From Managing at 16 in Iran to Tech Leadership in America – A Journey of Determination with Fahimeh Camero | Ep018

In this inspiring episode of Career Downloads, Manuel Martinez sits down with Fahimeh Camero, whose remarkable journey showcases the power of determination and continuous learning in building a successful technology career.

From managing her father’s engineering company in Iran at age 16 to implementing critical privacy compliance programs in America, Fahimeh shares her unique path into technology leadership. Her story demonstrates that with passion and persistence, no career obstacle is insurmountable.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How early exposure to engineering through her father’s company shaped her problem-solving mindset
• Strategies for navigating career transitions across cultures and countries
• The importance of taking initiative and making impact, regardless of your position
• How to build confidence in technical roles, especially as a woman in tech
• Tips for balancing career growth with single parenthood
• The value of continuous learning and going beyond job descriptions
• Why understanding technical details matters in leadership positions
• Insights on overcoming language barriers and cultural challenges in corporate America

Whether you’re considering a career change, facing professional challenges, or looking to advance in technology leadership, Fahimeh’s experience offers valuable lessons for technology professionals at all levels.

Guest Background:
Fahimeh Camero has worked across various technology roles, from desktop support to privacy compliance leadership. Her unique perspective combines technical expertise with business acumen, demonstrating how diverse experiences can create stronger technology leaders.

Connect with Fahimeh:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fahimeh-camero-b98844100/

#CareerDownloads #WomenInTech #TechCareers #CareerGrowth #TechnologyJobs #ProfessionalDevelopment

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Manuel: Welcome everybody, my name is Manuel Martinez and this is Career Downloads where each episode I basically hit the refresh button, bring on a different guest to learn more about their background, their experience and just the different ways that they manage their career with the goal to really help uncover any actionable advice that you can go through and apply as you’re managing your own career. And for today’s episode I have with me Fajime Kamero and we’ve worked together in the past. We’ve remained friends throughout the years and I think she has a very interesting background. She’s done a number of different things so with that I’ll go ahead and introduce her. Hello.

Fahimeh: Hi.

Manuel: I appreciate you coming on. I know it seems you know a little overwhelming at first just kind of sitting in.

Fahimeh: Thank you for having me.

Manuel: I’m glad you came. So what I’ve kind of been starting is if you can just kind of tell me about where you kind of grew up a little bit about your background and then eventually what got you interested into technology. You know was it early on as a little kid? Was it not until you were later on you know high school and beyond?

Fahimeh: Ah okay. I came from Iran, Tehran. I grew up with my dad was an engineer and he had a company when I was growing up. From when I was five six years old I go to his company and he had all this mechanical machine and you know I learned to work with some of them as a very young girl and it wasn’t very natural to do that in my country as a girl going to you know engineering company and work. Not working I was playing with it and my dad very he’s a very smart guy. He did a lot of different things for you know different company in Europe in Iran and he was very open to teach me. By I think I was 13 14 years old like you know I was very familiar with all that you know mechanical machine and how that work. He was wanting I be an engineer and then I was going to be a doctor but none of them work because I didn’t want to. I went and he was teaching that time in University of AutoCAD and I took one of his class you know and I got to AutoCAD in that you know 16 17 I got like most of my associate degree from AutoCAD that time and then he didn’t want I be a doctor because of the environment in my country. It wasn’t very good reputation for hospital, worker and what happening. That’s why I decided to go accounting like out of not his vision not my reach how about accounting. I did I got my accounting degree over there by that time I was managing his company like between 16 years old to 19 20 I was managing his company doing all their his finance accounting. He had like around 20 30 engineer under him I was trying to boss them around. It was you know it was great for me it was a great experience and I did a lot of traveling with him to different country and you know working around all the engineer made me to be always like problem solver. I always want to build something like by 19 years old I got married 20 years old I got my daughter born I was so young it just not I don’t do it again if I do but I’m so blessed I have her but I moved to USA. I was 20 by 21 years old I was in USA I bring her I came with my ex-husband to make her life better because I was we didn’t have that you know that availability in Iran to go to any university you want to go you decide like you have a high GPA you can go to and you have to take the you know the whole country take a test and you could go to some of the university. That’s why I was going to give her that chance.

