Issue 90 - They’re Not Einsteins
I met Stella (not her real name, but her request) on a 2-hour flight we shared into Washington, D.C. Stella was pleasant, professional and a good conversationalist. And by all outward appearances, she seemed normal.
Just another business traveler, I suspected. But I was wrong. Stella was
different. Her job was different. Where she worked was different. But most importantly, how she thought was different.
During our flight, I casually asked Stella what she did for a living. Her response surprised me.
“I work in the field of nuclear nonproliferation,” she said.
The phrase was hard to get my tongue around, much less the concept it
represented. My curiosity was peaked.
“Stella, I’m sure I’ve never met anyone who works in the field of nuclear
nonproliferation before. I would love to know more. Can you tell me what
kind of career path would lead to where you are now?” I asked.
The story Stella related-her story-is the stuff of legends. Local legends
at least. It is a story of dreaming dreams, ignoring stereotypes, overcoming obstacles, working hard and doing the job-even when it’s not really her job to do.
Determining the Destination
Stella married young, becoming the 18-year old wife of a U.S. Air Force
officer. By age 20, the young couple found themselves stationed in Eglin
Air Force Base, Florida. It was here that Stella would identify and formulate the basic plan that would serve to shape her personal and professional focus. And she began to understand that a solid education was the foundation on which her future should be built.
Like most of us, Stella knew what she was good at. She was good at analyzing things and solving problems. She always had been. But, at the same time, she knew she needed to identify a career that could be mobile, transferable, and one preferably without national boundaries. After all, her husband could be reassigned at any time. Stella’s immediate challenge was discovering a course of study that would accentuate her strengths while allowing her the professional mobility she required.
About this time, Stella’s husband was playing on a recreational softball
team consisting largely of a group of engineers. Engineering, Stella caught herself thinking, is inarguably one of the most analytical of disciplines, one of her personal career criteria. But the mystique surrounding this male-dominated field of study was intimidating. It was intimidating, that is, until Stella began to realize two affirming truths about the softball-playing engineers she was coming to know.
In her own words, Stella remembers having an epiphany. She came to realize,
“These guys are not Einsteins. They are just guys who studied hard to get
where they were.” Stella knew herself. She was more than willing to study
hard and apply herself. So before long, Stella had enrolled at Saint Leo
College in (eventual) pursuit of-what else-an engineering degree. It was
an “eventual” pursuit because at the time no colleges at Eglin AFB offered
engineering as a discipline. However, she did not let that minor fact
dissuade her. Stella knew it was important that she get started. So she
simply took what she could, where she could, when she could.
It wasn’t easy. It took TWELVE YEARS for Stella to complete the necessary
classes to earn her Associates of Arts in Liberal Arts degree, a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and eventually, her Masters degree in Public Administration. At the same time, Stella continued her role as wife and eventually, mother to two sons. Methodically, year after year, Stella continued to do the work, while making the necessary sacrifices from which her future success would eventually spring.
It’s a No-Brainer
In 1994, as a junior at UNLV, Stella found herself working with Dr. Robert Boehm (pronounced Beem), a professor at UNLV and head of its Energy
Resource Center. Dr. Boehm was an internationally recognized expert in
the field of solar energy. That same summer, the U.S. Department of Energy had scheduled a Solar Enterprise Conference to be held in Las Vegas and had invited Dr. Boehm to prepare and present his findings considering the possible formation of a Solar Enterprise Zone at the Nevada Test Site. But Dr. Boehm was a busy man. He assigned the task of collecting, analyzing, and preparing the data for his presentation to one of his most promising students. Guess who? That’s right–Stella.
For weeks leading up to the conference, Stella diligently considered data on 239 possible sites throughout the U.S. where solar research might effectively be done. Eventually, she came to the conclusion, supported by her documented empirical data, that the Nevada test site, outside Las Vegas, would be the right place to do solar research. Now all that was left to do was to get Dr. Boehm ready to present her findings to the esteemed conference attendees.
However, about a week before the conference, as she was putting the finishing touches to Dr. Boehm’s presentation, “Solar Insolation at the Nevada Test Site,” Dr. Boehm dropped a bombshell of an announcement
on Stella. It seems that he had been called away on other, more pressing
business and would be unable to attend the conference at all. In his absence, he assigned Stella the task of presenting her findings to this learned audience.
“Stella,” I asked, “how did you feel about this unplanned opportunity? Were you nervous, hesitant, excited-what?”
“I was all of those things,” she replied honestly. “But as nervous as I was, I knew the information so well, I was confident.”
Stella gave the presentation on the appointed day in the summer of 1994.
In her own words, “I shared the findings of my research and then basically
told the audience that the Nevada site was very sunny and a great place to
do solar research. In fact, my exact closing line of the presentation was, ‘It’s a no-brainer-it’s sunny at the test site!’” Her preparation, charm, common sense and good humor won the day.
The Professional Journey Begins
Unbeknownst to Stella, among the members of her audience that day was
the Manager of the Nevada Operations Office of the United States
Department of Energy, along with his Director for the Engineering Division.
