Thirty-four-year-old Civil Engineer Carrissa Goodings is a wife and mother of two young children. She has been a member of the First Assembly of God Wortmanville church since 2005 and currently serves in the Dance, Sunday School, and Building Ministries. Carrissa is employed with the Ministry of Public Works and is currently seconded to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Expansion and Modernisation Project, in the position of Project Manager. According to Carrissa, this Flagship Project which commenced in January 2013 is one of the first projects between the Government of Guyana and China.
Path to Engineering
As a young person, Carrissa had her gaze on the skies with great plans to become an aircraft pilot. As a stepping stone, and in pursuit of her career goal, she enrolled with the Guyana Technical Institute to pursue a career in Mechanical Engineering. After successfully completing the Diploma Programme, she was, however, unsuccessful in obtaining a scholarship to pursue studies in Aeronautical Engineering.
Notwithstanding this setback, Carrissa decided to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Guyana. She explained that the pull factor was the potential to collaborate with her aunt, a Civil Engineer who had already established a business in the field. Qualifying herself in the discipline provided her the opportunity to become a partner and establish a family business.
After graduating, she worked as a site inspector for a consultancy firm for two years and then went on to work for her aunt, whose specialty was road construction, for eighteen months. She was then awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom to pursue a Master’s degree in Construction Management. Carrissa successfully completed this programme in one year.
Manoeuvring in the Engineering Field
When asked if she experienced challenges in the engineering profession, Carrissa responded in the affirmative and said, “Being a young female in a male-dominated profession is very challenging”. She, however, overcomes these challenges by always being prepared for her assignments, and more importantly, as a Christian, she seeks the direction of the Holy Spirit. Carrissa further added that whenever there’s a task to be accomplished, she expends considerable time in research, as advancement in the field of engineering is rapidly evolving, and, “I always need to be well-informed about the modifications and improvements in technology. Possessing a Master’s degree doesn’t mean you’ve arrived. There will always be things that you need to sharpen up on.”
Carrissa recalls that on many occasions, not only was she the youngest in meetings but the only female as well. As such, she often wondered whether her colleagues would listen to her. But God is seeing her through. On other occasions, she is asked questions on issues that she’s not familiar with and is expected to provide answers. In those moments, she explained, “Sometimes a light bulb pops in my head stimulating recall and the ability to articulate factually and with clarity on the issue.” At other times, the Holy Spirit indicates that she should delay revealing any information about the issue until the appropriate time. Again, she said, “Direction from the Holy Spirit is what gets me through.” For her, dependence on the Holy Spirit is fundamental, not only in navigating life’s issues but in the field of engineering also.
Maintaining Balance
Maintaining a balance between personal life, church ministry, and being on top of her job also presents a challenge especially since engineering can be very demanding. Carrissa alluded that it is easy to become engrossed in the work on occasion if she does not constrain herself. Balance, she said, is maintained by prioritising activities in order of personal importance. “Some people give priority to their jobs because it’s their main source of income but for me, it’s God first, family, and my ministry, in that order.”
Carrissa offered praises to God for positioning her in an organisation where she has the flexibility to perform her balancing act with reasonable comfort. She was however quick to point out that this is done responsibly by always being available to execute her duties and responsibilities during the work week. Weekends are dedicated to God and family but situations that discommoded the public are exempt. She’s grateful for the support system she has and her relationship with God since He’s the One Who helps her to prioritise as she frequently has to balance ministry and work.
Biggest Challenges
Carrissa’s biggest challenge as a young woman in her profession is commanding the respect of her male counterparts and ensuring the maintenance of professional standards and ethical conduct in managing issues of the Cheddi Jagan Airport Expansion Project. She indicated that the issue of ageism and sexism is a double-edged sword in the profession, and being a young female it was even greater. This is highlighted when recommendations submitted by her are more heavily queried than the identical ones made by a male counterpart.
Though this issue is prevalent, Carrissa is trusting in her God that this will become a thing of the past, even as she confronts this challenge at the moment. Sometimes her colleagues would attempt to disregard her presence despite her being the authority on-site, especially the older workers. She, however, remains professional and ethical, which in itself presents a different set of challenges. Her faith in God and dependence on the Holy Spirit give her the strength and courage to deal with these situations successfully.
Job Satisfaction
What Carrissa loves most about engineering is the opportunity it provides to contribute in a meaningful way to the management and development of the country’s infrastructure. Infrastructure is referred to as “the system of public facilities which provides for the delivery of essential services and a sustained standard of living”. Given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the enjoyment of a higher standard of living for her countrymen, solidified her decision to remain in the engineering field. She was given the opportunity to accomplish her initial dream of becoming an aircraft pilot but chose to remain in the profession.
She fondly remembers being a part of the civil engineering team assigned to design and supervise the construction of a road at Coldingen, Crown Dam, East Coast Demerara in 2011. That road is still being used eleven years later without requiring rehabilitation work. “Engineering provides the personal satisfaction of being able to contribute to a better quality of life for our citizens and provides physical and historical evidence of my contribution to society. This is an achievement I am proud of and one that I can share with my children and grandchildren”, Carrissa proudly narrated.
Looking Towards the Future
In looking towards the future, Carrissa envisions a core of accomplished professional engineers committed to upholding standards of performance, and ethical conduct, and who will discharge their duties and responsibilities with integrity. She believes that this will ensure that all completed projects are of the highest quality and more importantly, sustainable. While money is necessary to enjoy an acceptable standard of living. She said, “Money should not be the motivating factor to enter the profession.” She posited that with the rapid development taking place in Guyana, engineers will play a key role in every facet of life.
Engineering, according to Carrissa, is not only limited to the design and supervision of roads and bridges but extends to the public utility sector – telecommunication, power generation, and distribution including renewable energy, and potable water distribution. It is a vast field and numerous opportunities are available to anyone desirous of pursuing such a career. She wishes to encourage young people to pursue engineering as a profession since it enables one to contribute to a better quality of life for citizens and provides the opportunity to leave a physical contribution to the history of a community, and the country as a whole.
Her advice to persons interested in the field is to pursue science subjects at the secondary school level and be steadfast and focused even if there are failures and setbacks along the journey; this is essential. Be bullish about establishing a career and a future, and always be the best version of yourself. “In all that you do, put God first”, Carrissa said. She concluded her advice by stating that the field is challenging but rewarding and even though it may be oversupplied since people found the remuneration it offers attractive. However, it is still very expansive and there are disciplines to choose from where you can be successful.
“Service is key, but we must never become too busy for God because He is faithful and will see you through”, is Carrissa’s closing remark.
