Zaynab Nabila always thought she would become a doctor when she grew up. In school in Bangladesh, biology and maths were two of her favourite subjects, and she spent time volunteering with doctors in rural villages.
However, the year Nabila did her medical exams, the papers got leaked.
“There was a lot of corruption in Bangladesh at the time, and many students scored much higher than they would have if the papers hadn’t been leaked,” she said.
“I passed the exam, but my grades weren’t good enough to get me into the top universities.
“So, I was like OK, what else am I going to do?”
Nabila’s older sister was in Australia studying to become an engineer, so she decided to follow in her footsteps and head Down Under.
She enrolled in an engineering degree at the University of Wollongong, where she gained some clarity on what kind of engineering she wanted to do.
“In my second year of university, there was an elective you could take on humanitarian engineering, but you had to sit an interview for it,” she said.
“I wrote an application, did an interview and was accepted, and I think that’s where my perspective changed.”
As part of the elective, Nabila travelled to Rwanda in Africa with her class. There, they built a school and a water system, hiring local labourers to do the construction.
“I really connected with the work and realised this is something I’d like to do,” she said. “I’m someone who likes to be on the ground and do and feel things, so I’ve gravitated towards construction rather than design.”
She worked her way through university, serving burgers and fries at McDonald’s, which she said helped her become the person she is today.
“It helps you to be more humble and appreciate everyone’s hard work,” she said.
“If you’re serving food in McDonald’s, are you better than the cleaners? No, you’re not. We’re all equal.”
After graduating from university, Nabila began working in residential development stormwater management in Adelaide, before getting an opportunity to do fly in, fly out work in the mining industry in Western Australia.
She enjoyed the work, but when an opportunity came up to work as a site engineer with Laing O’Rourke in 2022, she jumped at the chance. She was assigned to the METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line in Perth – delivering Ellenbrook Station and Morley Station as well as spending some time working on Malaga Station. Two years later after first joining Laing O’Rourke, she was promoted to the role of project engineer.
One of the biggest projects she has been part of is the METRONET Byford Rail Extension Project – an eight-kilometre extension of Perth’s Armadale Line.
The 28-year-old said the day the line extension officially opened to passengers was an exciting milestone in her career.
“I brought my nine-year-old niece along on the day and found myself telling her all the ‘behind the scenes’ stories from the 18 months the team spent on the project – the challenges, the teamwork, the details that most people will never see but that make projects like this possible,” she said.
“It’s surreal to think that the work we do today will serve generations to come – maybe even my niece’s grandkids one day.”
Nabila was part of the team building the elevated Armadale Station as part of the rail extension. Now they are open to the public, she said a typical day for her revolves around finishing works.
“It’s much quieter than it was before the line extension opened!” she said.
“I’m not on site as much – I’m now doing things like backend paperwork and ensuring all documents are aligned for practical completion.”
During pre-construction, her days were very busy.
“Every morning started with a 6.45am pre-start, meet all the subcontractors and make sure everyone’s there.
“There would be design issues, things clashing on site – you’re constantly resolving different problems, and no hour is the same.
“It’s intense and it can be stressful at times, but when you resolve an issue it’s very rewarding.”
Nabila said she’s learned a lot from solving problems, which she can apply to other projects in the future.
“In the past, I might have panicked if something went wrong, but now I know it’s not a big deal,” she said. “That comes with experience.”
She’s passionate about promoting mental health in the construction industry, and at Laing O’Rourke she has helped to facilitate psychosocial hazard and mental health training.
“Growing up in Bangladesh, mental health was such a taboo,” she said. “My mum has bipolar disorder, but people didn’t believe it or judged her, so we stayed quiet. I learned to hide my emotions because showing them felt shameful.
“Over time, I realised how important it is to talk about mental health. Moving to Australia showed me that while things are more open here, stigma still exists — especially among men in construction. Now, I want to help others open up, feel safe to be honest about what they’re going through, and know that it’s okay not to be okay.”
She’s also a big supporter of mentoring schemes and awards that celebrate diversity in the industry.
“I think a lot of women have imposter syndrome and don’t think they’re good enough for the job, but that’s not the case,” she said.
“Mentoring and awards help to build up your confidence, so you get more involved in the industry. In time, you might also become a mentor yourself and can encourage other women to get involved too.”
Her advice for anyone considering a career in engineering is to go for it.
“I think it’s a great industry,” she said. “The money is good, there are so many opportunities for career growth, and many different areas of engineering you can explore.
“In construction, it’s all about building relationships with subcontractors, clients and the stakeholders. If you have a good relationship, everything works well.
“When I walk in the room, no-one sees me or treats me any differently.”
