I like how centralized everything here is,” he said, citing the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone (FIZ), which is also known as the “Silicon Valley of the East
Like any teenager growing up, Fahmi, was ambivalent about his future. Hailing from Johor, he moved to Selangor to complete his secondary school education and was soon wondering what was next. Then, one day his father sat him down and gave him a clearer picture of the opportunities that lay before him.
“My father told me not to just think about getting a job, but to think about my career in the future. He advised me to hone my existing skills, find a field and specialize in it,” said Fahmi.
He attributes his decision to undertake a degree in engineering to the talk with his father that day, and he is grateful for taking his advice. Immediately after graduating from the University of Sheffield, UK, Fahmi secured a job as a Product Engineer at Keysight Technologies (https://www.keysight.com).
“There have been many opportunities here for me to learn and improve myself here at Keysight. However, when the opportunity came up for me to make the leap from a Product Engineer to New Product Introduction (NPI) Engineer, I immediately recalled my father’s words, and accepted this challenge,” said Fahmi.
He admits that the learning curve has been steep, as each project that he undertakes differs vastly, but he thrives on the challenge. “It’s exhilarating preparing for each NPI project. In addition, the cross functional collaborations across the different departments help me develop both professionally and personally,” he said.
Today, Fahmi has over ten years of engineering experience under his belt and a fulfilling career with Keysight. “To me, both personal and professional growth is important and work shouldn’t be a juggling act – there needs to be balance. With the flexible work hours at Keysight and the support I receive from my team and managers, I am able to achieve this balanced growth.”
He has also made Penang his home, and is enjoying life here. On why he chose to work in Penang, Fahmi said one of the deciding factors was the ease of accessibility the island has to offer. “I like how centralized everything here is,” he said, citing the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone (FIZ), which is also known as the “Silicon Valley of the East”, as an example.