Why I chose Civil Engineering

From an early age I have always been passionate about making a difference and contributing to positive change and so realised that there was a way to accomplish this with engineering. I wanted to endeavour into a field of constant evolution, that would allow me to make a direct impact on the world and shape it to be a better place. 

My passion for civil engineering stemmed from my grandfather who was a civil engineer specialised in hydraulics, he encouraged me to pursue a career in engineering after he noticed my interest for the built environment and my ambition for contributing towards the evolution and adaptation of society. Having been fascinated by his accomplishments, I was inspired to follow in his footsteps regardless of the stereotypes that came with it. As time passed, not only did I learn about the hindrances I could face as a woman but also as a person of colour yet I was determined to go against the grain and be involved in a career centered around creativity and creating a better world where diversity meets inclusion. 

Being born into a family whom are very medically oriented, I knew I had a lot to look up to. I outrightly knew that a career in the medical profession was not for me when I was so squeamish at the sight of blood in dissections as part of biology lessons at secondary school. My interest for civil engineering was further grounded by my passion for subjects such as product design and physics at secondary school. I have always had a creative outlook and wanted to be involved in a career that not only utilised this but also gave back to society in a rewarding way. After having completed my A levels in 2016, I then accepted an offer to study a civil engineering degree at Swansea University.

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An Open Letter to Future Female Engineers

As women in Engineering, we are often faced with a multitude of demining questions which often bring about hindrances or stigmas associated with the field. As a result we often experience a continual bias whereby we are underestimated constantly for our engineering knowledge, skills and performance levels on engineering tasks as opposed to men. Not only does this hinder a woman's self-confidence, but these tendencies also limit women in the workplace, discouraging us from actively seeking or pursuing careers in STEM related fields because it doesn't fit with the stereotypical image of femininity. 

I've learned that being a women in this field requires a high level of confidence, thick skin and you have to be able to stand up for yourself. Though I must admit I am not at all great this however I am still learning how best to tackle these situations. My perception of myself instantly changed a lot as I began university, and started to research more into the hindrances I could face as a woman in Engineering and how the environment I was in could affect this. 

During my time at university, I experienced high levels of loneliness, stress and anxiety. These emotions stemmed primarily from the death of my grandmother in my first year. At this time I felt at my absolute worst, I stopped taking care of myself and truly just let go as I felt guilty taking breaks from studying. I just felt like I was spiralling, and thought that anytime I spent doing anything other than studying was me self-sabotaging my future career. I continued to demoralise myself and compare myself to other people specifically peers on my course. I just felt like I wasn't good enough, and that I owed it to her, my family, friends and to everyone that has supported me to get to where I am today. I think I was more scared of failing them than I was myself, and so always put a lot of pressure on myself to work really hard to achieve what I set out to achieve, ultimately to make them proud. At times I found it hard to handle the pressure, where my imposter syndrome was at an all time high and I continuously began to doubt my accomplishments and my persistent internalised fear of failure. 

As time went on, I started becoming more confident in my engineering knowledge and abilities, and I was able to prioritise what was more important for me yet maintain a work life balance. I noticed a difference in myself personally, both emotionally and mentally. Additionally, I was performing just as I always felt I was capable of, I ended up averaging a first (>70%) at the end of my first year and have not looked back since. Although it took me a year to realise this, despite all the difficulties and emotional breakdowns, I was able to find the strength I needed to grow into who I am today and was finally able to tell myself that I could do it and there was nothing stopping me from achieving my future goals. 

Here I am today, a strong, determined, confident young woman ready to face any challenges the world may throw at me. If there's one thing I have learnt it is never to allow anyone to convince you that you do not belong where you are or where you want to be. No matter how hard it gets, we will overcome this unconscious bias and remove gender based roles and hindrances, ultimately there is always a place for a woman in STEM!!

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International Women In Engineering Day

From a young age I have always been passionate about making a difference and contributing to positive change and so realised that there was a way to accomplish this with Engineering. I started researching a possible career that would allow me to make a direct impact on making the world a better place. In the midst of this, I encountered several stigma's associated with women and girls entering the field of Engineering, primarily how we are consistently discouraged from pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects because it does not fit with the stereotypical image of femininity. 

Unconsciously, boys are pushed towards these subjects and support is rarely given to girls who take an interest in these specialisms. As a result, the unconscious bias we hold against women prevents girls from seeing themselves in these positions, reducing their confidence to actively seek STEM courses and therefore portraying this vast gender imbalance within the field. Thankfully, I never listened to these stigma's and was motivated by them and so here I am today studying Civil Engineering at Swansea University ready to build up 9% of women and 6% of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people in UK's diverse engineering workforce.

 

I have always been proud of my heritage and culture, I never really thought about the stereotypes that came along with it. However as time passed, not only did I learn about the hindrances I could face as a woman but also as a person of colour. Though it is not common for a woman to be an Engineer, let alone one that is a young british pakistan born girl, I was determined to recognise the power of being different, and embrace my uniqueness in an effort to encourage and motivate other young women into STEM related fields where diversity meets inclusion. 

We need to promote the training of the next generation of scientists and engineers and loose the stigma behind female engineers, this is why International Women in Engineering Day is important, to celebrate the unique contribution that women bring to the industry!! ultimately calling all women to #ShapeTheWorld

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