Stella later learned that during her presentation, the manager turned to the director with the following straightforward instructions, “Find out who she is and hire her.”
The next week, the director called Stella to ask if she was affiliated with any specific company. He was surprised to learn that Stella was still a student and not working for anyone else. In turn, Stella was asked to interview for a job with the Department of Energy’s Nevada office. She went expecting to be interviewed. Instead, the interview was more like a full-fledged recruitment. In the end, Stella was hired by the DOE as a co-op student, until she was able to finish her course work to complete her undergraduate degree. Her initial pay was at a GS-4 governmental ranking, or $16,900-the lowest pay possible for a co-op student. Upon graduation, her co-op responsibilities transitioned into her first full-time job.
Soon after she accepted full time employment with the DOE, she consciously made another key career decision. Would she pursue a Professional Engineering License or would she opt to apply her engineering education and background to more administrative tasks? Long term she saw a future for herself in management and therefore enrolled in the Masters of Public Administration program. Five years later she received her Masters degree-still working full time, with young children.
As she continued her education along with her domestic responsibilities,
she received progressively more challenging jobs within DOE. From co-op
student she was promoted to Project Engineer in construction. From that position she was moved to Project Engineer at JASPER (Joint Actinide Shock Physics Experimental Research), first as an intern with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, later as the Project Manager. Finally, she was transferred to the HAZMAT Spill Center, again as Project Manager.
While working at the HAZMAT Spill Center, private industry took notice of Stella and her accomplishments. In 2003, Bechtol Nevada came calling with what proved to be an irresistible offer. They invited Stella to apply her skills to their work in nuclear nonproliferation. She was hired as the Deputy Project Manager. Within 6 months she was the official Manager of the Project. In her new position, she had direct contact with the National Nuclear
Security Administration (NNSA). NNSA is a part of the Department of
Energy (DOE), headquartered in Washington, DC. In her new capacity, she
was responsible for managing the professional activities of a diverse group of people, from accountants to engineers, from Ph.D. physicists to entry level administrative assistants. And her boundaries stretched far beyond the parameters of the Nevada Test Site. Now Stella oversaw activities in the Bulgaria, Romania and around the globe.
How did she do it? you might wonder. Please don’t make the oversimplified mistake of answering by saying she was “lucky” or “just in the right place at the right time.” To do so not only misses the point of this article completely, it also disrespects Stella and all the other “Stellas” that you will encounter who have done remarkable “outside-the-lines” types of things, but in a very
focused, formatted manner.
Stella established a direction, created a plan and diligently worked that plan. And you shouldn’t be surprised that this 42-year old dynamo is not done yet. Just recently, Stella took on yet another professional challenge. She voluntarily accepted the position as the Deputy Director of the Field Intelligence Element (FIE). In this position, Stella oversees all the activities involved with managing a “super secure room inside a secure facility” in which “highly classified” nuclear business is conducted. That’s as much as
she was willing to tell me about her new position and the responsibilities that come with it.
A Few Questions of Stella
I asked Stella what lessons she had learned from all that she has experienced. Her answers sound simple enough on the surface, but are packed with relevance for all of us.
Be persistent; look forward to learning new assignments…”I never met a job I couldn’t do; I never met a job I didn’t love.”
Just don’t quit…”I have left each job wishing I could stay, but knowing that I had to go to grow.”
Consider the opportunities that come your way…”Search within yourself to see if it (the opportunity) stirs your soul.”
Love what you do…”I have one of the coolest jobs on the planet.”
Here are a few questions I posed to Stella and the answers she offered. I think you will find them interesting.
Q: Stella, What drives you now?
“As a 42 year old professional, I intend to continue working as long as I’m having fun. I intend to keep my eyes and horizons open.”
Q: Based on your own experience, what advice do you give your sons?
“I tell them three things:
1) do the hardest things they know how to do…never opt for the easy way
2) do technical things and
3) do things they love.”
Q: How does your job affect your family life?
“I absolutely have loved being a mother. I loved everything about it-all the activities. But, balance is not easy. Sometimes the responsibilities of being a wife, mother and professional do build stress. My boys play baseball and lacrosse and I attend up to 7 sporting events each week. I have learned that it’s necessary to just suck it up in the beginning, get yourself organized and move forward.”
Q: What’s an average work week like for you?
“Over the years I have worked between 40 to 50 hours per week. In my new position I am currently working between 50 and 60 hours per week. I arrive at about 5:00 a.m. and I work until I get the job done.”
Q: How has your compensation progressed?
“I started my work with the Department of Energy in 1995 as a GS-4
($16,900 per year). I left the DOE in 2003 as a EN-4 (the equivalent of a GS-14) making $83,000. I entered private industry making $95,000 annually and am now making a salary in the six figures.”
Conclusion
So what is that we can learn from Stella’s example? Maybe that training and educational preparation is the foundation on which all significant accomplishments are built? How about diligence and hard work can actually pay off in the end? Or maybe the most important one yet. The next time you are swamped with work and your boss springs yet one more job on you, instead of saying “It’s not my job,” how about remembering Stella’s example and saying instead, “Why not? After all, it doesn’t take an Einstein, does it?”
