9 minute read
Overcoming obstacles
A BUILDING PASSION OVERCOMES ALL OBSTACLES
Gina Zandi, an assistant project manager with AJP Constructions, is no stranger to taking a chance on herself and building a successful career because of it.
ALYSSA WELKE
Growing up in Iran, Gina Zandi spent her childhood visiting construction sites and learning about engineering drawings and plans from her father, who partnered in a construction company.
Civil engineering and construction is in Gina’s blood with her father, uncles, older sister and brother-in-law all involved in the industry in her home city of Tehran (the capital of Iran).
Her entire family was involved in the construction industry in her home country, and it influenced Gina to follow her dreams and pursue a career in civil engineering.
Before Gina was born her father started the family’s construction business, which enabled her to be exposed to many experiences unavailable to most children.
“When I was a very young kid, I didn’t have much understanding of my surroundings. I had all the drawings and plans, which are out-of-date around me all the time; trying to imitate what’s on them, trying to understand them, but I obviously couldn’t at that point”, Gina remembers.
“But when I was a little bit older and I could actually understand things a little bit better, I always had my father bringing me small bags of different materials, explaining the uses of them to me in a game way, so it wasn’t boring for me; every time different materials and exciting things for me to learn.
“By the time that I was a teenager, I was allowed to join him and go on field trips, go on sites, see the machinery working, all the big excavation machinery, how everything flows together, the processes and procedures, which was always very exciting, very helpful to learn.
“Especially having someone walking you through that field and explaining every point and how it works.”
When Gina was finishing high school, she had to sit comprehensive exams, as do all young people in Iran, to compete for university places.
Gina blitzed her exams and earned a spot in the best university in the country for a civil engineering major, Sharif University of Technology.
“It is what I was hoping for; during my study I kept going to the office, and projects part-time when I had time.
“During the summers I had time off (university) so I could be working full time — that was an exciting part because I actually got to see what I was learning.
“They explain to you ‘this is how the force travels from this point to that point’, and then I could go to the site and actually see how that force is affecting the structure.
“This experience was pretty helpful to understand what you are studying and makes the studying more exciting and interesting than it might be usually.”
When Gina graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, she worked in Iran in the industry, but it was during a trip to Australia to visit her older sister, who had immigrated to Sydney, that she started thinking about challenging herself further in her career.
That challenge came in the form of applying to study her Masters of Civil Engineering in Australia.
So that is what she did — she applied to study her Masters and received a conditional offer to undertake the course at the UNSW.
Her acceptance to the course required Gina to learn English and pass an exam — which was made more challenging because Gina had just a few months to do so.
But the now 28-year-old is nothing if not determined, so she applied herself diligently to learning English, first in Iran and then in Australia, to be able to pass her university-level comprehension exam.
Gina sat her exams at the beginning of 2018 and when she received her results she was shocked and dismayed to discover she hadn’t passed. She later discovered there had been a computer error when her test was marked.
“If I couldn’t pass, all my plans would be delayed by a year and it wasn’t a great situation,” she said.
“All I could think of was to do another test, to prove that my English ability would meet the requirements.
“I had to book a spot in a test and the only available spot was in Canberra for the next day. I had to drive overnight to Canberra to do the test at 7am — so that’s what I did.
“I got my results back two hours before the deadline for submitting to meet the conditions for uni and the visa — I passed it, just on time.
“It was a very stressful time, but I was so happy when I got the result.
“After the fact, when I had got this all done, the university contacted me and said, ‘there was an error in the system with your English exam and everything is fine and it was fine from the beginning.” Gina began her Masters degree and initially found it extremely difficult, but she persevered.
“It’s not a piece of cake to study a Masters degree in a second language that you have just learned in a short period of time; it took me a bit longer to understand.”
Once Gina had found her feet studying, she found part-time work in the industry while she completed her studies.
Once she finished working she began working in Australia full-time.
