Queer folk, Furries, and Manufacturing

First post on a blog partially about me, partially about politics, and definitely about software engineering in manufacturing. This is definitely going to be an odd niche. I guess I should give a brief introduction to myself before I dive into the funny space of technology, social norms, and being a little bit queer inside of a rather heteronormative space. Especially with traditional manufacturing here in the United States.

Technical Background:

Where to even begin. I started as an IT professional working for a managed service provider for around 3 years, working a balance between Tier 2 support and network configuration and security for our clients.

Three years of the above burned me out from the IT professional world quite well, which launched me into a educational mess of Political Science (where I realized I couldn’t fund my hobbies) and Electrical Engineering (yet, I hate circuit design). During my messy years at college, I took a year long ‘break’ to go work at one of the oh-so-scary ‘Big Tech’ companies. I specifically worked as a software engineer in vision and algorithmic test solutions. Writing test logic and supporting software for operators and automated machines alike.

During that role, I spent a decent amount of time interfacing with factories in the US and China. I ended up supporting numerous software releases for both, and this all but consumed my life at the time.

Following that … I took a break to try something new (IP Law) and decided to head back to manufacturing, simply as the problems were much too interesting for me.

I now work at a major automotive manufacturer as a software architect/engineer trying to bring ‘semi-modern’ manufacturing method to a very traditional company.

Social Background:

Well — the fact that I work for an extremely traditional corporation leads nicely into the main crux of this introduction. I am what some of my midwest counterparts would likely call a ‘multi-label liberal snowflake.’ I identify with a more effeminate non-binary look and feel to my life, using they/them pronouns. I live somewhere leaning traditionally ‘bisexual’ regarding my sexual orientation, but really honestly am somewhere much closer to aromantic and asexual. And obviously, I’m a furry.

Only a few of my coworkers know this, despite many of them being close friends/former coworkers at previous companies. Many know I do not quite fit into the ‘cishet’ world, but I have a habit of not expanding more unless asked.

Why?

Unfortunately I find myself in a funny role of responsibility I had originally not intended to be in. When my manager hired me, I was promised a ‘protected heads down role as an R&D researcher in software.’ Unfortunately the needs arose beyond that, and I find myself in a mentorship position for some of our junior developers, in addition to architecting and fighting political campaigns against ‘old manufacturing’ groups.

It’s a very odd conundrum. I carry myself very casually working out of our west coast office. I wear casual, relaxed clothing rather than the ‘formalwear’ expected by our company. My local coworkers know me as someone who speaks their mind frankly, but can turn up the professional dial when needed. But I’m unabashedly myself when I am at the office. I wear no social masks, I bring (most of) my authentic self.

But — as I write this post while on my trip to the automotive motherland (the glorious city of car glory, Detroit), I prepare myself to hold a mask over my face for the next week. Trying to ’prove’ our software designs and intentions to a group resistant to hearing a single word out of my mouth.

In addition to being ‘new blood’ as far as the company is concerned, our company has killed ‘DEI,’ meaning I worry I would face some level of (unspoken) discrimination for bringing my true self to the office while on these trips. In fact, we’ve seen it before with some of my female coworkers being ‘ignored.’

This is oddly not entirely the case when working with operators / people actually on the floor of the plants. Obviously with some populations and locations, it’s more of a challenge as they may be older and set in their ways, but I’ve had more positive experiences in the plant than I have with our corporate partners.

Either way — we’ll see how long I can make it in automotive.

I am extremely passionate about the software & engineering designs that go into manufacturing. I find it an extremely challenging place to design for, with numerous problems popping up. From high-reliability, to implications of scaling, to optimization to create sub-second vision tests … I think it would be hard for me to leave this behind. Look forward to more scrawling, (un)fortunately there are a dozen topics I plan on diving into here. Both on my entrance into the furry world, and on the technical nonsense I’m attached to.

Thanks for stopping by; and I hope people like my incoherent ramblings.

Feel free to reach out to me on telegram or instagram (for now). I’m fediverse bound soon.

IG: Valerie_Midnight

TG: @val_kie