Shaheen Kanwal

My name is Shaheen Kanwal. I am 25 years old. I belong to city of Fort Abbas in southern Punjab. My family relocated to Chishtian since better educational institutes were located there. I completed my intermediate education with flying colors and stood third in Bahawalpur Board. Then I started my struggle to get into UET since to my knowledge it was the best engineering institute. Civil engineering was my first priority and I got accepted. The feeling of hard work done for that achievement was divine. I moved to Lahore in 2012 when I got admission in Civil Engineering at University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore. My elder sister was studying Architectural Engineering and we used to have discussions about designing. Little did I know what type of designing a civil engineer do. I just wanted to be a designer, a structural designer. I was lucky enough to get a job right after graduation. I also completed my part time masters in Structural Engineering from UET, Lahore.
Speaking of my experience there is nothing bad that should stop women from opting civil engineering as a profession. During my course of studying engineering, we were given no real idea of field practices. I practically learnt field practices regarding designing while on my job. I got to learn so much from my mentors during my job. The work environment is safe as well. I had a fear of working in field when I first started. But now, I enjoy both working in office and field. Big companies these days are actively seeking young women engineers whom they can employ, teach, and move into their management positions. It is not just about gender diversity, but the fact that women offer and contribute to the team from different perspectives, thus making the team stronger and better posed to completing the project on time and on budget. I have reservations on the lack of work life balance while being in this profession. Speaking of my experience, sometimes we have to do late sittings while somedays we are working at night as well, which is not healthy at all. The only con of being female in this profession is that I cannot spare enough time to spend with my family.
I was lucky enough not to face any obstacles during my educational and professional careers. I am grateful for the opportunities of learning I got. I believe that women and girls are just as capable as men, and that empowering young girls is incredibly important if we want to create a sustainable future for our planet. Engineering is not about whether you are a boy or a girl it is about learning and implementing what you have learnt. In the long term, the work capacity and quality of a civil engineer is what comes to notice completely regardless of their gender. I have been working as structural designer for four years. I have contributed to many mega healthcare projects of Punjab Government such as establishment of Nishtar 2 Hospital, Multan, Punjab Food and Drug Laboratories Complex, Lahore, establishment of 200 beds Hospital and Teaching Institute, Mianwali, and Establishment of Institute of Cardiology, Dera Ghazi Khan.
I want to expand my technical skills by pursuing a doctoral degree in Civil Engineering in future. In my masters research I used industrial byproduct i.e. fly ash in the production of sustainable concrete which can be used in the construction industry. I am aspired to continue research on sustainable construction alternatives and implement that in Pakistan. I aim to contribute in the construction industry practices for achieving improved performance on cost, quality, and safety.