It’s probably the question I get asked most, more than “what do you actually do?” and more than “so is it just roads?” though both of those get a solid amount of airtime too.
“Do you feel intimidated? Being so young, and a woman, in an industry like that?”
And every time, I give the same answer: honestly, no, not really. Which surprises people more than anything else I could say. I want to be clear that I do get nervous, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t, but they’re the same nerves anyone feels starting a new job or walking into a room where they’re the newest person. The kind that comes with being new somewhere, not the kind that come with being in the wrong place entirely.
The stereotype isn’t entirely wrong
I get where the question comes from. Highways is a male-dominated industry that skews older, and when you picture it from the outside, you probably picture a room full of men in their fifties talking about tarmac – and I won’t pretend that picture is completely inaccurate, because there are absolutely rooms that look like that. But here’s the thing nobody tells you: being in one of those rooms is nowhere near as daunting as it sounds from the outside.
What it actually feels like.
The thing that’s struck me most since joining this industry is how genuinely welcoming everyone is – not in a polite, professional, keeping-up-appearances kind of way, but actually welcoming in the sense that people want to explain things, want to share what they know, and seem to take a real interest in making sure you understand. There’s a culture of passing knowledge on that I wasn’t expecting at all, and it makes an enormous difference when you’re new, young, and still figuring out what half the acronyms mean.
I’ve walked into meetings expecting to feel like the odd one out and left feeling like I’d genuinely contributed something, and I’ve asked questions I was convinced were stupid only to be met with proper, thoughtful answers rather than eye rolls. Repeatedly, the experience I actually have doesn’t match the experience I braced myself for.
“The gap between what this industry looks like from the outside and what it actually feels like on the inside is bigger than I expected – in the best possible way.”
Case in point: Traffex
Last week at Traffex, a key event in the highways calendar, I ended up doing an impromptu camera piece for Highways Champions. I want to stress the word impromptu here, I was asked approximately thirty seconds before the camera started rolling, with no prep, no notes, and nothing but a slightly panicked smile.
What I ended up talking about, completely off the cuff, slightly wide-eyed and definitely not prepared, was the people, because when you ask me what I like most about this industry, that’s genuinely the answer that comes out. Everyone I’ve met has been so willing to help, so enthusiastic about sharing what they know, and so encouraging of someone younger coming in and asking questions that it’s become the thing I talk about most when people ask me what the industry is actually like.
Attitude goes a long way
I think a lot of it comes down to how you show up, because if you walk in willing to learn, curious, and open to being the least experienced person in the room, people respond to that in a way that makes the whole thing feel far less intimidating than it might otherwise
That’s not to say there aren’t challenges, because being young and female in any male-dominated space comes with its moments, but they’re far outweighed by the ones where someone takes the time to explain something properly or includes you in a conversation you’d have been easy to leave out of.
The industry isn’t what it looks like from the outside
That’s the honest answer to the question. Highways is male-dominated and skews older, but the people inside it are some of the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic professionals I’ve come across, and they care a lot more about whether you’re engaged and willing than whether you fit any particular mould.
But here’s the thing about an industry that is older: at some point, those people retire, and the knowledge, experience, and expertise that makes this industry function doesn’t sustain itself – it needs people coming in behind it. This is why it matters that more young people find their way in, and why those of us already here have a responsibility to share outside the industry what highways is actually like.
In my experience, the only real barrier is not knowing the door was open in the first place.
More of this to come.
