Naimeh Nassim - Civil Engineer

Meet Mrs. Naimeh Nassim! Mrs. Nassim is a former civil engineer. Focusing on structural engineering and materials science, she decided to study civil engineering because she was interested in studying architecture but also wanted to work with the structure of buildings. The most recent step in her journey as a civil engineer was working in a company that specialized in designing glass structures for buildings. Mrs. Nassim describes that glass can become several times stronger using a heat treatment, in which the glass is heated to a high temperature and then rapidly cooled. This strengthened glass is frequently used in windows, skylights, and railings.

Mrs. Nassim has had a fascinating career as a civil engineer. She attended Lund University in Sweden, where she obtained a degree in civil engineering. University studies are by no means easy. Mrs. Nassim states that she believes that self discipline was incredibly important in her studies because of the fast pace of the course. It could at times be overwhelming, which is why staying organized and on top of her assignments was so important. After her studies in Sweden, Mrs. Nassim moved to California, where she still lives and works today.

For students not yet in college, she recommends taking relevant, challenging STEM courses in high school to build a strong foundation. At the college level, she recommends joining clubs in line with your engineering interests. To secure a job, she highly recommends speaking with professionals in the field and pursuing an internship with these professionals. These internships can potentially be very helpful in securing a position in the company you are interning with once you graduate.

A typical day in Mrs. Nassim’s work as a civil engineer was quite varied . It was a combination of office, field, and lab work. In the field, the in-depth mathematical applications are less directly used than in college. Lab work has shifted in the past few years, as engineers are now able to plug the dimensions of and loads present in buildings into software in order to to perform calculations. Also, drawings are nowadays increasingly done using computer software and less by hand. Several skills are required as a structural engineer, but, above all, Mrs. Nassim stresses that communication is incredibly important because you frequently need to coordinate with architects, clients, and others.

Mrs. Nassim enjoyed many aspects of being a civil engineer. She valued being a part of a group that created new things and greatly appreciated the challenges presented by each unique project, as she had to solve these problems in the best way possible. 

While Mrs. Nassim greatly enjoyed being a civil engineer, she states that it could be difficult at times to receive credit for her work, as architects frequently receive the most credit for a building. Civil engineers need to both solve problems and reduce costs, which can be a complex, time-consuming process.

Mrs. Nassim sees a prosperous future ahead for civil engineering, particularly with the advent of Artificial Intelligence. She believes that A.I. will streamline jobs by making the design process faster and believes that it will allow civil engineers to create new structural designs. A.I. will also allow these engineers to better calculate the collected data and determine weak points in designed structures.

Mrs. Nassim now works as a realtor in the Sacramento region.