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Women's Success Stories
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MAYURI PATEL “I was attracted to the field of electronics because I have always been curious about the way electronics components work together. It’s a challenge when I have to troubleshoot the part and get to figure out why and how certain processes work the way they do.” |
Career Quick Look
| Salary: | $39k | Education: |
| Years in Field: | 9 |
Irvine Valley College, enrolled in Electronics Technician Certificate Program B.S. Degree in Physics and Chemistry, Gujarat University, Gujarat, India |
| City/State: | Irvine, CA |
Getting Started: Mayuri Patel grew up in her native India, and often helped out in her family’s company, which manufactured medicines. She was exposed to the sciences from an early age: her family was involved with the chemical industry, her uncle had a master’s degree in chemistry, and her family encouraged her in her desire to study chemistry and physics in college at Gujarat University. She earned a bachelor’s degree there, and when she graduated, she continued to work in her family’s company testing in the lab for one year. She then married and moved to the United Kingdom, where she lived for about 10 years. During this period, she stayed at home with her newborn son, and helped her husband with his business running a liquor store in London.
When she and her husband moved to California in late 1998, she became tired of staying at home and wanted to get out and meet people and have new experiences. She went to a nearby company, Affinity Medical Technologies, and applied for a job just to get the experience of working outside of a family business. Mayuri was hired in production at the company, which makes cable and other interconnecting products for medical equipment such as electrocardiogram (EKG) machines and blood pressure monitors. During her nine years at this company, Mayuri has been promoted frequently to positions in inspection, quality control, and finally to the job she now holds as an engineering technician. She finds her work there quite interesting, and she has been able to use some of what she learned in college. She also enjoys working in the medical industry, knowing that the products she works on are used to help others.
Education: Mayuri received her bachelor’s degree in Physics and Chemistry at Gujarat University in India. When she began working at Affinity Medical years later, she found that she wanted to keep learning, so she began taking classes at Irvine Valley College (IVC). She started with a database course and a drafting (AutoCAD) class simply because she was interested in these subjects. Soon, she enrolled in the Electronic Technician Certificate Program at IVC. She plans to complete her certificate, and may also pursue an A.S. degree as well. “I like to learn new things and find out how things work – I’m always curious,” says Mayuri. She has found the hands-on experience in her courses at IVC quite helpful in understanding the wiring and components contained in an assembly at her job at Affinity Medical Technology. She reports that she is now learning about alternating currents, which has helped her on the job, as well as at home when the electricity fails. “I used to just wait for my husband,” she says, but now she can get the lights back on herself. She likes the teachers at IVC. “They are very good, they are there for you. I like the programs, too,” says Mayuri.
Greatest Professional Achievement: Mayuri feels that her most satisfying professional achievements have come through her job when she designs a new connector, PC board, or a cable assembly based on minimal information from her customers. She finds that it is a very creative process to put together a design that works, that meets Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standards, and which makes her customers happy.
Barriers: Mayuri has not come across any barriers during her schooling or at work, despite the fact that she has often been the only woman – or one of a very few – in her classes or on the job. “If I have a question I ask my teacher, or to my boss.”
Working with Men: Although she works mainly with men and her classes also have a majority of male students, Mayuri has not had a problem with this. She has found it helpful to limit her conversations with male co-workers to work-related topics, while avoiding personal subjects.
Advice for Women: For women who are wondering if they can succeed in electronics technology, Mayuri advises, “Think positive, start doing it, and you can accomplish it.” Mayuri also recommends that women learn about electronics because so many products rely on electronic components to run correctly. “You buy anything electronic, and then when there’s a problem you know how to fix it. It makes you more independent,” she says.
Typical Workday/Environment: Mayuri’s job has many different aspects. She is involved in designing new products, and making sure the mechanical, electrical, and chemical components work well and meet AAMI standards. When she arrives in the morning, she reviews her e-mail and responds to urgent customer concerns. Mayuri then moves on to a wide variety of other tasks. She often consults with the production manager who is producing the cable when something goes wrong with the production process. Drawings may be incorrect, or a defect may be uncovered during the high voltage test. Mayuri checks out the problem, and she enjoys the challenge of figuring out what has gone wrong and finding a solution. She may also be involved with testing in the engineering lab, preparing drawings, training new engineering assistants, etc. At the end of each work day, she takes the time to organize her work for the next day.
Mayuri works in a cubicle in an office environment for most of her day, but may also work in the engineering lab and visit the production line. The dress code is usually quite casual, although for special events or when customers visit employees may be asked to dress up accordingly.
Career Ladder: Mayuri has already experienced several promotions during her nine years at Affinity Medical Technologies. She hopes to one day become a Project Engineer. She believes someone entering the field in her position could make around $32K per year. She likes the flexibility offered by this employer, which allows her to be with her 13-year old son when she needs to. The benefits are good, and include medical, dental, and an IRA plan with a 3% company contribution.
Professional Associations: none.
Hobbies: Mayuri loves to learn new things and gets bored sitting at home, so one of her hobbies is to take classes to learn something different. She also enjoys visiting Hindu temples, which she did as a young girl with her family in India.
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