They say when opportunity knocks, you take it.
In my case, opportunity didn’t just knock — it called, pirated me away from my old company, and dropped me straight into a brand-new power plant like I was some kind of secret weapon.
Sounds glamorous, right?
Well… let me tell you what actually happened.
On my first day, I strutted into the plant with all the confidence of someone who had been pirated — poached! — because of my expertise.
But the moment I met the VP, he looked at me like I had walked in wearing a chicken costume.
Pure shock.
"You… you’re here?!"
Apparently, no one told him I was hired.
So there I was, standing in my hard hat and best engineering smile, trying to pretend this was all part of the plan.
Next stop: the water treatment laboratory where I was supposed to start working.
Except… there was no lab.
No chair.
No table.
Not even a corner with a sad little stool.
What was there?
A chemical container.
So I sat on it.
That’s right.
First day at my shiny new job, I sat on a chemical drum outside the unfinished lab, notebook balanced on my knees, wondering if this was what “career growth” was supposed to look like.
But hey — if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that you don’t wait for the perfect conditions. You build them.
So I got to work.
With no lab and no equipment ready, I started organizing, planning, learning from visiting experts, and slowly turning chaos into an actual water treatment facility.
I listened, I learned, I asked questions, I took notes.
Then I trained my team, organized the lab, set up systems, and made sure the plant could operate independently.
In fact, I worked so hard that our water treatment department became the first one in the whole plant to send our trainer home.
While the other departments still had their trainers still couldn’t let go of them, we had already leveled up, independent and thriving.
It was such a satisfying moment, knowing we were the first to “graduate” — and knowing it all started from a chemical drum and a whole lot of determination.
Looking back, I can’t help but laugh at how it all began.
From a VP who didn’t know I existed, to a lab that didn’t exist, to a chair that was actually a chemical container — it would’ve been easy to feel defeated.
But instead, I chose to see it as a challenge.
A chance to prove that a woman with grit, skill, and a sense of humor can build something incredible from nothing and can thrive in a male- dominated workplace. Up until now Im still learning to further improve what we currently have.
Unexpected Perks of Being the Only Woman
✔ Princess Treatment (Some Aspects)
✔ I have my own bathroom. (Best. Perk. Ever.)
And best of all? I’ve become their unofficial therapist. My laboratory became the official cafe shop of the plant where people came and told their stories over some coffee.
—-
To anyone walking into a job where it feels like nothing is ready for you:
Don’t wait for someone to hand you a perfect office or roll out the red carpet.
Sit where you can.
Work with what you have.
And show them why they hired you in the first place.
Because one day, you’ll look around at the lab or the plant you built with your own two hands — and you’ll smile, knowing you did it all… even if you had to start from a chemical container. 😉
