Nida Farid is a graduate of Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Master in Mechanical Engineering from ETHZurich, Switzerland. She has all the knowledge, and enthusiasm to prove that with hard work and perseverance, women can conquer the world. Nida is proficient in aircraft manufacturing, wind energy, power segments, and energy conservation.
Nida decided on her dream early on and has not looked back ever since. She believes this is one profession where inspiration hits you in your childhood. Her mother’s side of the family is from India and she traveled very frequently when she was young and had always found planes magical. They connected her family and became a source of great fascination for Nida.
In our society, entering an unconventional profession for women is not easy and it was no different with Nida too. When her parents learned about her aspirations to join the aerospace industry, she was met with a barrage of questions and concerns aimed at dissuading her. In response, she proposed even more outrageous options, ranging from international diplomacy to war reporting. Finally, Nida succeeded in convincing her parents to let her go to MIT for the program of her choice.
Since graduating, Nida has made an immense contribution to the field of aerospace engineering. She has been the program manager for manufacturing the electro structural components of the plane in Switzerland. Currently, she is working as an alternate energy consultant and specializes in wind energy. Given that she was trained to be part of the aerospace industry, it’s only appropriate that the sky is the limit for her!
The time Nida spent on the high-profile Airbus project in Switzerland was memorable, particularly when the reaction of the locals at finding out that a Pakistani woman was working in their midst. Muslim women are often thought to be uneducated and repressed, and the locals were quite surprised to discover that Nida was both a Pakistani and a Muslim.
In realizing her dream, Nida has faced with many hurdles, because the field is so male-dominated. She often had to try harder to be taken seriously. Her peers at university often thought women had it easy because of the quota system and refused to accept that women were as good as them, if not better. When women venture into professions that are traditionally considered the domain of men, they are often deemed inept until they prove themselves.
In her opinion majority of our issues could be resolved by just educating and creating awareness. With the power crises being a major issue in Pakistan, Nida Farid has started the awareness project ‘Karachi Energy Conservation Awareness (KECA) – Small Tricks for Large Savings’.
Turning off lights and fans is one thing but buying the right appliance matters just the same. It could be by the right choice of appliance that we save more energy. The power crisis is an issue that needs to be dealt with immediately since energy issues could lead to the closing down of industries hence affecting the employment of several people. This doesn’t end here. It’s like a chain reaction that would bring about first poverty, illiteracy, and many other social issues as well.
