Volunteering has become one of the most formative parts of my professional life, not as something separate from my engineering career, but as an experience that has shaped how I understand the profession, my place within it, and the responsibility that comes with experience. Having entered building services engineering without prior exposure or family connections, I am very aware of how easily this career can remain invisible to people who might otherwise thrive in it. At a time when many career decisions are shaped by financial pressure and social expectation, particularly with the rising cost of living, highly visible sectors such as AI and software can appear more accessible or clearly defined. Building services engineering rarely benefits from the same clarity. Volunteering has given me both the perspective and the opportunity to help bridge this gap, while also sharpening my own ability to explain why the profession matters, what it offers, and how careers within it can develop over time.
My early outreach work in the United States developed through my involvement with Growing Representation & Opportunities for Women – Women in Technology (GROW‑WIT), an Employee Resource Group at Bayer. I initially supported outreach and engagement initiatives aimed at increasing awareness of engineering and technical career pathways among students with limited prior exposure, particularly women and individuals from under‑represented backgrounds in STEM. Over time, I went on to serve as Co‑Chair of the group, where I oversaw multiple committees, including Technical Education, which focused on organising technical seminars and continuing professional development sessions, and Career and Development, which centred on personal and professional growth topics such as communication, leadership, and other essential soft skills. Working closely with volunteers to shape programmes that balanced technical depth with broader career development challenged my assumptions around access, confidence, and perceived barriers, while reinforcing how strongly representation and visible leadership influence whether someone feels able to see themselves progressing within a technical profession.
After moving to the UK, continuing this work felt like a natural progression rather than a new commitment. Through CIBSE YEN London, and specifically as part of the Community Outreach team, I have been involved in organising engagement activities with universities and high schools. One example was coordinating a panel discussion with Queen Mary University of London, focused on navigating the built environment from classroom to career. The session brought together professionals from across the industry to share their experiences, discuss different career pathways, and speak honestly about the transition from academic study into practice. More broadly, this work has involved collaborating with other volunteers to plan sessions, coordinate speakers, and shape discussions so they reflect the realities of engineering practice rather than idealised or simplified narratives. A key focus has been reaching people earlier, while their ideas about careers are still forming, rather than trying to address misconceptions much later on.
One of the most unexpected benefits of volunteering has been the clarity it has brought to my own thinking. Explaining what we do, why it matters, how roles evolve, and where compromises exist forces a level of reflection that day‑to‑day project work does not always allow. Outreach sessions, panel discussions, and mentoring conversations have pushed me to step back from technical detail and focus instead on purpose, outcomes, and human impact. Through this process, I have become more aware that building services engineering is, at its core, a people‑centred discipline. Topics such as safety, accessibility, sustainability, and wellbeing take on far greater meaning when viewed through the experiences of those who rely on the spaces we help create. This perspective has strengthened how I communicate, improved how I work with others, and influenced how I approach leadership and longer‑term professional priorities.
The benefits of volunteering flow both ways. While outreach helps strengthen the future pipeline into the profession, it also exposes me to new perspectives, evolving expectations, and questions that challenge established norms. Conversations with students and early‑career engineers have prompted me to rethink how success is defined, how progression can be more inclusive, and how building services engineering must continue to adapt if it is to remain relevant and resilient.
For anyone considering volunteering, the commitment does not have to be extensive to be meaningful. Whether through outreach, mentoring, or involvement in professional networks, even small contributions can have lasting impact, strengthening the profession while offering equally valuable personal and professional development in return.