Enbridge's Career Pioneers series: Part 4, Lynette Anderson-Norwegian
Lynette Anderson-Norwegian, Pipeline Maintenance Technician, Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories
A celebration of achievement. A promise of untapped potential. An ongoing quest for equality.
International Women’s Day, fast approaching on March 8, is all of these things and more. “The evidence is clear: equality for women means progress for all,” says United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
In honor of UN International Women’s Day, we’re profiling women in the Enbridge workforce who’ve chosen to pursue non-traditional careers. Today’s spotlight is on Lynette Anderson-Norwegian, a pipeline maintenance technician, based in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories.
Q: How did you end up working as pipeline maintenance? What sort of journey brought you here?
I tried a number of different things before coming to pipeline maintenance in 2011. I tried going to school and having odd jobs, but nothing seemed to fit. Finally, when I started working in pipeline maintenance, everything felt right and I was the happiest I have ever been. I haven’t looked back.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
I never know what to expect from my job. Every day offers a different experience and something new to do. Sometimes, I have office days when I can catch up on my paperwork, but most of the time I’m out in the field. I maintain our facilities, and that includes housekeeping, line patrol and slope readings in the helicopter, pigging, and right-of-way (ROW) winter work with heavy equipment, to name a few. There’s never a dull moment!
Q: What motivates you to get up in the morning?
The guys I work with are awesome. We look out for one another and make sure we all get home safely at the end of the day. My work place is a humorous, supportive, and understanding environment, which I think is very important. Everything I know, I learned because they took the time to teach me.
Q: Given the experience that you’ve accrued, what advice would you have for those young women following in your footsteps?
Believe in yourself and don’t be intimidated by the so-called “man’s world” philosophy. Women are just as capable of hard work and accomplishing great things. Keep a level head on your shoulders and I am sure you will succeed.
Q: The goal of International Women’s Day is to celebrate women and their achievements. What would you consider one of your most memorable achievements?
I have two accomplishments that I am very proud of. First, I come from a very small community where not many people graduate high school. When I graduated in 2007, I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, like: “Yes, I did it – I beat the odds.” The second is coming up in May. It has to do with being a first time mother. I haven’t met my little one yet, but I already feel like this is my biggest and best achievement. I absolutely cannot wait.
