ELECTRICAL ENGINEER GOING SOLAR

Women In Green Jobs Profile: Suzanne White, MSEE, Can do the Math and Get on the Roof

Real Women. Real Stories.

"Two of my main challenges as an Electrical Engineer in Austin, TX. are finding work that will not be outsourced and creating a career where I can make valuable contributions and great strides in technology and life as both an engineer and a leader." During Suzanne White's creation and management of the local Society of Women Engineers Outreach/STEM Green program in April 2009 in Austin, TX, she co-designed a program that introduced solar and renewable energies. By the end of the event, Suzanne had questions of her own regarding how she could create new job opportunities for herself within this exciting industry. Suzanne was awarded the National SWE Award for this event, and she also made a decision that day to learn how she could recreate herself into a Solar Design Engineer.

"It is refreshing to become involved with such an exciting venture - solar is well on its way to becoming a more established alternative energy solution. By integrating my current skills and work experience with the knowledge gained from ACC's coursework and the guidance and encouragement I've received from staff and faculty, I have a solid foundation to design a new career. With additional solar installation and design experience under my tool belt, I will be well positioned for many different, inspiring career opportunities within this field."

Suzanne earned her B.S. in Electronic Engineering Technology, B.S. in Telecommunications Electronics, and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Colorado Technical University, and has over 10 years experience in the semiconductor and computer industries. By making the most of her educational background and expertise, and mixing in her new knowledge with renewable energy courses in solar from Austin Community College District (ACC), she is now an "Independent Solar Contractor" and a NABCEP "Professional" solar instructor for ACC.

Additional Information To Get you Moving

Her Background Training

 
*All videos are in MPEG format. A free player such as Quicktime or Adobe Flash may be required for proper playback.
The Career Clusters icons are being used with permission of the Career Clusters Initiative, 2009. For more information, visit www.careerclusters.org.
All videos developed and distributed by the New Jersey Center for Occupational Education Information under a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration.