Sophiya Patel was the volunteer project manager for Power of Engineering’s first two Tasmanian school events in August 2019, in partnership with Hydro Tasmania and held at the University of Tasmania.  A total of 200 students attended at two events in Hobart and Launceston. We asked her to tell us about the experience.

WHY did you volunteer to manage an event for the Power of Engineering?

I’ve always enjoyed volunteering. With the Power of Engineering, I was able to take this interest and positively support my industry. There has always been a lack of women in the industry and I think that’s because young girls strongly feel the stereotypes imposed on them by society. It’s quite fun to see girls suddenly realise: ‘Oh, engineering is a pathway for me, too’. On top of that, this opportunity was different to others I’ve had before – a perfect way to broaden my skills.

WHY is it important for school students to meet real-life engineers?

Engineers are like the gears in a clock. While you can only see the face of the clock, it is the unseen gears that are doing all the background work. It’s so hard for students to understand what an engineer does if they are not exposed to them through real-life engagement. I didn’t understand what engineering was until I started studying it. My parents were doctors, so there was an influence there to go into the medical field. And many students may feel this from their parents too. Therefore, it is really important for them to see what an engineer does, who they are, and to realise they exist. If you don’t know, you won’t be able to pursue an engineering career.

WHY would you recommend a volunteer project manager role to others?

First and foremost, you get to meet a lot of new people; people who are like minded and have had exposure to the world. As well as this, it is a nice way to develop skills that become helpful for work – for example, communication and organisation. It’s also a great opportunity to see how a business works and gain exposure to areas in business that are not otherwise revealed in the engineering industry.

Anything else you'd like to say to future Power of Engineering project managers?

Ask questions! If you’re not sure what you’re doing, don’t be afraid to ask for help so you know you’re on the right track. There is nothing wrong with raising a concern early. It allows for any issues to be resolved much earlier.