Manuel: So and I don’t mean I don’t mean to cut you off there so in that that test the way that that works is it based on your placement on your scores they determine what what field you should go?

Fahimeh: Yeah it’s the whole country one day taking it.

Manuel: Okay

Fahimeh: Like it’s the country wide test and some of the good university you have to have to just have that highest score to get in and then I came here it was I came from like very easy you know privileged life over there I had everything I was managing I thought whole world gonna be like this but when I came here it was the culture shock my daughter was so young I didn’t have anybody here to I came to California anyway I started like learning like not learning I start to understand the culture more than anything I knew English I could talk English with people but it wasn’t the problem it was the culture shock. In one point in my life I go through so many things I did I had cosmetology license from my country and when I came to California I’m like okay I don’t know anything I I should go work in hair salon and you know the person was very nice and accept my license from my country and I start working over there and then I’m like okay this is not something I want to do I need to go you know I I shouldn’t say it but I work in Burger King for one day and then I’m like wow no I cannot do this like it was always like I try to different thing to understand what I want to do because when I came here with but my background like nothing nobody give you anything here to say oh because you go you have your accounting degree you can come work for my company that never happened you have to start from you know a scratch and I did that

Manuel: Right and and that’s something that I thought you know having that that accounting degree and having the experience already you know it sounds like you managing your dad’s company for about three or four years right I mean more or less so it’s not like you’re just coming straight out of college I mean you have a degree you have experience I understand that you’re probably not going to be like a CFO but they weren’t even giving you the opportunity to start?

Fahimeh: No because you don’t know the process when you come to this country nothing makes sense you don’t know the process you don’t know how you don’t have any resume you don’t have any credit you don’t you know you have to start like figuring out what how should I start because unfortunately when you come with degree from my country here they don’t because USA and my country doesn’t have that connection you cannot transfer all your degree here until you know I don’t know it was hard it was very hard because I had her she was like one year old no family I put her in daycare and I started you know searching around what I can do by that time I decided to move from California because it was too boring for me it was I don’t know it didn’t have nothing to excite me I’m like I need to be somewhere exciting like and then came to Vegas I checked and by that time again no experience I didn’t know Vegas is you know what’s the environment for Vegas I just see the lights and everything opened 24 hours and I’m like great I’m moving to Vegas and by that time I got divorced and you know longer story for that but I was raising my daughter I came to Vegas I I decided okay what I can do in Vegas I’m like okay I can go get my cosmetology license for here why not I go to a school I start going to a school I got that after one year I work for that I didn’t like it because I had Keanna I couldn’t you know adjust this working hours with her you know she didn’t have anybody to watch after her anyway and then what I did I go work for JW Marriott I apply for there and I work for the banquet like the room service and very quickly I move up like from like starting as a I came as a manager of banquet like the room service and again that didn’t you know give me that you know satisfaction I want to do this in my whole life no way and then I go work for the insurance company and I got my insurance license casualty life I got that couple year I met a lot of good people during you know that time one of them is still my friend from that insurance company and then I again it wasn’t something technical it wasn’t problem solving it wasn’t something like make me excited to do and I decided to go back to school I go to UNLV and I pick mathematics for my degree and everybody thought I’m crazy it was like 50 student for that major and all guys and everybody said why you do that I’m like it’s better than writing paper I can do math why not and I finish before I go to UNLV I start from CSN that’s why I think the time we met by that time I start CSN going taking some classes and I came to IT department got the intern job for CSN IT department and then I moved to UNLV but still I was with CSN you know working as part-time job I finished my degree

Manuel: And around that time where you were at CSN is that was that kind of your first because I remember you were more of a you know like the desktop support so was that kind of the first time that you got introduced to technology was that?

Fahimeh: No.

Manuel: Kind of as a career so I know they had

Fahimeh: A career yes okay because I was looking for part -time job and I was going to be the time I’m in a school I could do the work and you know I’m like I start from lab assistant in CSN first I was a lab assistant and then I sit in lab and doing my homework and you know helping other students and then I came to IT department because they had you know I we had one lady over there I think her name was Christine and she told me do you want to come work for IT department and that’s the start of career as IT I got to IT that was it.

Manuel: that was it but before that obviously you know doing finance I mean you had been introduced to technology but that was the first time that you kind of like hey this is an IT career in technology.

