I am just curious to know if their are many female engineers in nigeria, do they receive lower salaries  than men, are they less likely to be promoted,  that sort of thing?

You may find[b] Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria[/b] useful - http://www.apwen.org/index2.php?page=aboutus

Any engineers out there or potential engineers, what type are you/do you want to be and do you enjoy your work/studies?

I am a female engineer(electrical electronics) and work as a technician with a bottling company. The pay is somehow good but in my own case i am not thru with my studies i.e Bsc but i got a Diploma in electrical electronics engineering and has British council city and guilds of london certificate in electrical electronics engineering.

My Colleagues and my supervisors will always call me a man, and expect me to do my work as a man.


Its always fun and people do respect female engineers.

cuteruth:

Its always fun and people do respect female engineers.

That's certainly good to hear, I am a bit apprehensive about being able to fit in and be integrated in a male dominated work environment but I guess it's not so bad nowadays.
So would you say it's a worthwhile career or are there any obstacles you v'e had to face?

genius33:

That's certainly good to hear, I am a bit apprehensive about being able to fit in and be integrated in a male dominated work environment but I guess it's not so bad nowadays.
So would you say it's a worthwhile career or are there any obstacles you v'e had to face?

The whole world is male dominated ! ! !

candylips:

The whole world is male dominated ! ! !

That's probably why it's in such a mess then, I guess.

I hope u are studying ur engineering over there sha?

By the time u get back u wont regret ur choice mi dear (Less Tax)

OR you could as well start ur career over there

All the best

Thank you, I am studying here but I don't like this country even tho I've lived here all my life, I'm longing to experience Nigeria or even any other country.

Dont be bothered, Female engineers even receive some special benefits
the male staff do not.
As an Engineer not technician, you aren't supposed to be doing heavy labor anyways
Its more supervisory work and definitely you need to be sure of what your doing.

genius33:

Thank you, I am studying here but I don't like this country even tho I've lived here all my life, I'm longing to experience Nigeria or even any other country.

You should go ahead with what you really want to do which is clearly studyin' engineer.
My younger sis studied electrical and electonics engineering and she a got job quicker than her graduate friends

One gud thing about studying engineering is, one can apply it to most industries. Our highly numerate skills is highly sought after in industries such as; IB, medical technology, nuclear, et al

What field of engineering r u looking @ so i can give u a little steer.
I studied elect/elect for 1st degree and Info Eng for MSc

I PESONALLY LUV MEETING FEMALES WHO ARE ENGINEERS COS THEY ASTONISH ME. WITH ALL THE UNDERGRADUATE STRESS THEY CHOSE THE PROFESSION. AS FOR PAY, WELL THEY ARE TREATED EQUALLY AS THEIR MALE COUNTERPART DEPENDING ON THEIR JOB SKILL AS WELL AS ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION,
TO ALL FEMALE ENGINEERS "[color=#006600]I LUV YOU ALL" [/color]

I was very much set on civil engineering because I previously wanted to be an architect, but decided against for several reasons. But now I am also considering mechanical because it's a lot broader. Which do people feel is more worthwile?

mechanical is one of the few that is somewhat restricted.
civil is a lot better especially when you can apply it to a variety of discipline like:
Transport
Structural
Water
Oil & Gas
Building Services

Mechanical is aiight but jobs are limited in such field.

Mechanical? No way. Elect and Communication Engineering are d broadest. Infact they r so broad many of d engineers end up workin in so many areas withn a very short period of tym. But gurl u seem really confusd but i tell ya stick wit Elect Elect.

in this kind of game, money is not an issue!
its a matter of interest.
i wish you luck.

jay bee:

mechanical is one of the few that is somewhat restricted.
civil is a lot better especially when you can apply it to a variety of discipline like:
Transport
Structural
Water
Oil & Gas
Building Services

Mechanical is aiight but jobs are limited in such field.

Go with what you are most comfortable with. Engineering is a very broad profession regardless of the discipline you choose. In the end, it's all about practicing what you enjoy most. I'm an Engineer and work/interact with alot of female Engineers on a daily basis. It's a rewarding profession but you have to work hard to come out tops. Goodluck!

Gamine:

But girl u seem really confusd,

Believe me I am, but I'll look into all of them and make an well informed choice. Thanks everyone!  

genius33:

Believe me I am, but I'll look into all of them and make an well informed choice. Thanks everyone!

