 Susan
Butler
Ink Development
Engineer
Lexmark International
Lexington, KY
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 B.S. - Chemical
Engineering, University of Kentucky |
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Product Engineer in ink jet development. |
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"Communication is very
important. Your success is dependent upon how well you can communicate
your ideas with others. So it's very important to take as many
communication classes as possible - and get up in front of people and
speak." |
Butler:
"Once
I leave work, I try to leave the stress and all the problems at work, and
sometimes that's difficult, but it is very important if you want to keep
sanity outside of the workplace."
Q: How did you decided to become a
chemical engineer?
Butler:
I visited
several colleges and I was looking into something in environmental, so I
looked at civil engineering and chemical engineering. When I visited the
chemical engineering department at University of Kentucky, they showed me
a lot of the projects they were working on, and it was really interesting
to me. That's what initially got me into chemical engineering.
Q: What was your college experience
like?
Butler: I did a lot
outside of chemical engineering -- although it does take a lot of your time,
and it is very stressful, and very time consuming-because I was interested
in other areas, like volunteering.
Q: Did you co-op while you were an
undergrad?
Butler: The co-oping I
did was with a chemical company. I also worked for Toyota Automotive
Company where they make Camrys. I worked on an exchange process for water
systems, and that's what I took care of for alternating semesters for a
year.
Q: What on-campus activities were you
involved with?
Butler: I volunteered
at a nursing home. I did a lot of different activities, like helping
people that needed their homes fixed-up, through Habitat for Humanity. I
was involved in a lot of different areas where there was a need, that also
gave me a break from school.
Q: How did you find your first job
after school?
Butler: My husband
is
still in school at the University of Kentucky, so I had to work in
Lexington. This left a very narrow range of job areas to look into. So I
looked into environmental consulting firms as well as manufacturing, and
that's how I got the job at Lexmark.
Q: Was finding a job a difficult
process?
Butler: It was a
difficult process, and I was pretty much on my own. I probably had 12
resumes at Lexmark. I was pushing very hard because they are the biggest
industry in this area.
Q: What helped you get your job at
Lexmark?
Butler: My co-oping
experience. I think my co-oping experience was very demanding. It was a 24
hour-a-day job, I was on pager, and I think people were impressed with my
dedication. I could go to work at 8:00 p.m. or 6:00 a.m. I think just the
work ethic that belonged with that job, as well as the chemistry
experience, was what helped me get my job here.
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