Meet Ahmed Aseem

Funny, troublemaker, tough, talented---- sounds like an interesting person. Luckily, NICE is blessed to have such an alumnus by my judgment of the interview. Let’s see what you all think!

Ahmed Aseem belonged to the 2010 batch of NICE. He was initially interested in mechan
ical engineering but fate brought him to civil engineering. This all lead him to pursue a career in structural engineering. He has worked at REDCo International to begin his career as an engineer. Currently he is pursuing his masters in structural engineering from The University of Melbourne.

  Talking about his life at NICE, one particular incident is worth mentioning. It was in the year 2010 at the old NICE café. He was with his group of friends that brigadier Liaquat came and our senior accidently pulled the water supply valve which resulted in Dr. Liaquat getting wet. Pretty amusing! Not to forget our senior here gave final exams with a fracture in his right hand---that’s tough!

When asked about professional life, he described it as a struggle in the beginning. He described field as being “tough”. From his experience he observed that in Pakistan it’s very important to have links in order to get to good places.

Coming to his talents, he has developed along with his group an application on Android by the name of “Concroid lite”. This deals with the design and analysis of concrete structures, very helpful in PRC-2 and Design of Concrete Structures courses.

Here are a few things coming directly from him!

1.     What do you miss most from your time at NUST?

 Leisure Time which is most often (NBS)

2.     Do you think university education is adequately preparing students for the challenges in the professional life?

 No, University education is not up to the mark. It should include industrial work

3.     One thing that distinguishes NICE from other departments

- Roof top café

4.     GPA doesn’t matter. Myth or Fact?

GPA matters. We should struggle for education though not for GPA, GPA will be granted as per your hard work and you will earn reward somehow

5.     How important are internships and what did they teach you?

Internships are important as they make you aware of the industrial environment

6.     NICE made your career, but could it be better?

NICE has helped in making my career by giving me numerous opportunities. Rest is up to your hard work and intelligence

7.     What is your source of motivation behind all this hard work?

Motivation was just to become a skilled engineer. (Math and science drove me)

8.     Scope for females?

Scope for females is limited, i guess. As it's very tough in field, however there are different kinds of jobs, so they should chose electives wisely

9.     Electives---is there a merit criteria or your own choice?

There should be no merit criteria for electives. Structures is tough that is just the reason

10.  We often quote from 3 idiots, "run after excellence, success will come for you! ", but how would you define excellence?

Excellence comes from commitment

11.  What changes do you want NUST administration to do to make it a better institution? In particular NICE?

Include industrial and practical experience

12.  One thing university life never taught you?

They never taught us what is best to do after graduation

13.  Does your job require you to be innovative?

In Pakistan, there is no innovation. You should have “pawa"

14.  Do you think you can get away in your job just by knowing problem solving procedures and only a few concepts?

No, not just theoretical knowledge is compulsory; you should have good communication skills

15.  How different is the job work from what you studied all these years?

It’s the practical implication of your knowledge, 80 percent different

16.  Any advices for your juniors?

Advice, if you want to survive in Pakistan, you should have links. Work hard, enjoy these four years at NICE, they are not coming back

Concluding with an inspirational quote by Zig Ziglar

“If you want to reach a goal, you must "see the reaching" in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal!”