Lets start from what you enjoy in engineering?
fixing things (electrical or electronics)
programming
computers
telephony
buildings
aerospace
nuclear
minning
oil

Then wat do u see yourself doing once graduated?
on a ship
drilling oils
designing roads
seperating hydrocarbons
generating power

Whoo!! there nothing bad for you to engage in such, I even believe that ladies that involve themselves in anything enginee are highly intelligent and they should be commended for doing that.

jay bee:

Lets start from what you enjoy in engineering?
fixing things (electrical or electronics)
programming
computers
telephony
buildings
aerospace
nuclear
minning
oil

Then what do u see yourself doing once graduated?
on a ship
drilling oils
designing roads
seperating hydrocarbons
generating power

Definitely, love buildings, bridges etc,  all the other disciplines don't appeal to me.

When I've graduated I'd love to be involved in carrying out huge construction projects from roads to airports or commercial buildings.

"A good scientist is a person with original ideas.
A good engineer is a person who makes a design
that works with as few original ideas as possible. \
There are no prima donnas in engineering." Freeman Dyson


You are on the right track whichever field you choose, just do it!

"To define it rudely but not inaptly, engineering . . . is the art of doing that well with one dollar, which any bungler can do with two after a fashion, Arthur Mellen Wellington

genius33:

Definitely, love buildings, bridges etc, all the other disciplines don't appeal to me.

When I've graduated I'd love to be involved in carrying out huge construction projects from roads to airports or commercial buildings.

Civil or structural is ur answer

The employment prospects are the only thing that worry me as you can get stuck designing street lamps or drainage systems, menial jobs like that. And it also depends on the economy, whether there's a lot of building or not.

of course there are female engineers, plenty, my boyfriend mum is a CIVIL engineer with shell, i have lots of engineer friends, one even has a first class from UNN (chemical engineer) so most of them are even brilliant self, all d best,

Girl I think you should take it easy before you make your choice.
Later in future, you might want to move into another field of engineering you find interesting at the time or a new field which might just be emerging. You have to know your strengths. Your mathematics and your love for it has to be superb cos once you make the decision to study engineering, that's the language you'll be interacting in for the rest of your career(Or a major part if you decide to go into management later). But one thing i can assure you is that throughout school you would be involved in a lot of mathematical courses. Some may me walkovers, some could be very challenging. But as long as you put your mind to it and believe you can do it, you won't have any problems at all.

I have always admired female engineers and i still do. Go on girl, I wish you all the best!!!!

civil/structural engineering is one of the safest bet in terms of jobs.
peeps/governments will always build one thing or the other because of the theory of demand/supply.
demand in terms of annual percentage increase in birth rate plus peeps are starting to live longer in western world
think of migration, expansion and stuffs

the roads/buildings need to be maintained so job security is first class.
trust me you not gonna get stuck designing drainage or street lights. you might have to do it for the first year or two assuming you r in the transport industry but normal career progression will lead you to more of managing the whole project rather than the actual design.

design is usually for technicians and graduates whilst experience engineers tend to be more of project managers in their respective fields.

jay bee:

civil/structural engineering is one of the safest bet in terms of jobs.
peeps/governments will always build one thing or the other because of the theory of demand/supply.
demand in terms of annual percentage increase in birth rate plus peeps are starting to live longer in western world
think of migration, expansion and stuffs

the roads/buildings need to be maintained so job security is first class.
trust me you not going to get stuck designing drainage or street lights. you might have to do it for the first year or two assuming you r in the transport industry but normal career progression will lead you to more of managing the whole project rather than the actual design.

design is usually for technicians and graduates whilst experience engineers tend to be more of project managers in their respective fields.

Thanks Jay bee, my own personal careers adviser lol Everyone's comments are much appreciated The only reason I was confused is cos I've been to so many sources and some people are positive while others are quite discouraging and make me wonder what I could be getting my self into. BUT I'll do what I feel is ideal for me regardless.

As others said, just weigh your options, determine what you love doing, and go for it. Majority if not all the engineering principles are very rewarding. Obviously the level of reward will very but they all have very good job stability.  Personally I am a software developer, however I have friends who are Electrical, Civil, Mechanical, and industrial engineers. And they are all doing extremely well. They are all Professional Engineers (PE). So, you should also look into getting certified as that will separate you from the pack!

Good luck!

As a structural engineer I can assure you that no matter the field of engineering you go into the job prospects are good. I work with quite a few women engineers in my field and it's a cool field for a woman. This is because as a structural design engineer it's basically an office job designing roads, bridges, buildings, dams. You may have to go to sites in a supervisory role i.e to make sure the contractor follows the office design but you wouldn't be spending truck loads of time under the hot sun. Like others have said go with your gut instincts in choosing which ever branch of engineering you wish to study first. After the experience of a first degree you will be in a better position to decide what you want to specialise in or if you wish to do a conversion masters into another branch of engineering (i.e. its possible to be a civil engineer with a masters on off-shore engineering).

Cheers