ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 21

feature

Caroline Mekodom, C.E.T.
EDMONTON

Caroline Mekodom, a senior customer support engineer,
left her home in Cameroon in 2006 to join her husband
in Montreal. Before emigrating, she'd earned an associate degree in electrical and automation engineering in her
home country.
She had entered the profession at first out of curiosity.
"I wanted to understand the magic behind electrical current
and automated systems," said Mekodom. "But I also wanted
to explore a field that was traditionally male-dominated and
prove that women can do it as well. This explains why, for
most of the time during my studies, I was the only woman in
a classroom of men."
Eventually, her reasons for entering the profession evolved
into a passion for it. But, it did not translate into career-related
employment on her arrival in Canada.
"With a degree from a foreign country, it's always a challenge
to have employers trust you because they have no idea what
you know, and are concerned about you being a good fit in
their environment," said Mekodom. "They ideally prefer to
hire someone who was trained in Canada."
Having understood that, she returned to school in Montreal
and earned a college certificate in instrumentation and automation, which bridged her to her first Canadian job in her field.
But, unlike the majority of foreign-trained professionals who
work in engineering technology, she faced an additional barrier: being a woman in a male-dominated profession.
"Women need to fight twice as hard to earn their seat at the
table," she said.
She faced yet another hurdle when she and her family relocated to Edmonton three years ago. She discovered that
Alberta employers were less willing to recognize her outof-province experience. After looking for work and not succeeding, she began researching the profession in Alberta.
A relative mentioned ASET and, before long, she had connected with them and begun the certification process. Once
she achieved her C.E.T. designation, she found that landing a
career-related job was much easier.

"ASET was very helpful to me. Carrying the C.E.T. designation
beside my name helped build trust with recruiters and companies, and created a pathway for me into the profession in
Alberta," said Mekodom.
These days, Mekodom works in the diagnostic side of health
sciences. "Knowing that I am part of a big system dedicated
to building a healthier world is very inspiring to me every day,"
she added.
Mekodom enjoys raising her kids in family-friendly Alberta
where people are open and welcoming. She's even adjusted
to the harsh Canadian winters, having tried sports such as ice
skating. She is happy and proud of where she's at, knowing
the best is yet to come.

TECHNOLOGY ALBERTA | WINTER 2019 | 21

ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019

Table of Contents
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - Cover1
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - Cover2
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - AD
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - Table of Contents
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 5
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 6
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 7
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 8
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 9
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 10
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 11
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 12
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 13
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 14
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 15
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 16
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 17
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 18
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 19
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 20
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 21
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 22
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 23
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 24
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 25
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 26
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 27
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 28
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 29
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 30
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 31
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 32
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 33
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 34
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 35
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 36
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 37
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 38
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 39
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 40
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 41
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 42
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 43
ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 44
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_dec2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/aset55anniversary
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2015
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com