Riley Neugebauer is a solar panel installer in Boulder, Colorado. She knows what it’s like to be a woman starting out in a male-dominated career.

Initially, she said, she faced a steeper learning curve than some of her male colleagues. For example, despite growing up on her family’s land and doing a lot of labor, no one handed her power tools.

Neugebauer: “I think this happens to a lot of women and girls, so we socialize it differently, or we don’t even want to ask the question.”

Later, her employer pushed her toward office jobs or sales jobs instead of supporting her in manual or technical jobs.

But Neugebauer loves her career and wants to support other women starting out.

So she founded Solar for Women, an online community for women in the industry.

Neugebauer: “They post pictures of what they’re working on, or something funny that happened, or something difficult that happened. Everyone always gives a thumbs up, like, ‘Come on, girl, that’s awesome,’ or “Let me ask a follow-up question,” or “Why did you do that? “So I think that alone is pretty incredible and it gives all of us a space that we didn’t think existed before.”

Her goal is to create a supportive environment where women in solar can ask questions, learn, and help each other succeed.

Report source: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media