1) Could you tell us a bit about your background - educational and otherwise?

I was born in 1974 in Karachi. I joined Karachi Grammar School at age 3. I was a mediocre student all my life as I never managed to get to grips with traditional modes of imparting education. I did reasonably okay in subjects that required a certain degree of thinking. I could never memorize arcane/mundane facts and therefore got a pretty dreadful O-Level result. I was very skilled at all sports and was on most of the school teams, captaining almost all the house teams. I decided to leave KGS after my O-Levels, owing to an unfortunate incident that led me to conclude that the school had no value system and didn't really give a damn about its students or their welfare. Soon after I left KGS, i.e. 1990, I bought my first Apple Macintosh computer. It was an all-in-one unit with a 9" screen and a single floppy drive. It had 1 MB of RAM, an 8 MHz processor and no hard disk. This machine, along with Pink Floyd, changed my life forever. On my Mac Plus, which I worshipped, I learnt how to use MacPaint, MacDraw, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Tetris (still the only game I know how to play). I simultaneously discovered the eccentricities and genius of Roger Waters. My first major computer upgrade, 4 months later, was the addition of an external floppy drive for Rs. 3,000. I thought I was so high-tech now, my life was perfect. In addition to application software, I got very interested in the Macintosh Operating System ... This was the beginning of an endless fascination with user interface design and how human beings interact with machines.

In September 1990, I took off for Kinnaird College, Lahore. I struggled my way through 4 years of painful education in the subjects of Literature, Philosophy and Journalism. I had to fight many a battle before I was allowed to take my tiny little computer to the hostel; the administration agreed grudgingly and insisted upon a monthly payment of Rs. 100 to cover electricity costs! During my B.A. years, I produced the College Newspaper and the Asian Womens' Magazine on my Macintosh, using Aldus Pagemaker and SuperPaint. Graduating from Kinnaird College marked the end of my rather unspectacular educational career.

I am not cut out for formal education. I wish I hadn't had to suffer through 15 years of school and 4 years of college. What a waste! Thanks to the fact that my parents never subjected me to the insanity of competition, I was never driven to achieve high grades. I concentrated on reading, listening to music, playing cricket and tennis, and generally becoming human.

2) What about your professional career and present job status?

In 1994, one hour after I landed in Karachi, I joined Enabling Technologies, a company specializing in multimedia development. Most companies in Pakistan were not even vaguely aware of the benefits of the services we offered and it took years of awareness sessions, seminars, etc. to get the point across. I jumped straight into multimedia authoring and graphic design. Our first major project was the design and development of Pakistan's first multimedia CD-ROM for IBM; Mr. Nisar Memon must be acknowledged for taking a huge leap of faith and believing in a company made up of 4 people. In those days, we did not have Internet access and getting stuck with technical problems meant just figuring it out for oneself. I learnt a great deal about troubleshooting and not panicking. My CEO, Zaheer Kidvai, was and is very inspirational and extremely supportive.

It was natural for our small team, then at ET, coming as we did from our background love of the Arts and the Humanities, and our individual commitments to Human Rights and Peace issues, that we sought work in areas that sustained these interests. As a result, we subsequently developed a CD-ROM for ABN-AMRO, entitled "50 Years of Art in Pakistan". But, IMHO, my most major achievement has been the CD-ROM, "Faiz - Aaj Kay Naam" (still in great demand). The project was very challenging at a number of levels: gaining a deep insight into Faiz, the man; understanding the poetry; compressing hours of rich media content into a single CD-ROM; and the programming. It was an intense, exciting, and very gratifying experience.

As the Internet started becoming the medium of choice, I moved into web development and learnt a great deal about web technologies by reading voraciously and experimenting recklessly - streaming media, graphics for the web, color palettes, compression, file formats, 3rd generation site design, interface design, usability testing, content creation; oooh, what an exciting time to be alive.

During my time at ET, I conducted training sessions for a number of clients and also taught New Media Development at Hamdard University. From 1999-2000, I ran Solutions Unlimited, a sister concern of ET, focussing at the time, on Macintosh Sales and Support. I also managed projects at ET, which was growing, so I had a team of designers and developers working under me.

In 2001, I joined Beyond Information Technology Solutions, as New Media Architect (Visit http://www.bitsonline.net/sabeen/new_media_architect.html). BITS specializes in eBusiness and eLearning Solutions as well as New Media applications. I am fascinated by whirlwind changes in the Economy and the way the world is moving from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. Our core focus at BITS is to make this transition easier for our customers. We combine Strategy, Creativity, Technology, and Branding to create unique digital experiences. At BITS, I manage many of the the day to day operations of the company, look at areas of business development, and of course, fulfill my primary role as New Media Architect.

3)How long have you been related to the field of Information Technology?

10 years.

4) Has it been a good experience?

Awesome! I am passionate about my work and am aiming to get onto the cover of Fortune before I am 28. I have had enough of the Western world hogging the limelight.

5) Would you say that women in IT have a better chance of moving upwards and working on an equal level with their peers as compared to women in other fields?

IT is so vast - it encompasses all forms of technology used to create, store, exchange, and use information in its various forms. It is not solely about being an HTML engineer or a Java programmer. The possibilities are endless. For example, at BITS, we employ programmers, artists, writers, designers, musicians, video specialists, animators, marketeers, the list is endless. Women today have access to a mind-boggling range of opportunities and jobs that did not even exist two years ago. Also, the Internet - a truly liberating phenomenon - makes the impossible possible. Women, in our culture, have had problems working with men, or working long hours etc. The Internet allows all of us to be free agents, choose your own work, do it whenever you want to.

6) What can you say about the general atmosphere of the IT industry?

In Pakistan? It's dreadful at some levels and fairly encouraging at others. On a positive note, a number of Government initiatives have started taking shape and things seem to be moving ahead. There has been an explosion of IT institutes and IT companies, which I suppose in a narrow sense is good. However, in the grand scheme of things, we are too intently focussed on "Technology". All the factors that shape a society and make it great, need to be factored in before the IT revolution will make a real impact on us as a nation.

7) Is Pakistan more conducive to working women than let's say it was five years ago?

Yes. However, one can only hope that fundamentalist groups don't undo everything we have achieved over the last few years. There is a genuine fear that Pakistan will be a Taliban-controlled state fairly soon. All of us have to fight this onslaught in every way possible.

8) Any other message you would like to give the young lady wannab-e's in the IT industry?

Develop a passion for whatever you do and don't be content with just sitting in a cubicle churning out code. Dream about how you can change the world and then go out there and do it. Seize the Day! 24/7!