- Name: Natasha Sim
- Age: 27
- Current location: Istanbul, Turkey
- Home town: Ottawa, Canada
- Education: MSc Environmental Engineering from Imperial College London, UK. Bachelor of Engineering, Civil Engineering from Warwick, UK.
- Current position: Environmental Health Coordinator with the International Rescue Committee in Greece
- Organization description: Working in over 40 countries, and 22 U.S. cities, the International Rescue Committee is an international NGO focused on providing emergency and long-term assistance to refugees, and those displaced by war.
- Bio: As an environmental engineer, Natasha Sim has worked everywhere from Uzbekistan, to Vanuatu, dealing with crises as varied as the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, earthquake disaster relief in Nepal, and Syrian refugee aid in Greece. She has worked with high profile international programs such as UN Habitat, Doctors Without Borders, and the International Rescue Committee.
- Countries I've worked in: Greece, Vanuatu, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Ukraine
- Sector / subsectors: International Development, Science, Engineering
- Areas of expertise: WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Environmental Management Systems, environmental components of municipal infrastructure projects.
- Country: Greece, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu
- Region: Africa, Europe, Oceania, Asia, Central Asia
- Sector: Environmental, Health, Humanitarian, International development
- Degree subject: Engineering, Environmental studies, Sciences
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Who are you, what was your most recent position, and what did it entail?
Meet Natasha Sim, and learn what WASH stands for. (Hint: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.)
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How did you get to where you are now? Tell us about your career trajectory?
You might have switched schools growing up, but can you say you've switched from Kyrgyzstan to Bangladesh to Egypt? Natasha can. She gives us insight into her unique childhood and how studying solid waste management led to working with UN Habitat.
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So how did your Master's research lead into paid work?
Natasha talks about the range of work within environmental engineering - from solid waste management, to water systems, power stations, road construction and transport projects, the variety is endless.
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A lot of what you mentioned was in Central Asia, but you've worked in many other countries. How did those opportunities come about?
Natasha talks about how she ended up working on the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, how her position as Team Leader with CARE after the Nepal earthquake was one of her best learning experiences, and how the search for stability in this sector is hard to find.
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What's an average week like in your current role as Water and Sanitation Coordinator, working at refugee camps in Greece?
Natasha tell us about her day-to-day life working in Greece, managing a staff of 90 people, and the difficulty of work-life balance.
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I guess jobs in this field don't offer much work-life balance. How you deal with that?
Natasha talks about the importance of taking advantage of time in between assignments.
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What are some of the personal or professional challenges when it comes to living and working cross culturally? Do you have any examples?
"How many metres of straw do you have?" and the moment you realize the vocabulary of a 13 year-old isn't going to cut it as an environmental engineer.
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What skills and abilities do you need to succeed in this field?
Natasha gives us her take, and what to be cautious of when you're coming in as a consultant.
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What are specific challenges when it comes to the field of environmental engineering, WASH work?
Natasha tells us how cultural dynamics play an important part of successfully implementing environmental and sanitation programs.
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People often say how there aren't enough women in the STEM fields. Did you always know you wanted to be an engineer?
Natasha tell us how she almost ended up as a business management student, and why keeping her options open was always important.
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What's out there in your field? What are the options for people looking to enter the international workforce with an environmental engineering background?
Natasha breaks down the various paths to international work in the humanitarian, development and engineering fields.
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Any tips on what you can do to stand out when applying for job in the competitive field of international aid work?
Natasha says language skills and travel experience (even if it has nothing to do with your field) can help set you apart from the crowd.
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You worked with MSF - can you tell us about the application process?
Natasha explains why working with the UN right away might not be the best career choice in the long run, and a book she considers the holy grail if you want to get into water sanitation and hygiene work for international organizations.
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How long was that entire application process? What was the timeline?
Natasha didn't have to wait as long as most MSF workers because the need during the Ebola outbreak was so great.
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Was there anything in particular they were looking for?
Natasha breaks down the three things MSF is generally looking for in their applicants.
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Are there misconceptions about what you do?
She is not "Super Tash," no matter what the painting her uncle made her says. :)
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What are the common mistakes you see younger people making in this field?
It's easy to get sucked in, and make your career 100% of your life.
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What are your best tips as interviewing goes?
Find out what you can never do too much of.
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