Women's Success Stories

ZOHREH MOJTAHEDI Age 27, Persian Engineering Assistant Employed by Novak Electronics, Inc. "Electronics is a satisfying major. When you have the ability to design new things and create what you’ve imagined you feel satisfied. Or, when nobody knows why a device doesn’t work right, or at all, and you very easily trace the problem, it seems you have a magic touch."

Getting Started: Zohreh Mojtahedi developed an interest in electronics during high school. When she graduated, she applied for college at Shahid Beheshti University, in Tehran, Iran, and established a major in Electrical Engineering. "Before the university, I had no clue what this major was like," says Zohreh. After college, Zohreh worked in engineering research and programming for three years. She began working as an engineering assistant for her current employer, Novak Electronics. Inc., about a year ago. Novak Electronics designs and manufactures electronics for remote controlled racing cars. She enjoys the opportunity she has there to be creative, think through problems, find the cause, and develop a solution.

Education: Zohreh got her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in her home country of Iran. Now that she is living and working in the United States, she has begun taking courses in the Electronic Technology program at Irvine Valley College. "My goal is to refresh my knowledge, and learn more practical things," she says. Of her classes at IVC, Zohreh notes that, "They helped me learn the practical aspects of electronics more thoroughly. At IVC, I enjoyed classes with great professors."

Through her work and schooling, Zohreh has learned that practical knowledge is as important as education. "You cannot make a successful engineer or technologist unless you ace both," she advises. "Graduating from college by itself does not guarantee your knowledge. You should be willing to learn and you need to try hard."

Greatest Professional Achievement: Zohreh states that her greatest professional accomplishment came out of a Cooperative Work Experience course she took at IVC. "I worked on a project at my job with the help and supervision of my professor," says Zohreh. She designed a piece of digital test equipment to time the Hall Effect¹ on sensor-based brushless motors (one of her company’s major products) using a microcontroller. "Basically, it measures the delay in micro-seconds between two input signals before and after motor mechanical adjustment, and displays it on an LCD. It was challenging, but I succeeded in completing the project. It meant a lot to me," says Zohreh.

Barriers: Zohreh has not experienced any barriers during her education or on the job.

Working with Men: Although there are more men than women at her company, Zohreh reports that because it is a small company, there aren’t that many men, either. "So far, I haven’t had any problem working with men," says Zohreh, who has found her male co-workers to be friendly and supportive. She does have a word of advice. "Try to impress the men with your deep knowledge. That’s the qualification nobody can ignore."

Advice for Women: Zohreh recommends the electronics field for women. "Electronics is a satisfying major. When you have the ability to design new things, and make your imagination happen in the outside world, you feel satisfied. Or when nobody knows why a device doesn’t work right – or at all – and you very easily trace the problem logically, and it starts working again, it seems you have a magic touch."

Typical Workday/Environment: Zohreh’s employer, Novak Electronics. Inc., provides design, prototyping, production, programming, testing, and troubleshooting of products such as speed controllers, battery chargers, brushless motors, and receivers for remote control racing cars. "I take care of all the product failures," says Zohreh. "I analyze each failure and investigate the possible root causes. I discuss it with the design engineer to find solutions; and finally I fix the failures and the possible cause(s)."

She also writes the test procedures for the products, and makes sure the products undergo all the necessary tests before leaving the company. "I design and make new testing equipment, and maintain the current testing equipment for manufacturing," she says. The environment is informal, so employees have no specific dress code and can dress casually.

Career Ladder: Zohreh indicates that promotional and career advancement opportunities "depend on the academic knowledge of the person, the amount of training the company provides the person with, and each individual’s effort and determination to learn and improve." She notes that someone in her position also might be eligible for opportunities as an Electronics Technician, Test Technician, Programmable Logic Control (PLC) Technician, CAD Designer, or a Design, Test, Manufacturing, Hardware, or Application Engineer. Starting salaries for engineering assistants with a certificate or A.S. degree may range from $25K to $34K per year, and could go as high as $40K with a few years of experience. Workers starting out with a B.S. degree may earn from $38K to $58K per year, and with experience could earn as much as $110K per year. Her company offers medical, dental, and vision benefits.

Professional Associations: none.

Hobbies: Zohreh’s hobbies include hiking, climbing, shopping, listening to music, and day dreaming.