Mihna Zahir is a Data Scientist and freelance data consultant with a background in data science and technology management with research in machine learning.  

What do you do?  

At work, my main responsibilities revolve around finding the story the data is telling and understanding what it means for the business or client I am dealing with. It is very diverse both in what I do and the different people I work with depending on the projects that I take up. My data science career has taken me to a variety of industries including healthcare, agriculture, banking, sports, and automotive industry. I help companies analyze data for useful information or insights which help them to make data-driven decisions. My work also entails building data models for organizations, building machine learning models to solve specific problems using the data available, and developing data visualization dashboards to help communicate the data easier and better. 

Depending on my availability and workload, I also take up engagements as a trainer to train people in analyzing and visualizing data using various analytical tools or conduct training to increase data and digital literacy within the community.  During my free time, I volunteer at 3 tech NGO’s, 2 international and 1 local NGO - Women in Tech Maldives which is working to inspire, empower and celebrate women in science and tech in Maldives. 

What was your work with UNDP?  

Minha: I was selected to represent Women In Tech MV in the Future of Work (FoW) co-creation workshop sessions led by UNDP Maldives Accelerator Lab. During these sessions I have shared my expertise and helped to co-ideate and co-create possible solutions to empower women and youth, promote blue economy and sustainable tourism. I loved working with UNDP’s team and it was quite an experience for me. 

I delivered a brief talk on preparation for an interview which weas featured in the e-module on CV Development and Job Interview Preparation, which was part of Accelerator Lab’s first experiment. This particular segment provided tips and advice on how to prepare for an interview, together with some real-life examples and experiences in addition to subject content. 

What motivates you to work in this area (digital, tech, innovation etc.) 

Minha: I became interested in embarking on a tech career because of the opportunities that I saw in the field and because STEM careers are rewarding both intellectually and personally. As I grew up I always wanted to work in an area that has the power to make a difference, and I believe tech industry is perfect for that. Technology is always changing so the learning process never stops and I have always loved to learn and research new things. It also motivated me to work in this field due to the flexibility of being able to work from anywhere at any time which has helped me achieve independence and strive for work-life balance.   

What challenges do you face as a woman in this sector? 

Personally, all the places I have worked so far in this industry has been quite welcoming and supportive, both in Maldives and abroad. I am extremely grateful for this. 

However, women are vastly underrepresented in the technology workforce both globally and locally. From my peers in this industry, I have heard that barriers for tech careers for women do exist in Maldives too. To name a few pressing ones include some companies choosing a male applicant over a female applicant despite the female applicant having the same qualifications, asking irrelevant questions regarding personal life and future from female applicants and handing over administrative tasks on top of their professional tech job just because they are a woman. I believe that in a digital economy, women should be given equal opportunities to work in the technology industry as their male counterparts and that having a diverse tech team that includes both men and women can support digital transformation within companies. 

What would you like to say to the aspiring people out there? 

The tech industry is incredibly diverse and offers a dynamic atmosphere where women have numerous opportunities to help shape the future. As a result of Digitalization and demographic change, within the next couple of years there will be a demand for highly qualified specialists which will result in innovative jobs in this industry. And these positions need to be filled by women in order to reach gender equality in STEM careers. 

In the digital economy, data is the new oil and the world needs more individuals who can collect it, analyze it, apply it, comprehend it, and turn it into insightful knowledge. The future of this country’s data science domain needs to be shaped far more by women. There are many job opportunities in the data science domain such as data architects, data engineers, data analysts, data scientists, business intelligence analysts, machine learning and AI engineers. Data Science needs skills that women bring to the table including their perspectives as well as insights. In this domain, you don’t have to check every single box as nobody can be an expert in everything, especially in data science which has a large scope. A foundation in a science subject is a great place to start. So, start with your strengths and achieve your dreams of embarking on a data science or tech career. Let the obstacles in your path be steppingstones and learn from your experiences along your journey.