Can women truly have it all? Kang Qing is a walking example of a resounding yes to this question that many still ask today. When chatting with Kang Qing, her stories throughout her 37 years engineering career have one common theme - not giving up even when things get tough, also her main advice to other young female engineers.  

It would have been hard to imagine that at one point, she had considered stepping away from her engineering job due to varying demands she faced. Recounting the earlier years of her career, Kang Qing had once continued with a planned business trip despite her daughter was hospitalized - a struggle of juggling multiple roles in life, one that many may resonate with. When Kang relocated to Singapore with her family in 1997, it seemed natural to step away from engineering roles. Yet in a twist of event, when her application to join the hospitality industry was rejected, she realized she should continue her engineering career in the same industry given her existing knowledge and skills.  

With that, she persevered and overcame the challenges she once faced, becoming the person she is today – a proud parent to her daughter, a respected team lead at work, and leading a balanced lifestyle with hobbies she enjoys.  

After several engineering roles, Kang finally joined ABB Singapore in 2018. Recalling her motivation to join ABB, she cited opportunities to learn and try things that were out of her comfort zone – from managing new stakeholders, executing strategies, to honing new skills. Looking back, it has been such immense sense of accomplishment whenever she finds herself conquering things that were once unfamiliar. She spoke about her career and work with such joy and passion that she professed to enjoy work so much she would often lose track of time as she goes about her workday.    

But it wasn’t all without struggles. Kang reflected on her 2 decades of work in Singapore, where she witnessed women working extra hard to prove themselves and having to be more assertive to have their opinion taken seriously. To overcome these challenges, Kang Qing found her own formulae of 3Ps to thrive and succeed as a female engineer in male-dominated industry -   

• Pay attention to details: in terms of technical details, project cost and deliveries  
  

• Proactiveness: making timely decisions to avoid schedule delays or wasting teammates’ efforts.   
  

• Perseverance: viewing every presented challenge as growth opportunity  
  

Adding on from the 3Ps, Kang Qing emphasized the importance of managing trustful relationships with customers and teammates. As Kang puts it candidly, “we are nobody on our own, we succeed when we help and collaborate with one another.”  

Just as customers rely on her engineering knowledge and project management skills to achieve the best outcomes in projects, she can also positively influence the growth of her teammates through consistent words of affirmation.  

When asked for her advice towards young female engineers, Kang Qing responded, “find yourself a mentor, he/she will help you in your career and share valuable experiences, suggestions and advice.” She recalled her own mentors who coached and guided her patiently, helping her hone her technical skills and become a stronger person. “Mentors can also instill a positive mindset during hard times,” she added.  

Through her daughter and mentees, she also realized the need for one to enjoy and find meaning in their work in order to flourish - even for herself, the opportunity to explore wider range of business value chain at ABB has allowed her to grow beyond the typical engineering roles she has held before, something which she values and finds joy in.