So often, we find women coming into the FM world by accident, whereas I personally chose FM as a career choice. I have a bachelor’s degree in FM and after 31 years, it’s been a rewarding and challenging career. Every day is different. Yes, you get the day-to-day work done, but you also must maintain the environment, understand and implement new technology, and be innovative. You gain new knowledge everyday in all the pieces and parts that the FM world touches. FM covers so many different facets. When you are engaged each and every day at work, you look back and realize how quickly it has flown by. My career has afforded me the opportunity to move across the country and to travel across the globe. I have 6 children, so my entire career has been a juggling act.
At one point, earlier on, FM was generally viewed as support or a functional role, but now, more than ever, it’s a core competency and this shift is significant in positioning FM as a recognized profession.
When we look at women in Facility Management, how do we encourage them to join? It’s about raising awareness of the profession and speaking with younger students in high schools that are thinking about what they want to do in their careers. Sometimes they’re not aware of the facility management options. Lastly, we need to advocate for women; women advocating for women, men advocating for women, showing we’re all allies. For me, this is a dream career and I’m so glad I made the choice I did.