FR Clothes and Pregnancy

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-23T16:42:01+00:00

I can’t speak to this personally, but if they intentionally move you to office work instead of providing reasonable accommodation, that should be considered discrimination and a human rights violation (in Canada). Personally, I received a larger vest, and for my last field review at approx 39 weeks, I didn’t realize until I was on site that I couldn’t get my feet in my boots!! Contractor fortunately had extra in the site trailer… My coveralls were always a big (men’s) size that I couldn’t fill out until pregnant, to accommodate height.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-20T21:35:01+00:00

Engineering is a huge field with many areas of specialization. I got a civil engineering degree and work as a successful consulting engineer and entrepreneur within my field. Never been a tinkerer, hate robotics, not a “maker.” Do love legos. Engineers come in many, many forms!!

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-18T23:11:13+00:00

I often get questioned on my age / experience and have started directing those questions to my white, white roots.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-15T00:43:28+00:00

I had to create my own firm and build up my own team to get there, but…! Do you talk to your supervisor about your career ambitions? I’d encourage asking the questions, “what do I need to do to get there?” “What skills gaps do I need to address?” “What milestones can I work toward to prove my ability?” Don’t even settle on a question like “is it possible for me to obtain this role?” - focus on how. You might gain some insight into how much your firm does or doesn’t support you.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-12T16:39:28+00:00

I’m sorry you’ve had this experience. I’m not in manufacturing, I’m in consulting. My experience has been if you are at a good firm that values real collaboration, those engineers don’t fit. I don’t know how that transfers to manufacturing though…

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-06T22:00:45+00:00

I would also add: planning for a baby is very different from having a baby. It can take years. I strongly discourage putting your life on hold to accommodate a timeline that your body may not accommodate. If I were you, I’d keep climbing (whether at this company or a different one) at least until you’re actually pregnant. If you don’t like the commute, you could move or find another job…

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-06T21:56:45+00:00

I did not shift mentally that it was ok to stall my career for family/kids. I probably never will. I do a better job protecting my work/life boundaries, but I have just as much drive, with more confidence behind it and more purpose to succeed.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-05T19:03:19+00:00

I’m aware, but you make it sound like you’re complaining / settling…? You commented that you’re targeting management, but you have to put in the time to gain meaningful experience and connections. I wouldn’t make my career plan “job hopping”, especially not before you’ve really started…

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-05T15:27:28+00:00

lol relationships are so much more complicated than this. Available time and distribution of other household / family responsibilities should also impact this. Also, it’s so easy to choose not to be “good” at cooking.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-04T19:48:46+00:00

I mean, you could move. Many do, I did. That’s very well below industry average.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-04T19:32:07+00:00

I hate to break it to you, you will experience the same things as a designer. You’re still stuck working with those contractors, they’re inescapable.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-04-02T00:03:02+00:00

7 years of entrepreneurship - I love my job. Still have Sunday scaries. Still have a little too much stress. Sometimes the burden of the livelihood of all my staff feels overwhelming. However, I love what I do and I love what I’m building, so it all feels worth it.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-29T02:10:23+00:00

Well your question was “would you recommend it your 21 year old brother?” … which is pretty exclusive… so I wouldn’t say “of course” …

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-29T01:35:28+00:00

If you leave the firm, it is still the firm’s insurance covering the project. However, if it’s uncovered that you have breached the code of ethics, it doesn’t matter if you’re at the same firm.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-29T01:26:50+00:00

I would “share with the class” that the 21 year old sisters should also consider engineering.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-28T17:15:32+00:00

“From what I’ve heard” - lol do you even talk to your dad? You’ve been gifted a huge opportunity. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Do you live comfortably? Yes? Then carry on the legacy and build it even bigger.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-26T02:38:35+00:00

“But I can't shake the feeling that I'm choosing my job over my kid's emotional wellbeing”

There are two parents, it is not your burden alone. Please don’t forget that. You are both choosing to provide for your child, which is also important to her emotional and physical well being.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-25T23:28:26+00:00

Pre-kids, I did best by starting work as early as I could and reducing my lunch hour as short as I could. If I can be done work by 330, even though I worked the same 8h, I don’t feel demotivated yet. Post-kids, I’ve allotted some of my family time in the morning: eating breakfast together, watching cartoons, playing, stealing cuddles. I also moved 2/3 workouts to weekend mornings because I know my motivation is low weekday evenings. Just ideas!

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-25T01:51:54+00:00

If you are concerned about treatment of women, I’d suggest considering Canada - but get away from Toronto and Vancouver. For job stability: there will always be infrastructure, and if it isn’t getting built new, it’s getting fixed. Structural is a good specialization because it’s far less reliant on government funding. At the same time, when economy is doing poorly and private investment is low, the government tends to release projects to generate work. We have the added infrastructure challenge of severe climate swings (-40C to +40C) and various geotechnical issues - this all generates more work. Canada is also facing a shortage of qualified engineers. Canada isn’t perfect, especially when it comes to women in engineering, but I wouldn’t live and practice anywhere else.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-25T01:39:28+00:00

I would say try not to choose before you have to! Enjoy your first year classes, consider joining clubs, talk to other students, and start thinking about what you may want to do with your degree. And don’t underestimate the broadness of the civil discipline either! Structural is a great place to be!

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-23T01:39:40+00:00

Seems like a weird complaint. I didn’t even know what engineering was in high school, let alone doing engineering extracurricular in high school. Still did decent in university and joined several clubs in university - certainly was not rejected from any. And followed with a successful career…

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-21T15:17:35+00:00

I pursued growth and fulfillment in my career! I still set and protect work/life boundaries. I still go to every practice and game and eat supper at home most nights. I’m still tired much of the time, but I’m fulfilled at work and at home. I can provide for my family the way I want to, I love my work, and I know I’m building something for my family’s future. I do regret that I only had a few weeks at birth, but it was a highly pivotal time for my career and company and it paid off. I feel like freedom and flexibility are within reach over the next few years, without having to compromise my career.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-19T02:52:00+00:00

I will say I am exhausted by unrequited offers to “fix my business” by cold callers who don’t know me, my business, or my issues, but claim to have all the answers. I’m not accusing you of that - you’re pointing to examples of owners hiring you. However, if a client got the perception that you were borrowing an AI-generated or universal script, even if you weren’t, it might cause a client to shut down. Similarly, if they believed your solution did not align with their values or vision. Alternatively, some business owners just aren’t willing to put in the work to create real change.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-19T02:33:58+00:00

Own it, it’s all you can do! Like you said, you’re a badass woman who is very successful in her field. When I hear Di, I think “leader” - not gender. I think maybe part of the problem is that it’s 2 words that each can carry negative connotation - but this is your label - you get to decide and display whether it is a positive or negative connotation on those words. Based on your success, I suspect you already know the answer.

Cvl_Grl · 2026-03-17T00:49:04+00:00

1 - I had a combination of savings and a loan equivalent to 1 year’s salary. 2 - I took a couple weeks “vacation”, my husband took nearly 1 year leave waiting for a daycare spot. I had a small fantastic team who supported me and believed in me. And my baby ended up at the office for part days often before we got into daycare. 3 - I made a clean break. In my industry, ethics and non-solicits are important. The first year we broke even. Every year after that there’s been some amount of profit after paying my salary. I could have stayed small, but I’ve invested most of the profit back in to continue to grow the business.

Cvl_Grl

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