Fahimeh: doing that you know ghost image like all the lab doing all you know fun stuff like that and you know it for me was easy because like I had a background I want something like you know be challenging what I can do and that was one of the things like with IT especially with help desk when you started it’s like problem solving for people how can I do the oh you have to do you know it’s like it was I like it because I could talk to people a lot of good people was in CSN in that department I enjoy it working I finish my school and I think I miss one part no yeah hold on because by the time correct I was in CSN and I finished between finishing my UNLV I go work for Cultural Tourism and Cultural Affairs for the state I got that job and I was the only IT person handling Southern Nevada

Manuel: and for that job so you obviously have experience you’re going through going to school you have your experience you know as a lab assistant and now as desktop support so how you know by this time

Fahimeh: because I teach myself a lot of it wasn’t like I’m coming to a school to CSN and do you know intern for a help desk it was like I was always like teaching myself like I teach myself a lot of thing about Windows AD what is that what is Active Directory what is this like I train myself so much by in my own time like when my daughter was sleeping I was going through like I never could like the thing with me I cannot never just sit down I’m like okay this is my career and I’m I learn everything about it and done like I never can do that and that’s why I teach myself a lot when I got the job in Cultural and Tourism Affairs

Manuel: so before before you go into like that job so I’m very curious especially because you were when you first came you’re dealing with the culture shock not understanding resumes not doing a lot of this so between I’m assuming as a lab assistant you know you don’t really have to put that much you probably still have to do a resume and things like that so these are these skills and processes that you’re learning at CSN while you’re going through that are you learning on your own because

Fahimeh: I was learning because in a school honestly I always encourage young kids go to a school get your degree but in a school they don’t teach you anything it’s just like a book you learn the book you take a test no I start like you know because I went through a lot of hard times between that time I came to USA and I go to CSN it was very like I went through a lot like I’ve seen it how people like interacting with you oh you are from another country they couldn’t even tell my name of my country and you know it was like I learned it like I learned it because I was working in insurance company too like when I got that job I see all these account managers like they are managing the account and when I got my certification for that and I’m like okay I need to step up I need to be a account manager and I need to have like 100 account and I make more money and all that

Manuel: and then you’re in that resume building so that started kind of when at the life insurance

Fahimeh: life insurance yeah because I didn’t put like yeah from life insurance from that insurance company I really push myself because a lot of women working in that insurance company and they were very great like so great and they were so supportive and I like I was watching them how they’re doing it you know what should I do next and I asked them like what should I do next to be a account manager and they say oh you should get you’re certified in insurance and go get that and I’m like okay what’s next what’s next and that was I’m building that resume I go online and I see how people write resume my resume was so bad like two lines because I didn’t have any experience here but by that time I figured out insurance is not something for me not nothing for me it was like just not I didn’t have a good boss unfortunately and because of who I was and where I came from he was very aggressive about that and got to the point everybody in company say like this is not right like he shouldn’t like and that was one of the most reason push me to you know I need to prove it to somebody like him like he cannot do that to me or he cannot use my background of where I came from or what language I’m talking to my you know put me down I was very proud who I am and I was always proud person and put my head up like you know it was like I don’t know I didn’t like it he looked down at me and that was the reason and that time I didn’t understand it but that was the reason push me to show more and that’s why when I got to say decide go to a school and start with CSN and yeah that got me to that and CSN I was very active like I was like in all the panel like going talk like that time my English my English was good enough but it wasn’t like I like nobody like everybody say how you can go like public is speak in front of all this group and the student but I never you know I never let it push me back I’m like why not I talk perfect like they can understand that they should understand that and that helped me a lot to you know for public speaking and do this and getting to IT and talking to more people especially technical people it was great because I was learning that language when I go to Cultural Tourism and Affair the guy when he hired me he said just letting you know you are the only person in Southern Nevada for all this museum like one of them outside I don’t know I forgot but it was three four location I was the only person to do the IT and I was working in the basement of this Valley View museum what is that I was in that basement the Spring I forgot

