A Conversation with Reema
What is your current job? Please list the title and briefly describe what it involves
I am a Software Engineer at Cisco Systems R&D facility in Ottawa. Cisco is a pioneer in the networking world and as an engineer here, I am responsible for test strategy, design, execution and automation of the next generation networking products that power the internet. Ultimately, my role is to deliver top quality products to our customers.
What made you want to pursue a career in engineering?
From a very young age, my father has been my role model. He is a civil engineer by profession, and he used to often take me to his office where I had an opportunity to witness architectural models and designs. This inspired me to take interest in math and science, with a goal towards building innovative solutions for society. With the internet and web revolution that was taking place around me, I decided to pursue software engineering.
What’s your favourite part of your job?
I love to keep learning about new technologies and I think the best part of my job is Continuous Learning. Networking technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and to stay abreast, I have to keep educating myself with new technologies and software languages. I am fortunate to be in a team that promotes constant learning and development.
How do you celebrate National Engineering Month?
I am one of the Women in Science and Engineering chapter leads at Cisco Ottawa, and as a lead I work with my co-lead to host professional development and STEM outreach events every month. I feel this way I am able to contribute to women in engineering and inspire more young girls to purse engineering as their career. This month I was involved in organizing and attending Cisco’s Women of Impact workshop. The theme was ‘Be Unstoppable’.
What advice do you have for young women who hope to pursue a career in your field?
Be Fearless. Be ready to take up new challenges. Keep updating your skills to stay current with the new technology. Engineering is an exciting field, and once you are immersed in it you have opportunities that can build great careers and even greater personalities. Be an active member of the engineering community and find mentors that inspire you. One day you could be an inspiration to budding engineers who would want to follow in your footsteps.
Reema’s BiographyReema was born in Mumbai, India and at a very young age moved to Doha, Qatar with her family. She did her primary and middle school education in Doha and later moved to Dubai, UAE for her high school. She did her B.Eng. in Computer Engineering from BITS Pilani, Dubai. During her Bachelor’s, Reema was actively involved in theater and she won the best actor award for her performance in the drama category. Reema moved to Waterloo, Ontario to pursue Masters in Computer Engineering from University of Waterloo and later joined Cisco Systems in Kanata as a co-op. She resumed at Cisco upon graduation in a full-time position as a Software Engineer in Test. She is a key player in the team responsible for design, test and release of innovative networking products. She holds multiple Cisco certifications such as Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). She is also the Lead for WISE Chapter at Cisco Canada which is responsible for building a support community for women engineers on campus through professional/technical development workshops and STEM outreach programs. Reema is also an avid reader, she loves fiction – particularly the works J.K Rowling, Dan Brown and J.R.R Tolkien. She also reads self-improvement books, one of the books she is currently reading is Maximum Achievement by Brain Tracy.
