Ijaz Ali is a graduate of the Engineering Institute of Technology based in the United Arab Emirates. He completed his Advanced Diploma of Civil and Structural Engineering in March 2019. He has recently embarked on his journey of acquiring a Bachelor of Science (Civil & Structural Engineering) with EIT.
He chose to study these qualifications because of the industry he works in; he works in the field of Transportation Engineering, which is a subcategory of Civil Engineering.
To get to where he is today, he started his journey in 2007 when he did a CAD certificate and worked with an Engineering Consulting office. His affinity for engineering in his day to day work is apparent.
“I chose this field as I was fascinated by how easily and systematically one can solve complex issues through engineering. It is a very well-structured field with proper procedures and standards that govern it, and this is the main reason why I like it.”
Ijaz already had close to eight years of experience in the Transportation Engineering industry before he began building on his skills with EIT.
In those eight years, Ijaz has seen immense development creep into the industry. He has seen mobility as a service, like Uber, become a societal norm. He has seen engineers hypothesize multi-national road traffic safety projects to eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries on roads, otherwise known as Vision Zero. And he has seen the incredible development in the autonomous driving industry. At his current job, he forms part of the ITS & Transportation Team.
“I am involved in the design and studies for different ITS strategies such as the Traffic Control System, Road Weather Information System, FOC Network and CCTV Connectivity. I support the team in preparing drawings, feasibility reports, and traffic studies. Previously I was also involved in the design and studies for Internal Roads, Highways, and Parking areas. I was also involved in obtaining their approvals from the local authorities. I also prepared longitudinal and ROW sections for the same along with the Stormwater, Sewerage & Streetlight design. I also proposed utility corridor designs for it. In addition to that, I have worked with the QS and Project Management team for cost and schedule estimation, for forecasting UpToDate.”
Ijaz now works at the Surface Mobility Consultants head office in TECOM Dubai, where he mostly works on projects with Integrated Transportation Center (ITC – DOT) for the implementation of Plan 2030. He has equipped himself further with Transport Engineering and Project Management short courses to ensure that he remains as proficient in his trade as possible, and gaining domain expertise as he goes along.
“I am still part of EIT as I have continued my studies through the bachelor's program, but I can say that after obtaining my Advanced Diploma, I am now officially recognized as an industry professional and I am also in the process of being recognized by Engineers Australia at the Engineering Associate Level.”
Ijaz has gotten this far in the industry and intends to go even further. He says that the elephant in the room nobody wants to discuss in the industry is the effect of the massive carbon footprint that the transportation industry creates - something he wants to contribute towards fixing.
Sometimes Ijaz tries to fit in some reading into his busy schedule. He encourages people to pick up a copy of ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen Covey. He also encourages young people to pursue a career in engineering as it is ultimately a rewarding career path. He concluded:
“Engineering is an ever-evolving discipline that affects our day to day activities and sustains the system we are currently living in. This is why I would highly encourage young people to consider pursuing a career in this field.”