????在最近的“編程女孩夏令營(yíng)”中,，我與一群高中女生進(jìn)行了交流,。她們來紐約參加這一沉浸式課程，是希望掌握從事工程與計(jì)算機(jī)類工作的技能,。這些女生問了我一些常見的問題,，比如如何平衡工作與生活，怎樣做才能在這個(gè)領(lǐng)域出人頭地等等,。此外,，她們也問到,，輔修計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)專業(yè)是不是足夠好的選擇。這些女孩擔(dān)心,，由于對(duì)這類高難度科目的接觸較少,，她們可能很難取得好成績(jī)。她們也很關(guān)心如何“知道”計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)這條路是否適合自己,。

????我發(fā)現(xiàn),，這些女生都非常聰慧，對(duì)編程也有足夠的求知欲,，但對(duì)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的懼怕,，可能讓她們?cè)谧非蟾呋貓?bào)的計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)類職業(yè)時(shí)畏縮不前。

????我告訴她們,，如果她們?cè)谏洗髮W(xué)前沒有太多的編程經(jīng)驗(yàn),，可以選擇更簡(jiǎn)單一些的途徑，輔修計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)專業(yè),，在一頭扎進(jìn)這個(gè)領(lǐng)域之前先行“試水”,。但我建議，在低估自己之前,，她們應(yīng)該盡量從事一些與技術(shù)相關(guān)的實(shí)習(xí)工作,，了解工程師們每天的真實(shí)生活。

????面對(duì)未知的時(shí)候,，承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)往往更加可怕,。消除這些未知因素之后，人們便可以更加愉快地做出一些大膽的選擇,。

????可悲的是,，對(duì)自我的懷疑和對(duì)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的懼怕，在女生當(dāng)中很常見,。有多項(xiàng)研究顯示,，女性比男性更懼怕風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。2012年的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn),，面對(duì)壓力,，男性比女性更有可能承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，而且在高壓情況下,，男性承擔(dān)壓力的意愿會(huì)提高,。研究還發(fā)現(xiàn)，隨著壓力水平提高,，女性會(huì)選擇規(guī)避風(fēng)險(xiǎn),。這方面的差異對(duì)于女性在日常生活中的決策有巨大的影響，尤其是對(duì)未來至關(guān)重要的決定。

????我在生活和職業(yè)當(dāng)中一直都樂于冒險(xiǎn),。2001年前往卡耐基梅隆大學(xué)計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)學(xué)院,，便是一次冒險(xiǎn)。當(dāng)時(shí)的我是個(gè)徹頭徹尾的門外漢,。在計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)學(xué)院,，女生本就稀少，美國(guó)出生的女生更是寥寥無幾,。這確實(shí)令人生畏,。除此之外，我還決定打籃球（在大二又參加了排球隊(duì)）,。有人警告我說,，既要代表校隊(duì)在全國(guó)各地參加比賽，又要攻讀全世界最優(yōu)秀的本科課程之一,，并取得計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)學(xué)位,，幾乎是不可能的。前兩年確實(shí)非常艱苦,。我已經(jīng)記不清花了多少個(gè)夜晚熬夜學(xué)習(xí),，經(jīng)常心情沮喪地給父母打電話，而且我無法取得全優(yōu)的成績(jī),。我記得，有許多次我甚至想放棄計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué),。

????但很快,，我接受了當(dāng)時(shí)的現(xiàn)狀。我不再擔(dān)心自己不能適應(yīng)傳統(tǒng)的計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)專業(yè),，因?yàn)槲覑凵狭丝萍嫉膭?chuàng)造力和它所帶來的挑戰(zhàn),。我不久便發(fā)現(xiàn)，我的課外活動(dòng)讓我變得獨(dú)一無二,。在昏暗的計(jì)算機(jī)集群之外的每一次經(jīng)歷,，都給我?guī)砹私鉀Q問題的全新視角。一位工程師的外貌或者行為,，并沒有什么統(tǒng)一的標(biāo)準(zhǔn),。

????我很早就懂得，最好的學(xué)習(xí)方式是全身心投入,，不要受到自我懷疑的干擾,。在我的第一份工作里，周圍的人都是發(fā)明家,。但我并沒有因此而感到害怕,，相反，我發(fā)現(xiàn)有一些工程師會(huì)每月進(jìn)行幾次聚會(huì)，討論專利問題,。大家在一起暢談尖端技術(shù),，記錄我們的想法，并將這些想法兜售給公司的專利評(píng)審委員會(huì),，我很快便發(fā)現(xiàn),，這種活動(dòng)令我癡迷。

????寫這篇文章的時(shí)候,，我正在焦急地等待雙胞胎女兒的降生,，這是我的第二對(duì)雙胞胎。第一對(duì)是兩個(gè)男孩,，他們?cè)?1月將滿三周歲,。這意味著，我將成為需要照顧四個(gè)孩子的職場(chǎng)媽媽,，而且四個(gè)孩子都不滿三歲,。成為父母會(huì)改變你對(duì)生活和工作的看法，因?yàn)槟愕墓ぷ髡加昧四阌脕砼惆楹⒆拥臅r(shí)間,。所以,，我認(rèn)為重要的是熱愛自己的工作，愿意接受挑戰(zhàn),。

