In this latest series of articles, we publish interviews of women working as professionals or students in the technology sector. The objective is to highlight their work and contribution to the industry and the community.
In these interviews, you will find women working in technology to solve real-world problems, break stereotypes, and create the next big impact on the tech industry. This series of interviews shows that even with the lowest rate of women participation in the labor market in Pakistan, there are still many smart women who are creating and using technology to work wonders.
Today, we are featuring Lalain Anwar. Read on to learn more about her work and get inspired.
1. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, your education, and your work.
I am a Google-certified UI/UX Designer with 5 years of experience in the tech industry. Currently, I am part of the Design Team at the PWiC Community. I hail from a Computer Science background and figured out early on that programming is not my forte and leaned toward a career in design.
Recently, I have taken a break from my day job to explore other creative pursuits. Previously, I have worked at The Nest I/O, the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, and Genetech Solutions.
I just graduated from CaterpillHER’s Freelance Accelerator Program and am really looking forward to a freelance career in design. Meanwhile, I also launched my Instagram art page (@lalainanwar_artstudio), Pakistan’s first niche art page featuring line art and abstract art.
My educational and career journey is nothing short of a roller coaster ride. I was a Bio Majors in O’Levels, then switched to Intermediate (Pre-Engineering) and got a degree in Computer Science, all while wanting to become a fashion designer. And look, I’m a UI/UX Designer now.
On a lighter note, I can write limericks and do summersaults. I was born on 29th Feb, so even if I turn 100, I can say I’m 25!
2. What are your future plans/aspirations? How will it impact the community/society/your team/your project?
My future plan includes learning no-code design tools, one such example being Framer. I intend to build a freelance career in design so that I have diverse clients and experience, a monetary edge, and the freedom to work from anywhere. Sounds cool, right? However, I would want to return to an onsite job after some experimentation as I am an extrovert and like interaction.
I plan to stay consistent with making the artwork on my Instagram page. I am working on ways I can create different content styles, such as reels and stories so that my Instagram account gets more reach and recognition.
Since I value community a lot, I would like to stay a part of the PWiC design team.
Moreover, I am constantly working on how I would like to incorporate AI into design. I find Microsoft Designer, Midjourney, and Freepik AI image generation incredible time savers.
I aim to sponsor the education of underprivileged children. I firmly believe that education can change a child’s life. Whatever we can achieve now is because of a strong educational foundation. It’s unfortunate to see a humongous population of children out of school.
3. Please brag about your career accomplishments. What are the things you are proud of?
I’m super proud of being financially independent for 12 years (out of my own choice). Being a multipotentialite, I tutored 6 years during my college and university days, dedicated four hardcore years to freelance content writing, and spent 5+ years in my design career. During my time in the industry, I have worked for a startup, an international research center (3rd in the OIC region), and a service-based tech company.
I have two design awards: Winner of Women Tech Quest’22 – Design (Professional Category) and 1st Prize in Mass Design Sprint 3.0 at GDG DevFest’22.
Apart from this, I have been winning various declamation competitions throughout my educational life. Here’s a list
- 1st position – Speak it Out Loud (Bi-lingual Declamation Contest – English Humorous Category)
- Honorable Mention for SOCHUM-KUMUN
- Best English Speaker of the Year 2014 – Commecs College
- Best English Compere of the Year 2014 – Commecs College
- 3rd Position Inter-class Bilingual Declamation Contest (English Humorous Category) – 2013 and 2014
Just to inspire you all, all of this was achieved while seeing my loved ones going through harrowing health problems, losing all my money to a scam two years back, and having five accidents in the last three years.
4. What has been your best education/career decision, and why?
Lately, I would say that taking a career break has been my best decision as it has bought me plenty of time. I am constantly working on my portfolio, taking a freelance accelerator program by CaterpillHERs, and also launching my Instagram art page(@lalainanwar_artstudio), something I have wanted to do for 10 years. Having a good chunk of time and doing nothing is extremely important for creative people. Also, I can attend more tech events which allows me to network.
During my sophomore year of university, I realized that programming is not something I would like to pursue as a 9-6 job so I took a graphic design course from Karachi School of Art. Furthermore, I took another in Web Design from the Usman Institute of Technology. This helped me realize that I have absolutely no interest in coding and would only like to stick to design.
5. What are the best lessons you’ve learned?
- When it goes according to your plan, it’s good, when it doesn’t go according to your plan, it’s DIVINITY.