Manuel: Springs Preserve

Fahimeh: yeah and he said that’s only you you are you sure you can handle it I’m like sure why not and he trusts me and I started doing it and it was funny doing the backup tape and he was always saying like you have to have one week backup at your car or at your home you take it with you because if something goes down you have to like every day changing that backup and go to different location fixing the computer like imaging it was it was interesting but it was so boring like I learned like I was there for one year I learned so many things because only was me I had to Google it I have to like figure out how I do it like go do image disk computer in that location like out of the city you have to go over there and two old people working over there they don’t have any idea how computer work and I have to go fix it for them or fix the printer or fix the fax machine it was like it was great and couple of time I went to Carson City and did they have chamber for I don’t know senator or and I was the person handling the IT and setting it up in that um

Manuel: like a conference room

Fahimeh: yeah it’s the what is the Reno in Reno not Reno yeah in Reno Carson City Carson

Manuel: so Carson city is the capital and then Reno is the bigger city outside of it

Fahimeh: all the government stuff is in Carson City

Manuel: Yes

Fahimeh: and I had to go like it’s the building I think has a clock on it that’s the

Manuel: the capital building

Fahimeh: yeah capital building and they had a meeting all these government people and I was a person doing the IT instead of all the you know microphone and all the you know it was something very new for me I’m like oh I’m working with this it was cool it was good and then I got bored I got bored so much because I learned everything I’m like nothing else to learn here like what can I do

Manuel: so then it sounds like at that point it’s you’re you’re running out of things to learn so I mean I can I can hear it and I can see it that you know you run out of challenges but what what um what is it that really helped you develop that confidence because as you’re going through hey I know one thing is you know you have somebody to support right so it’s not just you you have a daughter you’re trying to get better but what what is it that gave you that confidence because even just in hearing you you know you weren’t you didn’t seem self-conscious about you know your accent and speaking English was it early on was it working with your dad and understanding that

Fahimeh: that was a very big part like my dad was a very big part of hope because if I stay in my country probably I never had that need to use it because he was there everybody knows him and everywhere I go I get the respect like everything was ready for me over there it was just too easy and that’s why I move and I’m like I want and I remember when I move I told my dad I don’t want to somebody call me you like everybody say oh you are Mr. Askari or you are I’m like I want to be Fahimeh myself not attached to your name I want to make something for myself that was when I left

Manuel: and he was obviously very supportive of this and

Fahimeh: he was very supportive but he was very scared like don’t do it like no stay here you can handle like get the company everything you need is here I’m like no I need to go you know experience something else and because of my daughter I wanted she has a better life because of the government over there all that kind and then I don’t know what I it’s not the confidence and I never say how can I say a lot of time happened from the first when I go to a school when I was taking all that math classes nobody like only I was the woman in that class and it was scary it wasn’t like when I remember some of the math class I said and I’m like I it was 400 level and I’m like I guess I’m gonna fail like this is not like first day when it started but the time I graduate I remember three of my professors they came to graduation just because of me and they say what you did in this class what you did we are so proud because I was the only woman it was I worked so hard for it didn’t matter I didn’t need to have it 4.0 GPA because I didn’t have anybody to report it was just to get the degree and get out but I everything I pick I want to be perfect at it it doesn’t matter who seen it who doesn’t see it and that was like my professor when they show up and I’m walking in the isle they say what you did like it was amazing that’s why I’m here to support you and show you and it was that confidence these people gave me like it was the feedback I was getting at these people like Cultural Tourism Affairs I was right over the day I put my notice and told the guy I’m leaving he said what you did it was amazing you change a lot of like a small thing nobody cared to change especially in a state job you did it and it was like you know I put my head up I’m gonna go to another job like I think because by that time I got I was when I quit Cultural Tourism Affairs I was teaching math in College of Southern Nevada as part time and I came I went to my next career that was Allegiant Air and I get the you know good people interview me and and I think they give me the chance of they see the potential they see like again I’m going back to English like when I get nervous when I’m in so much stress sometimes like you know I’m like am I talking right is my grammar right because I’m picking at everything I’m saying it in my head and I messed it up more like if I let it just go but I I thought I did a good job like they asked me about all the computer imaging I did I got the job and I was shocked I’m like oh my god I got the job and I had another friend work over there she was the reason she said you know leave from a state because you get bored and come to Allegiant