Gina enjoyed the work, but during the pandemic her employer was relocating the business to another city and Gina wasn’t in a place where she felt she could move with the company.
Her father had passed away a few months earlier, and she had been unable to travel back to Iran to be with her mother, and her mother couldn’t come to Australia, due to border closures.
She was in a place in her life where she was questioning whether she should return to Iran permanently.
It was at this time that she found AJP Constructions.
“I was in a point where I was thinking let’s just move on — I’ve accomplished enough here, let’s go back and just stay with Mum for a while and give up the future I could have here.
“Having all that in mind, I was also looking around for a new job in Sydney and I saw this advertisement that was so different, and sort of interesting.
“I searched the company — it was AJP, the company I am with — I found an Instagram they had and I saw a video from Andrew talking about how they are using different software that I am very familiar with, I used it all the time when I was studying.
“It made me very interested in the company so I sent Andrew an email, expressing my interest, sending him my resume and explaining a little
PICTURED: AJP Constructions director Andrew Payton, with Gina.
about myself.
“I sent the email at 10-11pm and he got back to me about 7am the next morning, asking if we can have a chat that afternoon.
I went to the office, I met Andrew and Gabby and we had a chat. I left going back home after the interview; I was still in the car, I hadn’t even got to home and I see Andrew is calling me.
“I was thinking, ‘Oh did I miss something, did I leave my bag or something’, and then he was calling me to say ‘we think you are a good fit for our team, we’d like to make you an offer’.”
Gina started work for AJP Constructions in January 2021 as an assistant project manager.
The Chatswood-based company specializes in high-end residential projects — houses and duplexes with great architectural designs in the northern beaches and eastern suburbs of Sydney. AJP Constructions director Andrew Payton said since Gina joined the company she has shown her passion for the role through her committed, hard-working and professional can-do attitude, making her an invaluable member of the team.
Gina works with Andrew across all jobs and is learning and evolving every day to accept the challenge at hand and how important it is to be 100% flexible.
AJP Constructions office manager Gabby Payton said Gina is an absolute asset to the team.
“In an industry that could be intimidating for a young woman, and with English as a second language, Gina is absolutely flourishing and we are thrilled to have her on our team and look forward to seeing her grow with us.
“We know she has an incredible career in front of her with her drive and determination we know she is going to go very far.
“Employing another woman, after I (Gabby) came on board part-time five years ago was really important to us.
“We believe females bring a certain level of empathy to a workplace that may not necessarily be present in an all-male team, and empathy and understanding are extremely important in these unpredictable times, this applies to both our team and our clients.
“We did have a great female apprentice on board, however, the travel became too much, our goal next year is to ensure we have another female apprentice on the team and a female Cadet Project manager for Gina to train up.”
Gina is always looking for ways to challenge herself because she believes the only way to grow and succeed is to get out of your comfort zone.
“If you want to grow you need to try things that you haven’t tried before.
“When I moved to Australia I was 23-24; I am proud of myself. I had a very comfortable life — could have just easily not have done that — but I chose to step out, to learn new things, do new thing, challenge myself.”
And being a young woman in construction, Gina finds this attitude goes a long way.
She knows that not everyone will accept her as a project manager and on construction sites guiding and leading people.
“At AJP, Andrew doesn’t care if you are male or female he just trust you to do what should be done and gives you the power to do what you need to do.
“Sometimes (you get the attitude of) you are a female you don’t get it.
“Working with Andrew and the team here, it’s very smooth to go around (to site). Sometimes it can be a challenge with new sub-contractors but with time and them getting to know you and you being able to make the impression you need to (you can overcome it).
“Once you start talking to them and you explain things and show what you know, they go ‘oh she knows what she’s talking about’.”
Her advice for other women in construction is to not be shy and show their abilities and be confident in their abilities.
“Don’t be afraid — if this is something you like and enjoy it, just do it,” she said.
“I had friends that didn’t do it because they were afraid of what if and how they can continue in this profession.
‘If it’s your passion just go for it — be confident.”
