Somalia Samia

The Start of My Engineering Career

I decided I wanted to pursue a career in engineering and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 2015. I entered the working world of engineering in 2016 and have accumulated 6 years of experience. This job, however, is my first job within the humanitarian and development sector. I am currently a Project Engineer working on various projects to ensure quality control measures are given top-notch consideration and actualisation. It is my responsibility to ensure that site safety parameters are observed and that all personnel working on-site are compliant with the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements. I also ensure our daily scheduled scope of activities is in line with the main objectives of the projects.

Accuracy & Attention to Detail

Working in engineering requires a great amount of skill and accuracy. Sometimes things fall through the cracks, and this could lead to serious problems. There was a time where I worked on a project and there was a big discrepancy in the measurements of a building block and designed dimensions laid on the ground for a building. During my routine inspection, I noticed that the building was almost 200mm less than the expected dimensions. This took an incredibly long time to correct. This situation put me under extreme pressure and stress and made me realise the importance of accuracy and attention to detail I need to have in my job.

The Challenges Faced

One of the challenges we often face in most of our projects is the lack of construction and finishing material. Most of the materials have to be sourced out of country. This delays the project and sometimes we’re unable to meet important deadlines. To avoid this, I recommended we source the materials we need well in advance, so we have all the necessary materials and tools prior to early stages of the project.

I always feel I’ve made a positive difference to my community when a project is complete and project managers/clients are fully satisfied. I know I can only continue to improve as a project engineer.

My Hope For The Future of Somalia

My hope for Somalia is that we can continue improving our infrastructure. It gives me great pleasure knowing I am contributing to the betterment of the infrastructure here in my hometown. In the future, I see Dubai-like skyscrapers in Somalia with well-designed road networks.

In the future, I see Dubai-like skyscrapers in Somalia with well-designed road networks

Outside of my work life, I enjoy singing, swimming, reading, and travelling.