A Mature Match

How do you feel confident in a male-dominated workplace? I have that voice in the back of my head that doubts myself, which is not uncommon with women.

Michele Payton had always been good at math and science, and she was in enrolled in those classes in college when she felt a need to explore other parts of herself. She left school and, after marrying and having two children, returned to the University of Colorado at Boulder at age 25 as a theater major. A year before she was to earn her undergraduate degree, Michele was sewing costumes for the local Shakespeare festival when she seriously injured her right arm. Six months later, she was involved in a car accident that left her with head and brain injuries. "I had to learn how to learn all over again," she says. She was also unable to use her right arm for two years.

"I went to the state rehab center and asked, 'What do I do? How do I support my kids?'" Michele says. Her caseworker did some testing and recommended she consider becoming a math teacher, so she returned to school, thinking she'd pursue a math and teaching degree. "For that I had to take a computer class," Michele says, "and I fell in love with computing instantly."

...it's useful once in a while to hear someone say, 'Just bear with it. Everyone knows you have more than you can handle, and you'll survive.

Because of her brain injury, Michele could take only two classes per semester, so it took more than five years to earn a bachelor's of fine arts degree in theater. Another seven years and two more sons later, she completed her master's degree in computer science. "My goal was to finish before my oldest son graduated from high school," she says.

Transitioning from school to work

In this last year of graduate school, Michele was paired through MentorNet with Cristina Serban, a Principal Technical Staff Member in the Consumer IP (Internet Protocol) Services division of AT&T Labs, who has a Ph.D. in computer science.

"I really wanted a woman mentor, someone in the field who'd been out there working," Michele says. "From experience I know it's more difficult for women, especially in engineering and the sciences, and I wanted to connect with someone who could guide me in my transition from school to work.

"Once we'd been matched and shared some get-to-know-you information, Cristina asked me what I needed from her, and I made up a list of general things. Then as situations came up, I got more specific," she continues. "One question I remember in particular: How do you feel confident in a male-dominated workplace? I have that voice in the back of my head that doubts myself, which is not uncommon with women. And through all the advice Cristina's given me, she's shown me how to feel comfortable where I'm at. It's hard to explain, but just the way Cristina responds is what helps me see how to do that."

'Hang in there' support

For Cristina's part, listening and providing support were key.

"Michele is, as I was, a mature student in graduate school. She's worked, she well knows what the IT field is about, and she went directly after what she wanted," Cristina says. "I was able to offer feedback on her résumé and provide first-hand information from the corporate world when Michele was job-hunting and wondering what to expect if she went in a particular direction. But my chief aim was to provide ‘hang in there' support, encouraging Michele to keep her eye on the light at the end of the tunnel. When you're a student, it's useful once in a while to hear someone say, ‘Just bear with it. Everyone knows you have more than you can handle, and you'll survive.'"

According to Michele, Cristina's job-hunting help and general encouragement was invaluable last fall as she interviewed for jobs, ultimately accepting a position with IBM in Boulder as an integration services database administrator, and also this spring as she completed her thesis before starting the new job.

"Cristina kept up with me week by week during my job interviews, advising me on what to ask and say, emailing often to ask how things were going," Michele says. "I'd never been in that position before, whereas she's both interviewed for jobs and now does campus recruiting. It was so helpful to be able to talk to someone about things like salary and benefits; you can do web research and get general ranges, but that won't tell you how to go about getting what you want."

Even under the most ideal circumstances, earning a master's degree and securing a good job are big accomplishments, and Cristina has only words of praise for how her protégé has prevailed.

"I have one child and feel very busy with my life. Michele has four kids and took on all this school, for all these years, then got a great job," she says. "It is amazing what she has managed to take care of."