Graduating with a journalism degree was one of the most exciting and challenging things I’ve ever done, but the choice was difficult. Back when I was preparing my college application, I faced a tough decision. I had to decide between two of my core passions which were journalism and engineering.

All throughout school, I excelled in mathematics and science, which made me the perfect candidate to enter into a highly-respected, male-dominated area like computing science or engineering. I also knew I could make a lot of money in engineering or related STEM fields, which in general are highly specialized and in demand, making up about five percent of the total workforce. I was aware that, at least in some STEM fields, there was a serious lack of female representation within this five percent, which does and would have a huge bearing on funding and advancements in all sorts of R&D and tech fields.

I knew that this gender gap was (and is) caused partly by deep-seated stereotypes that we hold about men’s “natural” ability versus those of women. As a feminist, I wanted to pursue that path to fight the unfair stereotypes that men are somehow “better” at math than girls or that science was generally not a women’s field. I felt a lot of pressure to choose science as my career path just to contribute to changing this narrative. Before college, my friends and family tried to persuade me towards engineering or computing science, given that so few women were entering those fields.

Computer Science is an area where women are particularly underrepresented. According to this graph from the National Centre for Education Statistics, some 37 percent of women got computer science degrees during the early 80’s, whereas today it’s more like 17 percent. Enrollment in the physical sciences remains high for undergrad degrees but also appears to be dropping in Math and Statistics. STEM fields also have far less representation on boards and in academia, a proportion that, according to this article, ranges from 13-18 percent.

As I prepared to write my college application essay, I continued my research and found out some more disheartening information about women in certain STEM fields. As of 2016, only about 11 percent of engineers in the USA were women, and for those who had degrees, some 35 percent never even pursued their career despite the fact that they were majoring in it. In engineering, many women leave either their studies or their jobs because they just don’t feel welcome in the male-dominated environments—in other words, there is still rampant sexism in this field.

As a feminist, I really wanted to focus on something that would make a difference in the world and help to promote gender equality. I wanted to make a statement and show how women are important in that field despite the rampant sexism that appears there.

But I really had to think about whether pursuing a career in a STEM field was the best way for me to make a feminist statement.

I had to consider what was more important, my values and priorities about expressing myself and educating people, or my want of a stable and potentially lucrative career. Moreover, how could I be sure that I’d even be paid as well as my male counterparts, given a recent report that many women were regularly leaving their engineering jobs due to feelings of inequality?

After giving it a lot of thought, I realized that feminism is about speaking up about gender equality, but it’s also about choosing what feels right, despite what people say you should do. I realized that even though the work may not be as lucrative or plentiful, choosing journalism was not a “less” feminist choice, and it would give me the chance to express myself about the topics which meant the most to me.

I didn’t want to be stuck in a career where I didn’t particularly love the environment, nor where there would likely be less opportunity to express myself creatively and educate people about inequality.

Now I’m a feminist journalist who can learn, write and share about what it means to be a woman in STEM, and help others facing challenges like sexism in the workplace---and I am absolutely making a difference from the outside looking in.