incredible manager who actually helped her grow instead of trying to keep her in one role and how she transitioned from software engineering to software quality engineering to get a bigger picture view of her work.

If you're a student wondering if STEM is right for you, dealing with imposter syndrome in your first job, or thinking about making a career pivot, this episode is packed with real, practical advice. Daniele's story proves that sometimes the best opportunities come from the most unexpected places.

Chapters:
00:00 From Journalism to Robotics: A Journey Begins
06:59 Choosing Computer Science: The Path to Florida Poly
10:35 College Life at Florida Polytechnic University
16:35 Internship Experiences: Remote Work Challenges
20:40 Networking and Landing the First Job
29:08 Navigating Early Career Challenges
34:48 Transitioning Roles and Responsibilities
42:30 Pursuing Further Education: Pros and Cons
49:10 Lessons from Graduate Studies
55:12 Advice to My Younger Self

#STEMCareers #WomenInSTEM #CareerAdvice #TechCareers #EngineeringJobs #ProfessionalDevelopment #CareerChange #UnlockingMyPotential

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