Amanda Burchett

I inserted myself, I would say. I really wanted to have an understanding of more than just my role. When I was in my design engineering position going into that QA/QC position, I understood my role, but I wanted a better understanding of how that fit in to the rest of what we did, as well as our company, and just a lot of the clients with whom we work. So it was having my own voice and listening to conversations that were happening around me, and sort of inserting myself to a degree. You don't want to get too aggressive with the way that you're inserting to where it's overbearing, maybe. But I just made sure that I was present. I wanted to learn more, I wanted to grow, and so I just made sure that I was there and engaged.

Amanda identified her mother and her direct manager as two of the most influential mentors in her life and career. She credits them with providing guidance, encouragement, and support that helped shape her leadership style and professional confidence.

I definitely think there's a lot of imposter syndrome that can come up, as I mentioned earlier when going into a management position. But I would just say to anybody, women going into this industry, just believe in yourself, have that confidence. If you kind of go into it with a lot of that confidence, maybe the fake-it-till-you-make-it kind of mindset to a degree, I think it can take you a long way. Make sure that you're learning and growing and going into it with a lot of that confidence is really beneficial.

I would say the biggest opportunities are just learning about this industry. My role and the knowledge that I've gained can really go into a lot of broader aspects of this industry, and not just the specifics that I'm in. It really kind of opens up your mind to a lot of different parts of this industry, especially since it's utility-based and very electricity-based. It opens up opportunities because there's a lot of growth with AI data centers and the need for electricity there. Although it's very controversial right now, there's still just a lot of opportunities with even broadband or fiber development within this industry. There's just a lot of different aspects to make sure you're getting different opportunities and kind of finding that area that you're going to really enjoy.

Outside of work, I enjoy reading, hiking, barre workouts, crafting, and learning new skills. I value maintaining a healthy balance between her professional responsibilities and personal growth while continuing to challenge herself in new ways.