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Terry Pierson’s career as a chemical engineer began when, twenty-eight years old, divorced, and with two kids, she decided to enter the University of Maine’s Onward Program.
“I had never taken SAT’s or any kind of college classes, never had algebra or chemistry…my friend was a chemical engineering major and she
persuaded my sister and I to both go into chemical engineering because of the jobs that were available in the paper industry,”
she says.
Terry interned for several semesters at Champion paper in Bucksport, where she was offered a position following her graduation in 1992.
“They offered me a job because I saved them about a million dollars a year as a co-op.
But you know I had an advantage, I’d already been out in the workforce for ten years, had managed several businesses.”
She worked at Champion as a process engineer for six years before taking a position as product manager of the coating department at Niagara Paper in Michigan.
From there Terry moved on to Westland Paper in Oregon.
Eventually, Terry became disillusioned with the politics of the paper industry, and went to work for a friend as
an environmental testing consultant.
After working out of state for a number of years, Terry has recently returned to Maine, and now runs her own environmental testing business.
She offers this advice:
“Anyone can be an engineer. It’s a myth that it’s hard because I did it, and I never had algebra or chemistry until I was 27 years old.
You have to let go of those worries and myths that are out there you can do anything you want to do.
It’s more about common sense and being able to think out of the box than it is towing that line of knowing all the different equations and calculations out of your head.”
July 14, 2006 Interview with Terry Pierson
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