International Women's Day

In honour of International Women's Day, we had an inspiring conversation featuring Farah Jhuman, a Project Manager and WIC Committee member at CGI Constructors. Farah reveals the real-world applications of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) within her career, and offers invaluable advice to aspiring women and girls eager to embark on their own journeys in construction.

How have you integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) principles into your construction project management approach?

STEM is intrinsic to every aspect of Construction and has an impact at every level of the industry.

• Science - Knowledge in Building Science is required to understand envelope assemblies, and which materials carry what R-values in order to build an efficient structure. The responsibility of designing these assemblies does not fall on us as contractors, but when we can intelligently speak to these items to provide advice to our clients, we’re able to develop their trust as their builder.
• Technology - I use Project Management software (such as Procore) to execute the project. As Project Managers, when our trades conduct scans for interferences or field penetrometers, we must translate the technical data to bridge the gap between intricate technology and accessible insights.
• Engineering - Basic knowledge of Mechanical, Electrical and Structural engineering is required to understand construction drawings.
• Mathematics - Ultimately, we are managing the financials of the project, the accounting, and the profit that we’re able to turn.

Do you have any advice for women and girls embarking on a career in STEM?

The hardest part is believing in yourself. Once you’re able to develop your own self-confidence, that will be reflected in your work. This is still a male-dominated industry, and you will encounter many people who will doubt your capabilities. Often, the expectations in construction knowledge of a woman are more than a man because you need to ‘prove yourself’. That means that you’re likely going to need to put in more hours to learn more than your male counterpart knows, just to prove that you belong here. But that’s okay, because that’s an investment that you’re making in yourself, and there is no better time spent than on your self-development.

What has been your biggest career challenge? How did you navigate it?

I faced one of my biggest career challenges before starting my career… it was during post-secondary when seeking an internship. I had applied to 30+ companies with no luck. At this point, majority of my male peers had already secured jobs, and I knew that my marks in school surpassed most of them, so it wasn’t a reflection of my knowledge. I then went to a career fair and spoke with an HR rep from one of Ontario’s most prestigious construction firms. This person told me that as a woman I’d be better off sticking to an ‘office job’. Truthfully, I left the job fair and felt defeated. I truly considered giving up.

After a few days, I decided that I wasn’t going to let another person determine where I fit into this world, and I got back to applying. I accepted at that point that the person I spoke with was likely only the beginning of what I would face; I was right, but I was also determined to pursue my passion, and with where I am now in my career development, I’m grateful to my past self for not giving up.