????工程師永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)失去創(chuàng)新的動(dòng)力,，熱愛在職場(chǎng)內(nèi)外所做的事情，可以讓你更清楚如何選擇,。熱愛你所做的事情,，將激發(fā)你的熱情，讓你在做這件事的時(shí)候身心愉悅,，因此可以幫助你接受更大的風(fēng)險(xiǎn),。承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)最糟糕的情況不過是在一個(gè)項(xiàng)目完成之前退出，但即便如此,，你也已經(jīng)學(xué)到了許多新的技能,，這將幫助你應(yīng)對(duì)下一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)。

????作為女性工程師,，我們有機(jī)會(huì)指導(dǎo)并鼓勵(lì)我們未來的同事——尚在求學(xué)的少男少女們,。這真是托了他們的福啊,！因?yàn)殡m然我們可能對(duì)自己目前的成就感到滿意,，但看到其他人成功將給我們帶來更大的回報(bào)，哪怕這條道路充滿荊棘和坎坷,。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????本文作者現(xiàn)擔(dān)任IBM“發(fā)明大師”,。

????譯者：劉進(jìn)龍/汪皓

????審校：任文科

????I recently talked to a group of Girls Who Code high school students, who were participating in a summer immersion program in New York that equips them to pursue careers in engineering and computing fields.The girls asked me the usual questions about work-life balance and what they need to do to get ahead in the field. But they also asked if it was good enough to minor in computer science due to their fears of getting bad grades in hard subjects they had little exposure to. They also were concerned about how to “know” if computer science was the right path for them.

????I saw that while these girls were bright and curious enough to take up coding, their aversion to risk could hold them back from pursuing highly-rewarding computer science careers.

????I told them that if they didn’t have a lot of experience with programming before college, they could opt for the easier route and merely minor in computer science to test the waters before they plunged all the way in. However, I suggested before they sell themselves short, they try to experience technology-related internships to see what a real life engineer does on a day-to day basis.

????Taking a risk is always scarier when there are unknowns. Removing these unknowns helps people become more comfortable with making bold choices in life.

????Sadly, the self-doubt and aversion to risk they exhibited is all too common and reflected in many studies that show women are more risk averse than men. Not only are males more likely to take risks under stress than women, but risk-taking actually increases for men in stressful situations, according to a 2012 study. It also found that women avoid risk as their levels of stress increases. Such differences have dramatic implications for how we, as women, make decisions in our everyday lives, especially decisions that shape our future.

????In my life and career, I have always embraced risk. I took a chance when I headed for Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science in 2001. I was an outsider. Not only was I on a short list of females, but I was on an even shorter list of females born in the United States. It was intimidating. To top it off, I decided to play basketball (and volleyball my sophomore year). I was warned that it would be impossible to participate in a varsity sport, traveling across the country for games, while also pursuing a degree in computer science from one of the top undergrad programs in the world. The first two years were brutal. There were countless late night studying sessions, frustrated calls home to my parents, and I was far from getting all A’s. I remember many times where I wanted to throw in the towel on computer science.

????But it didn’t take long for me to embrace who I was. I stopped worrying that I didn’t fit the traditional computer science major profile because I fell in love with the creativity and challenge of technology. I quickly found out that my extra-curricular activities made me unique. Each experience I had outside a dark computer cluster only added to the new perspective I brought to problem solving. There is no cookie-cutter mold of what an engineer looks or acts like.

????I learned early on that the best way to learn is to jump in head first and not be distracted by self-doubt. On my first job, I was surrounded by inventors. Rather than being intimidated, I found a group of engineers who met a couple times a month to discuss patents. I quickly discovered just how addicting it was to brainstorm about cutting edge technologies, write up our ideas, and pitch them to our company’s patent review boards.

????I’m writing this article as I anxiously await the birth of my twin daughters, which happen to be my second set of twins. My first set, boys, will turn three in November. That means I’ll be a working mother of four children under the age of three. Becoming a parent changes your perspective on your life and your job, because you’re doing something that is taking time away from your kids. That’s why I feel it’s important to love what you do, and embrace challenge.

????For engineers, the drive to innovate never lets up, and loving what you do both inside and outside of work helps you make choices with greater clarity. Loving what you do also helps you take greater risks when it’s a passion and you enjoy every second of it. The worst-case scenario for taking risks is walking away from a project before you’ve completed it, but even then, you’ve learned a few new skills that you can take with you to the next challenge.

????As engineers — and women — we owe it to our future colleagues to get involved in mentoring and encouraging young girls and boys. Because as satisfying as our own accomplishments may be, it’s even more rewarding to watch others succeed, even if the path is bumpy.

????Lisa Seacat DeLuca is a master inventor for IBM.