Unwavering effort and dedication to the work at hand helped Christine King defy the odds.

Christine King has had quite a life journey — from being a single mom with no money or degree and living in a trailer with an 18-month-old son (while on welfare) to becoming the world’s first CEO of a semiconductor company.

In contrast with those on more typical journeys, King had none of the resources or connections that can springboard a career. She is adamant that success in business is not dictated by a person’s demographic or early life challenges.

Her work in engineering began in the 1970s. Knowing that education was a path to a better future and wanting to impress someone, she decided to attend a local community college and take engineering classes as her electives. So, it was pure happenstance that she entered the field of engineering at all.

“I saw the books and thought, ‘Oh my gosh — I didn’t take very much math or science in high school. How am I going to do this?’ Yet I got a 4.0 GPA. Then with only one semester under my belt, I was offered a job by AT&T. They had a discrimination lawsuit against them, and they were looking for any technical females. It was then I realized one can make money at this. So, I decided to continue with the electrical engineering degree.”

After graduating, King held various positions at IBM before her job was eliminated. “Then I decided I’d figure out how to sell IBM semiconductors to the outside world. In those days, IBM was a captive supplier.” She started the IBM application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) business, and quite quickly, that business grew to over a billion dollars … becoming the number-one ASIC supplier in the world.

“When it got big enough to need an executive to lead the business, the team picked somebody else — someone in the good old boy network who didn’t know anything about the business — rather than picking me, who had started the business and nurtured it from zero to a billion dollars. That was a huge setback for me and extremely difficult,” admits King.

“I cried for a couple of days and then decided: If I can’t go through, I’ll go around. My logic at the time was that if I built a business of this massive size and the management structure still didn’t let me be a lead executive, then it was never going to happen. So, I decided to change course and go into sales and build a field-engineering team, which had a different management chain.”

Now King underscores that adversity is the mother of all things great. If you’re knocking your head against the wall and you can’t go through, she says you’d better figure out a way to go around — whether at your current company or somewhere else with more opportunity.

When asked about other challenges she’s faced, King had this to say: “I excelled at digital engineering, so microprocessors were my focus. In 1975, when microprocessors were new, I built a computer … so I was always good in the digital realm. Then I was tasked with managing about 100 people doing analog design … a domain in which things are not so clear. I first had to learn how to count on my people and their technical savvy — and get good at discerning who knew what, who was really great at their job, and who I could trust to deliver good technical solutions. That was my biggest challenge — going into a technical arena that wasn’t my area of expertise.

“Since then, I’ve had to switch arenas a lot … everything involves engineering and technology, but nobody can be an expert at the detail level in everything. So, you must learn how to pick the right people and trust them.”

King’s message to young people considering a career in engineering is straightforward: “This field is the basis of all today’s great technologies … and it’s fascinating how some of these designs actually work. In addition, one can make a lot of money in engineering, and the doors are wide open to various opportunities to have a hugely successful career and take care of family, whatever kind of family that may be.”

She admits there are industries that are more welcoming to female engineers than others. “I think the semiconductor industry is tough, although we’re moving the needle there. In contrast, fields related to biology are more welcoming to women. My current healthcare software company is very welcoming and employs a lot of women, though it’s still very challenging to get to the top.”

Regarding diversity in engineering, King appreciates it in forms — including gender, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity. “My teams most benefit from diverse thinking and diverse capabilities. For example, it’s helpful to have entrepreneurs who freewheel with potentially great ideas. It’s also helpful to have more diligent folks who are perhaps less aggressive but more task-oriented to execute specific details. Having diverse points of view and personalities makes for the strongest teams.”

In her recent book, Breaking Through the Silicon Ceiling, King aims to illustrate that one doesn’t need an Ivy League education or parents with connections to succeed in engineering. “You can be a welfare mom, and if you work hard and smart, you can succeed in a very technical career. I think we just need to do more outreach, share more stories, and assist more underserved communities.”

For those new to engineering, King cites several ways to develop confidence in the workplace. “Obviously, having the right level of education is important, but I believe we learn most by doing — and have the best opportunities to become leaders where fields have ‘white space’ — in other words, where new technology areas are just emerging.” For King, this so-called white space was in microprocessors. “Nobody knew about microprocessors, so I learned about them … and that put me on a level playing field with engineers 20 years in. Today, I think AI offers a lot of career opportunities to young engineers.” King also points out that if nobody else wants to do something, new engineers can step in and do it … and that’s the type of thing that can help young engineers accelerate their careers.

King also agrees that alternative degree paths in engineering are valuable, but don’t necessarily need to be the end goal. “I started my journey in engineering at a community college, and that was a great jumping off place for me — so maybe it’s no wonder I totally support community educational programs. I’ve had PhDs from MIT and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and you name it working for me — and I’m on a board alongside of the President of Stanford University. So indeed, my community college start really took me a long way. So, whatever education is available to us, we ought to take it. That said, I’d warn young students: Don’t let where you first go to school limit your aspirations and achievements.”

Along the same lines, King asserts that education should never really stop (especially for those who work in engineering fields) because technology is always moving so fast. “I think something that always benefitted and differentiated me was my belief that I can assume any task and get it done. More important than my initial degree is all I’ve learned in the workplace.”

When asked about current global challenges she’d be interested in tackling, King’s response was modest.

“I’m big at tackling whatever problems are in front of me. I would love to say that I’m doing something to save the planet or humanity. Honestly, though, I love anything that presents a challenge … whether it’s the most minor thing or incredibly monumental. For example, I’d never worked in healthcare and then assumed the CEO position at a healthcare software company and love it. So, I don’t necessarily think that big, but love tackling whatever is thrown at me. That said, I’m currently on a mission to help people achieve success in their careers and life — and I appreciate the opportunity.”

To learn about King’s current projects, visit christineking.com. Her book, Breaking Through the Silicon Ceiling, is available on Amazon.