5 Minutes With... Asfiya Memon, Professional Year Student
25th May 2020
Highlights
- Asfiya Memon has recently completed her Professional year course from Performance Education.
- Mother to a baby boy, Asfiya has an enriching experience in areas such as DevOps, Software Development, Big Data, UX, UI, and both front-end and back-end web development.
- Read more to find out about her inspiration, experience of working in tech and making the best use of an ACS membership.
About Asfiya
Asfiya began her career with Accenture, gaining enriching experience in areas such as DevOps, Software Development, Big Data, UX, UI, and both front-end and back-end web development. She has broad expertise in working with global teams executing strategic projects and enjoy helping people grow and innovate new ideas.
Asfiya has spent the last 7 years learning everything there is to know about the ICT industry and learn emerging tools and technologies. She earned her Master's of Information Technology from Monash University and a Bachelor's of Computer Application from Bangalore University.
She recently completed her Professional year course from Performance Education while being pregnant and giving birth to an amazingly cute baby boy.
While working with technology is her primary job function by day, Asfiya also enjoys creating henna art and relax at the beach.
Asfiya opens up about her experience with us in our '5 minutes with' series.
1. What do you enjoy most about working in the tech industry?
Working with the technology industry, you get to involve yourself with research, discovery, development and innovation. The work of a technology professional can be incredibly vast. The variety and complexity of the technology systems can throw up new challenges from the business and the global teams - this brings the best out of you because it asks for so much.
2. What is the key piece of advice you would give someone interested in making the move to the ICT Industry?
Almost all aspects of modern life today is linked to technology. There are a variety of career options as the ICT industry is incredibly diverse. Several pathways are available and flexibility for you to move in any direction you are interested in. The tech job market is expanding and demands more skilled and logical thinkers. If you enjoy technology and specifically keeping up with the latest advances in the field of information technology, you might want to make a move to the ICT industry and turn your passion into a career. Although a technology career is sometimes demanding and stressful, they offer a high financial reward and you’ll be able to work according to your schedules and be more flexible.
3. Tech changes fast. How do you keep your skills up-to-date?
With busy schedules, it's not easy to make time for self-development and investing time for improving yourself. I attempt to reserve 15-30 minutes each day to learn something in any form, whether it's reading an article/blog, trying out a hands-on activity, or follow industry leaders on Twitter.It may seem simple, but doing this every day is one of the best ways to keep up to date on the most advanced trends and skills demanded in tech. Additionally, I learn the most when I do something practical. I keep engaging in running short code snippets and just play around with the technology trying new concepts.
4. Who is your tech mentor or a leader that inspires you and why?
Not one, but many, there are some great people from the tech industry that inspire me. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, they have made a huge shift in this industry with their innovative ideas. The most important thing I have learned from these leaders and they all have in common is that they believed in their idea and worked towards it. Every big thing started as a small project or idea. I also follow Jack Ma, Sudha Murthy, Kimberly Bryant, Sundar Pichai and many more for motivation. I always get influence from these leaders and possess a can-do attitude while working on a new project or concept.
"If you don’t give up, you still have a chance. Giving up is the greatest failure.” – Jack Ma
5. How has ACS membership supported your career journey in tech?
ACS membership has supported me in different ways in my career. Through the ACS events, I met a lot of people and made great connections with fellow IT professionals and introduce myself to them. I discussed jobs in the current Australian ICT market and all most all of them had the same thoughts and advise - to network and expand the professional circle that would open up new opportunities, and these events are a great way to expand your horizons.
The professional year and the PE online course has helped me immensely in my professional career planning. I am looking forward to developing my career with the learning from these courses and apply to my future work. I will always strive to improve my skills and knowledge to grow higher in the ICT industry. I would mention I had extreme support and encouragement from my Tutor Pia Varsamis. She helped me stay motivated throughout and gave excellent feedback to improve.
"5 Minutes With..." is a series of articles showcasing exceptional ACS Members and their amazing, innovative, and game changing stories. Representing over 45,000 tech professionals across Australia, our Members work across industry, government, research, and education organisations and each edition highlights the role they are playing in making Australia a world leader in technology talent, fostering innovation, and creating new forms of value.