We were lucky to catch up with Tabitha Thomas recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tabitha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
As a female engineer and creative, I have had a pretty interesting journey. Throughout college, as well as in my professional career, my creative fashion sense and interest in blogging has been mischaracterized as an inability to perform in a technical career, which couldn’t be farther from the truth! When I was early on in my career, someone told me that dressing and expressing myself in a feminine way meant that males in my field wouldn’t take me seriously, even if I worked hard to prove that I was capable. So, I went through a couple year period of dressing in a way that really didn’t express who I am or what I liked. I felt like I almost had to apologize and prove myself with my appearance. But after a while, I just couldn’t ignore my creative side or what I knew I needed to be happy. I relocated across several states back to my native California, found a less stringent job, and began blogging and sharing my outfits on social media. Fast-forward to today and I am so happy I took charge of my life and started expressing myself authentically!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Ever since I was a little girl dressing up in my grandmother’s fancy dressing gowns and costume jewelry, I have loved fashion. I love expressing my quirky, creative side through styling clothes, shoes, and accessories. I simultaneously have a part of me that loves science, physics, and problem-solving, so when it came time to choose a career in my early 20s, I chose to become an engineer. After I graduated college and found myself in a pretty stressful, creatively-lacking job, I needed an outlet for self-expression, so I started my fashion blog with a name that combines my two sides: Pumps and Protractors. (Pumps being my favorite type of shoe, and protractors reflecting my engineering work.) My main goal with my blog, as it says in my Instagram bio, is to break STEM stereotypes through style, and to show my community that anyone can be successful in the tech industry, regardless of how you choose to express yourself. I believe this is what sets me apart from others in both the technical and fashion industries is this combined love for both the work that I do and the way I dress, and I work to inspire my audience with fashion tips, career advice, and outfit inspiration for every occasion. In fact, one of my proudest moments in my professional and creative career was when my alma mater reached out and interviewed me for the engineering department’s yearly magazine as part of an article showcasing engineers who dared to be unique in their careers. I am so grateful to everyone who has supported me in realizing my dream of being a successful blogger and engineer, especially my husband, who takes all of my photos and videos! (That’s another thing about me that I think is pretty unique: I don’t have a professional photographer or agency, my husband and I do everything with creating for and managing my blog!)
How did you build your audience on social media?
Navigating social media, especially nowadays, can be tough, but I’ve found that consistency is key and you just have to show up for yourself and no one else! Try not to focus on follower count; instead, post content you love and are proud of, and your community will find you. But, I will say, being intentional and paying attention to current trends on social media, as well as diversifying your presence across several platforms, makes a huge difference with success and growth. Don’t be afraid to try and learn from your mistakes; at the end of the day, that’s the only way you’ll learn! I built my audience over the past 5 years by learning as much as I can about the ever-changing world of social media, setting up a blog website that isn’t dependent on social media trends, and trying to create content that provides value to my audience (like style tips and outfit inspiration).
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As a student in college, I struggled a lot with school. I loved engineering, but I’m absolutely not a math person. I also developed test taker’s anxiety, which made things even more difficult. I had semesters where I was barely passing, and was literally laughed out of so many job interviews (which I didn’t tend to get a lot of to begin with, as most employers wanted only stellar GPAs). I took this struggle as an opportunity to improve myself and my strengths instead of focusing on my weaknesses. I got my first job on campus as a student career counselor, and made every effort to get involved with professional organizations and clubs to improve my resume. I ended up landing two consecutive internships, and my senior year, my hard work was rewarded with a job at a company I had long-idolized. I actually cried when the recruiter told me I got the job! I went from having a 2.4 GPA to working at my dream company, which ended up being the catalyst for my creative career. It just goes to show you that everyone has their own strengths, and as my dad always says: if you work hard and believe in yourself, you can achieve anything.
Contact Info:
- Website: pumpsandprotractors.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pumpsandprotractors
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pumpsandprotractors
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pumpsandprotractors?_r=1&_d=e1fdgihjmd8c17&sec_uid=MS4wLjABAAAAm0E24cw4BIo9LLrtegYbJ7Uz-at8u-9-cW8CT8gSjcjzCYYBT2x_CrGAO1EZxGqE&share_author_id=7093285086237541419&sharer_language=en&source=h5_m&u_code=e1fdh11g031ife&ug_btm=b8727,b0&social_share_type=4&utm_source=copy&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAm0E24cw4BIo9LLrtegYbJ7Uz-at8u-9-cW8CT8gSjcjzCYYBT2x_CrGAO1EZxGqE&tt_from=copy&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=client_share&enable_checksum=1&user_id=7093285086237541419&share_link_id=4680CF7F-799A-4A7C-9720-DE912C8A18DB&share_app_id=1233
Image Credits
@pumpsandprotractors