The Durban University of Technology (DUT) Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering student, Muzaffar Sayed (22) from Durban graduated Cum Laude and obtained a Deans Merit Award on Monday, 22 May 2023 at Olive Convention Centre ( OCC).

After completing his matric in 2019 at Phoenix Muslim School, he was sure that he wanted to study at DUT, most of his tertiary applications were at DUT. However, he was afraid of pursuing engineering at the beginning, after discovering how difficult it can be.

Eventually, engineering became his final decision after having a good conversation with his family and they encouraged him to enrol for the course. In 2020 he began his B.Eng Tech Degree in Civil Engineering, and praise to God, he excelled swiftly in all areas of his studies. It has been a very tough journey, but it taught him how to discipline himself and reach his full potential. He has become a person who is always eager to learn and adapt to new surroundings. The actual lifestyle on campus was exciting and very new to him, especially with such amazing facilities at DUT. The DUT community as well was very welcoming and helpful.

From his very first semester on campus, he decided that he would give his best effort and try to reach his full potential, especially since he was new to the world of engineering. It then became his lifestyle to manage his time efficiently, work smart and hard, and to establish consistency in his studies. Hence it was always his goal to achieve well in his studies.

He was aiming to graduate Cum Laude, but the Deans Merit came as a surprise and that showed him that discipline and hard work always pays off. All praises to God who guides him all the way. He is extremely grateful to all the staff of DUT that have made this achievement possible, as well as his family and friends.

“When I broke the news about my achievement, my family was extremely proud of me and grateful for the award. They were so happy that all the hard work paid off and that it also gets recognised by the institution that other students might be encouraged to excel as well, ” he said.

Since he has always been a logical thinker, good with problem solving and analytical skills, and he is very interested in science and engineering. Sayed believes that it is important to pursue a career path that interests you and gets you intrigued. For him, Civil Engineering was the perfect choice as he is fascinated by the engineering concepts, designs, and the construction processes as well. Especially since the work of Civil Engineering can be seen all around us in the world.

Speaking about the challenges that he encountered as a student Sayed said: “The main challenge with being a student is that you have a lot of freedom, this means that you have no motivation to push yourself, except if you discipline yourself. The best way to combat this in my experience is to be consistent with whatever you do. Many students feel overwhelmed during exam times because they haven’t been preparing from the beginning, therefore the consistency is a solution to relieve this problem and also allow students to balance their lifestyle.”

When asked about his future plans Sayed said:” I would like to further my studies but not now. For now, I want to gain some practical experience at the same time. I am very keen on beginning my professional career and earning my PR Tech Eng title. My ultimate professional goals are to be a practising qualified civil engineer at a successful company, to broaden my engineering knowledge of design and practice, and to improve the sustainability of the environment through engineering.”

Sayed gave some advice to students who want to embark on an Engineering journey.

“With regards to your academic studies, do not get overwhelmed and try to be consistent and take things one step at a time. Always feel free to ask questions and don’t be ashamed of not knowing or understanding something, this is the first step to growth. At the same time, in Civil Engineering experience is a very important aspect so I strongly advice that you try to get some sort of in-service work, or vacation work in your free time, this is definitely going to help kick-start your career. However, do not prioritise your studies and career over your family and relationships, learn to balance everything and have a little fun along the way, ” he said.

Pictured: Muzaffar Sayed.

Nomvelo Zulu