Ms. Iram Tariq Bhatti holds a B.S. in Electronics Engineering, from National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Pakistan. She has worked as a Lab Engineer in SMART Lab, NUST School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, Pakistan. She has carried out research in areas of embedded systems and virtual reality applications. She mentored team "Navigate", winner of INVENT 2012 (National Business Plan Competition) and "SMART SurgiSol", first runner’s up at TIE Islamabad Chapters finals 2013 (International Business Plan Competition).
She herself won ITU Young Innovators Competition 2012 (International Business Plan Competition) where she kickstarted her idea of "LabMagic".
What would you say are the most challenging and the most satisfying aspects of your work?
Challenges are part of life; through them we discover our hidden potentials. So we should not be afraid to face them. If we use our abilities and knowledge to solve the challenges faced by our society then nothing in the world can be better than that.
In my case the toughest task was to get the right team on board and aslo to keep them motivated for work. This requires some great managerial skills. Learning them over time as I gradually proceed with my project.
What qualifications or certifications did you attain in order to reach your professional goals?
Normally, university education (in my case BS) only provided me the basic knowledge that I can apply in my professional life. This knowledge isn't enough, as practical life requires much more than that just a degree. So I mostly attend different lectures and workshops. Now a days online learning courses have become very easy to learn through platform like coursera and udacity. I have enrolled in some of them which I found very useful.
If there is one message you would like to convey to young women to encourage them to consider a profession in the ICT sector, what would it be?
Follow your dreams and passions, work hard to make them a reality. Don't listen to people with negative thoughts like women "don't belong" to careers like ICT, as they are not that techei as men. Prove them through hard work and determination. Be confident and pave a path for other young women to follow. Use your knowledge and creativity to solve real life problems in an innovative way.
