Lucille Blain

I attribute my success to my education, my family, and their support. My family has been there helping me out and supporting me throughout my journey, which has been fundamental to where I am today. The education I received at Rochester Institute of Technology was also very important, as it taught me about different parts of the industry, from cloud to making embedded systems to working with circuit boards, and that really helped me get to where I am today.

The best career advice I've received is to keep pushing yourself and try out different stuff, because that'll help you figure out what you want to do. Without the risk of trying it, you never know if you might like it. It's an ever-changing industry, and you need to learn and adjust as needed. If you stay open-minded and keep trying new things, you won't become stagnant.

I think don't be discouraged and don't be worried about what everybody else is doing. Try to do what you want to do and do your best. Pursue all you can and consume the knowledge you can. Take opportunities to heart, because it might help you later on in your future. You might not have all the necessary skills that companies are looking for, but it's still better to take the risk and see what you can do, because it's up to them to say no. You might have something that other people might not have.

One of the biggest challenges is getting your foot out there and getting your first start in the industry. A lot of companies look for star talent, and sometimes you might not have the necessary skills they're looking for. But it's still better to take the risk and see what you can do, because it's up to them to say no. You might have something that other people might not have. Getting your first foot into the industry and getting your start is probably the hardest part. As for opportunities, I think the flexibility of being able to learn different technologies is huge. What I'm doing now is learning different products that I'm using and trying to teach others how to use them, which helps me get more ideas from other people as well. That flexibility of being able to learn when I can and not be restricted is a real opportunity in this field.

I think having a balance between doing work, doing what you want to do, and being social is really important. Sometimes when you focus too much on one, you can't do the other two. It's important to learn what's out there and maintain that balance so you can grow both professionally and personally.