One degree, many paths: Designing a career that fits you
Group photo of the panellists, organisers and participants at the event.
Monash Women Engineers (MWE) brought students together for a panel discussion with three industry role models for the event "One Degree, Many Paths: Designing a Career That Fits You."
The event was organised to help students look beyond a single conventional career path and understand how a single engineering qualification can open doors to different roles. Thirty students from engineering and other fields attended the session, which offered first-hand perspectives on workplace culture, the realities of engineering careers and the choices that shape individual professional journeys.
The discussion was moderated by Dr Poovarasi Balan, Senior Lecturer at the School of Engineering and Academic Advisor to MWE. The panellists were Ir Ts Irene Lock Sow Mei, Senior Process Engineer at PETRONAS and a representative of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Women Engineers Section, Ir Nur Hanis Samsudin, Senior Infrastructure Engineer at TYLin International, and Tan Rong Shyn, a freelance artificial intelligence specialist.
Drawing on their experiences across process engineering, infrastructure and artificial intelligence, the panellists discussed how their careers developed, the skills they continued to build and the decisions that helped them move forward. They encouraged students to remain open to exploration and to value communication, adaptability and other interpersonal skills alongside technical knowledge.
The main panel discussion moderated by Dr Poovarasi Balan.
The speakers also addressed the experiences of women in engineering, including the pressures of demanding workplace responsibilities and the challenge of balancing professional and personal commitments. By speaking openly about these realities, they offered female students a clearer view of the industry and reassurance that meaningful engineering careers can take many forms.
For Lakshmi Ananda, a Year 3 student, the session made engineering feel more welcoming. “I’m glad I attended the talk because it made me feel less intimidated about pursuing this degree. Seeing so many powerful women in the field also reminded me that I won’t be alone,” she said.
Year 3 student Loke Zheng Xuan said the discussion offered a new perspective on the realities female engineers navigate: “I feel like I gained a lot of insight into what women engineers have to face in industry and in daily life. Especially in the part where they talk about work-life balance, having to juggle time between firefighting work issues and taking care of their own children. The talk opened my eyes to their experiences and gave me a new perspective.”
By connecting students directly with women who have built careers across different areas of engineering and technology, the session encouraged participants to approach their own professional journeys with greater confidence.