14.3 Preview: In Conversation with Christina Hsieh, founder of CH Simple Design

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To follow the path of your dream job is to accept the many forks and sharp turns made present along the way. It is to accept that the path is long and winding and will leave you with more stories than you care to admit, and to know that it will all be worth it in the end.

This is no truer than in the case of Christina Hsieh, whose London-based structural engineering consultancy, CH Simple Design, owes its existence to a life of creative grit which began all the way across the world, in Taiwan.

“I’ve always liked to make things with my hands. When I was young, I would use matchsticks and leftover sticks from ice lollies to make farmhouses, and sketch buildings in 3D and see how they connected from certain perspectives.”

It was only some years later when she was watching a National Geographic documentary on the Sydney Opera House that Christina thought that she considered this as a career.

“I wanted to see if I could work for the company that built it, but at the time I had no idea how I was going to make it happen, as it was made by a UK company.”

Christina admits that she probably would have been put off the idea of working in structural engineering had she discussed it with those around her as she unaware how limited job opportunities in that field were for women.

“I went to an all-girl high school and 90% of my classmates became teachers because that was just the default position for women in Taiwan.”

When it came to choosing university courses, Christina went against the grain and chose those surrounding civil and structural engineering, much to the dismay of her parents.

“My dad was very unhappy when he learned what I had chosen. He just expected me to be a teacher because in Taiwan it’s quite a secure position where the students you deal with are usually respectful.

“I always knew teaching wasn’t for me. I enjoy helping people, but it was never something I wanted to do for a living.”

Despite this, the pressure of not knowing whether she had made the right decision weighed on her, so before leaving for university she got in touch with current students of the course to see what it was like.

“This made me feel a lot better afterwards, so I decided to go with it. I never really considered myself a social person, but I am resourceful. If I feel like I need help I can find the people and ask the right questions. I’m not afraid of people turning me down.”

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