Make sure the learning process never stops!
Suneera Regmi believes that a lot of hard work, a lifelong learning attitude, and support from family are important for a successful career. Suneera, who aspires to fly in space someday, takes us on a journey of her incredible life story as an aerospace engineer.
Suneera Regmi, the first female aerospace engineer in Nepal, inspires many Nepali girls and women. Currently, she is a senior flight operations engineer and chief of flight operations document control in Nepal Airlines || Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) where she has been working since 2009. “It is difficult, but we need to dare and dive in and work hard,” says Regmi elaborating on women in the aerospace field.
After her schooling at Little Angels School in Nepal, Regmi went to India for higher education. She completed her bachelor’s degree from the National Institute of Aeronautical Engineering and returned to Nepal. Then, she did a one-year unpaid internship in NAC hanger. Relatively new to the airline’s job market, Regmi researched job positions and applied to the aircraft performance engineer position that had opened roughly after 18 years in NAC. Fortunately, she got the position, and her career took off. Later after working for five years, she went back to India on educational leave and earned her master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the IIT Bombay | IIT Bombay in 2016. When she came back, she was promoted to senior operations engineer.
Regmi is responsible for aircraft performance and safety as a senior operations engineer, including aircraft performance, engine-out procedure, contingency procedure, performance monitoring, safety, QA Audit, and technical documentation data.
She says her journey so far has been incredible and satisfying. Next, she aspires to fly in space. “There is a lot to learn. My biggest accomplishment is yet to come. I’m in the process of getting there. Hopefully, I will be flying in space someday.”
Regmi was fascinated by airplanes from a young age and would always be curious to know how airplanes worked. Her parents have constantly encouraged her to pursue her dream. In fact, her father introduced her to the area of study that deals with aircraft mechanisms, aka aerospace engineering. Learning about the field from him, she decided to pursue a career in the same. She also credits her husband and in-laws for being supportive of her career.
Talking about working in a male-dominated industry, Regmi says, “In training, there used to be 1 or 2 girls in a class of 40 to 60. Seeing another female in the class was a moment of joy for me because that meant female representation.” She never felt uncomfortable working in an industry that has more male than female peers.
“I am used to working in an environment where there are more male counterparts than females, be it in undergrad years, internship, or operation department. I felt right at home as I was learning, giving inputs, and producing results. My seniors and colleagues are helpful and cooperative. Overall, the experience has been good.”
Referring to her early days in her career, she says the biggest challenge was manual calculation and interpretation of data related to the safety of her crew and passengers. That meant toiling overnights for accurate data. The process is now made easier by new technology and software.
According to Regmi, there are limited resources like lack of funding, research opportunities, and facilities in Nepal for aerospace and some tech fields. That’s why a lot of students go abroad, at least to India, for career development. “We need to expand our resources, starting from the education sector,” she adds.
In times of difficulty, she suggests having clear communication (with your supervisor, team members, or friends) and seeking help from the right connections.
“What I want to say to everyone is that learning attitude and enthusiasm are important. The tech field is continuously growing. So, for anyone interested in a tech career, make sure the learning process never stops. Embrace the changes and incorporate it in your research or work.”
This article was written by Anjeela Shrestha, member of Nepali Women in Computing for Nepali Women in Computing — CELEBRATE.
