Pooja Shah
Energy Systems Design Engineer
Kiewit Corporation
“Don't be afraid to walk the path less taken.”
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Grew up in an extremely polluted country but an environmentally conscious family.
My family and school encouraged me to think out of the box and to make a difference to the community
Pursued a degree in a fairly unconventional engineering course called 'Power Electronics'.
Presented an innovative & sustainable wind turbine design at World Engineer's Summit in Singapore.
I decided to move the US to pursue my Masters in Renewable Energy Systems & Sustainability.
Interned with a coalition of the US DoE called 'Clean Cities' on Reforming the Energy Vision.
Worked as a Design Engineer to support GE's Power & Water Department.
At 24, got laid off but after a few stressful months looking for a job, was offered my current job.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Certification/License
Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Career
Energy Systems Design Engineer
I work on designing innovative, sustainable and energy efficient energy solutions.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Design
Environment & Nature
Being Creative
Day to Day
A typical day at work goes by in analyzing schematic drawings of energy systems, researching new energy solutions, developing innovative, sustainable and energy efficient solutions for power plants and implementing the proposed solutions to improve their design, reliability, performance, energy efficiency and / or safety. A great day would encompass implementation of the design, being able to power up millions of homes and ensuring a sustainable future.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for middle school students
If you're interested in pursuing a career in engineering, building projects, working models hands-on, and learning while building the projects will increase your experience on the theoretical concepts that you have learnt. It will also help familiarize yourself with industry standards and help develop problem-solving skills.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Certification/License
Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"Engineering? Energy Systems Engineering? That's an extremely male-dominated profession. Maybe, try something that more women do—computer engineering or architecture?!"