- We should not worry about the results, rather, we should only focus on the process and putting in the hard work. No one knows what results their efforts will bring.
- Protecting and working towards your aspirations, dreams, and passions is your OWN responsibility. You have to believe in yourself when no one does, pat your shoulder when your efforts go unnoticed, take ownership of your mistakes, clap on your achievements, and create an ecosystem that allows for success.
- We should learn from everyone irrespective of age and experience and not let our ego come in the way.
- Money is only the by-product of what we do. Once we achieve excellence in our work, money usually follows.
- No matter how much we plan, things will happen the way they are meant to happen. We should try to live in the present instead of cribbing about the past and worrying about the future. Especially after my accidents, I realized that the tomorrow that we worry about so much is not even guaranteed. None of us know if we will die the next moment.
6. Which woman inspires you and why?
Any woman who is a woman of substance(does good work, stands her ground, and speaks up when they see something wrong) inspires me. I believe that we as individuals have been bestowed with different strengths and the Supreme power has balanced it out Himself as we are His creation.
So, I would like to take the names of some who are my favorites:
Jehan Ara, Faiza Yousuf, Shazia Syed, Shamim Rajani, Sudha Murthy, Priyanka Chopra, Shireen Naqvi, Muniba Mazari, Hadiqa Kiani, Nadia Jamil, Sushmita Sen, Indra Nooyi, Sidra Iqbal, Human Raza, Isha Borah, Amna Haider Isani, Musarrat Misbah, and Huma Mubin.
7. Do you think Pakistan has changed as a society in terms of accepting career-oriented women? What needs to change to help more women come forward?
Career-oriented women are accepted in exchange for a big mound of conditions, unfortunately. I have seen women who have permission to keep their careers but are loaded with household chores, in turn, experiencing burnout. There are women who are managing their careers and home excellently but have lost companionship (living with their husbands as strangers). Nothing can be worse than this. No woman should be deprived of companionship just because they are ambitious. Ambitious women who are single, including myself, struggle to find partners due to the stigmas surrounding them. There are very few examples of women who have an empowering support system.
I believe it will take two more generations to see substantial mindset change and to make things better for women. Society needs to shift focus on men. Men must be educated and brought up in a way that they are at least able to do their own chores. Cooking and cleaning are basic life skills, and every individual, irrespective of their gender, must be able to do these. Islam teaches that as well. Unless we achieve this, no matter how many benefits or flexibility are provided in the workplace, we won’t see much difference.
8. What will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women behind you?
Since we live in a highly polarized world where everything is black and white more than ever, I believe the generation of women behind us will sail two boats. They would be judged and criticized for the choices they make in life. Women who work will be made to feel guilty about neglecting their families, and domestic women or women who take breaks will be constantly degraded and labeled as failures.
And in order to make the best of both worlds, there will be a surge in mental health issues. And no doubt, the next generation of women would be able to do wonders, but that would come at the cost of their mental health.
Another epidemic I see coming for women is not being comfortable in their own skin. The beauty industry has set unrealistic beauty standards by marketing products as tools for empowerment and self-expression that are only contributing to women’s insecurities. Most women will attach their self-worth to looks rather than their inner values and skills. This, in turn, would not allow them to be their authentic self.
9. What would it be if you could change one thing about the tech industry/business?
I would completely eliminate the late work/extra work hours. I have witnessed horrendous cases firsthand where young people aged (25 to 35) are facing spine problems and cervical issues. Apart from this, there are rising hormonal abnormalities leading to increased stress. What’s more concerning is that this overtime is mostly unpaid. Even if it is paid, is it worth the damage it does to our health? According to a Stanford University study, productivity declines significantly when individuals work more than 49 hours per week.
10. How can WomenInTechPK help you and other women?
In my opinion, WomenInTechPK is a great platform for community building. The fact that I can see so many women featured on the WomenInTechPK blog doing incredible work paints a hopeful picture regarding women in the tech landscape. Successful women are not as celebrated as their male counterparts, and it makes my heart smile when I see women’s success stories being amplified.
I think WomenInTechPK can play a pivotal role in increasing awareness regarding workplace policies, pay parity, and workplace harassment. When women come together as a community, they are unstoppable!
You can follow Lalain Anwar using her profile(s) below, and please do not hesitate to hire her for your next project.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lalain-anwar/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lalainanwar_artstudio
Behance: https://www.behance.net/lalainanwar
