Kristine Delgado
Technical Project Manager
AT&T
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
First I did not know what I wanted to major in, but I knew I liked math.
Then I heard engineering needed more girls, it was a challenging major, and you could get a good job.
Then I got good grades so I could get an engineering internship and see what engineers do.
Then I went to a lot of career fairs and found a job in technical project management at AT&T.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Mechanical Engineering
University of California-Los Angeles
Mechanical Engineering
University of California-Los Angeles
Career
Technical Project Manager
I improve the coverage and capacity of AT&T's mobility network.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Technology
Numbers
Working Independently
Day to Day
I manage projects by hosting conference calls to discuss roadblocks with other team members. I use Excel to make graphs and charts that tell a story about whether we progressing fast enough to meet our final goal. I make presentations for upper management so they know how well each team is performing and so they can help if a team is struggling.
Skills & Qualities Beyond School
Self discipline is very important if you are an individual contributor. When you are not working in a big team, it's up to you to set timelines for yourself to get each part of the project done. If you are not used to talking on the phone it is good to practice. I almost never called anyone so leading a call with 40 other people on the line was intimidating at first. There are often many projects and deadlines that you're working on at once, so it's also important to stay organized.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Take as many math, physics, and chemistry AP classes as you can. You will cover a lot of the same material your freshman year of college and it helps if it is not your first time seeing it.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"Being one of the three girls in a class of 50 guys, sometimes I would feel intimidated and think "All of the guys here are smarter than me. I don't belong here.""
I overcame this noise by studying with friends and working hard to prove myself wrong. When I talked to other people in my class I realized that I was not the only one struggling with the material. Even if I did poorly on a midterm, I didn't give up. I went to office hours so someone could help me understand what I missed on my test and learned from my mistakes instead of letting them defeat me.
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
Financial
I had strong grades in high school that qualified me for a lot of merit based scholarships. Applications are boring but totally worth it! Keep applying while you are in college too. Good grades also help you get internships which can pay very well.
Engineers Don't Look Like Me
Engineers Don't Look Like Me
My friends in high school were mostly girls so it was intimidating for me to walk into a room of guys and sit down next to someone I didn't know. Joining an engineering club helped me get to know my classmates and find people to study with.