“We monitored the typhoon before and after it landed. We were on duty during Christmas until the services were finally restored, generating reports to help the whole team assess the situation. When the signal finally came up, it was the most fulfilling moment for me, for us” she said.

But being a woman in a highly male-dominated industry was not entirely a walk in the park for the network engineer.

Ms. Miguel shared that there was an instance in her career where she was denied a field engineer role because she’s a woman. “They said that the possibility of me being on field is low because my needs as a woman might affect my efficiency on site.”

When she moved to Smart Communications, Inc., she had the chance to lead projects with male colleagues. “In Smart, all opportunities are open for us. We are not excluded because of our gender, especially in our field, where the number of women is few. It always feels like I belong.”

She even recalled one of her first site validation experiences, where she had to climb several floors atop a vertical ladder. “It was scary at first. But now it makes me proud, sometimes when we pass by buildings or sites, I can say, ‘Uy, yung site na ‘yan, naakyat ko na ‘yan!’

For Engineer Miguel, women should look for a career that they are passionate about. “It doesn’t matter whether the job is hard or easy, if you don’t like what you’re doing, you will not be successful."