Manuel: and as you’re going through right because you mentioned that they saw the potential and I’m sure a lot of this has to do with just seeing your resume right because on your resume at this point are you still keeping at least the first couple jobs like

Fahimeh: yeah I had a lot of this in my resume but by getting my degree here and I you know that was one of the things it it impressed people not that much people especially in this country have a math degree

Manuel: right

Fahimeh: you know not that much people happy to work on math and you know have a logic and I think that my logic and what I learned from my father and you know I applied during my work it helped me to get to the point and I always tell people like give other person the chance don’t judge the book by the cover might I go to the interview and mess up one question but that’s because of the intention of like that much pressure you put on one person and you’re asking some of these interview questions so you know ridiculously not useful at least give that person chance and those people in that room they saw it on me because I had a very good you know background at CSN and Cultural Tourism Affairs for IT and understanding and then I got the job and you know

Manuel: and then also seeing the mathematics degree because thinking about it right I mean it’s it’s not IT but you you touched on it right

Fahimeh: yeah

Manuel: problem solving and being able to figure things out I mean that’s math right if you get a problem you have to figure it out and going and doing that level of math I mean that’s that’s what computers are right like at the at the base it’s it’s a lot of math there’s a lot of numbers sure there’s software there’s things on top of that but really it’s more of the problem solving so it kind of helped you stand out a little bit

Fahimeh: you know doing math it’s and I want to tell this to everybody and I always believe it and I say that and I’m sure you hear it from me when you do that kind of problem in math and you know go through it and prove it what they proved like thousand years ago or it just give you that that view of nothing impossible and I always say it if somebody asked me do you can can you do this job I’m like it’s not sending shuttle to a space anybody any human being with average IQ can learn anything and do anything like and I said it to them like might I didn’t know some part of Windows you know administration but it’s not something I’m not going to learn give me two days give me the subject and say oh we want to figure the and I will give you example how I did it and I had a lot of good example in my you know past career or job I had I did it like it’s coming like math make you the logic it’s not only math not everybody likes math and they don’t need to do the problem to be the problem solver or have that logic in your mind you know math help you to mathematics is something like I don’t know give you that confidence I’m one level higher than you know normal people nobody want to do it and every time I teach in math class I’m like everybody say we hate it I’m like how come we don’t make it fun and I always made it fun for my students like you know let’s you know play with it it’s nothing like if you cannot do it it’s like it’s not magic you can work on it you can practice anything get good with practice anything get good with you know you can learn anything anything if you want it for example like you know Matt my partner like I was doing some program like I C++ I did it in a school when I was and then he said you never built a computer by yourself you know use the python language and you know come from scratch like now I’m like no I never did that he said how about you do it like he give me a couple points say you know you need to do this do that I remember like it was like seven years ago I go build that I and I had one you know not good laptop and I you know I from scratch I put the image on it I write it I write the program with python language I you know that if he didn’t tell me about it I didn’t know I’m like yes for sure I can to just prove it I can do it give me that you know

Manuel: like setting a goal for yourself to say hey I’m gonna achieve

Fahimeh: anything anything you want to achieve you can achieve and I know during the time people coming and trying to put you down trying to you know especially with woman woman in IT because IT is the male dominate most IT guys they think they know more than anybody and they are smarter than everybody else and no problem with it they are smart I don’t say they are not but it’s not like woman cannot do it and I always prove it to people it doesn’t I’m a woman but my mind can be exactly work like a male function like brain like it’s not like because men they think they are better in IT or men they cannot be better CIO or CISO no it’s I don’t believe that not even for a second because this is the culture here and over time in past like I say 15 20 years got better like woman got more you know they recognize more woman we have a lot of woman in IT right now you know CISO CIO you know it’s it’s the great thing to see when you see like woman standing up for themselves to prove it it’s not male domain IT can be woman domain too you know

Manuel: one of the other things that I’ve seen and just talking to you and talking to other people like not even just on this podcast but outside of it is one thing is you said anybody can do anything right like there’s if you put your mind to it as soon as you start there’s that it’s a psychological thing right as soon as you start saying I can’t I can’t what happens you can’t do it right but if you’re like hey I can or I’m going to try or I can’t do it yet like even just that the simple words but also encouraging others right so did you ever have anything with that because I’ve I’ve noticed in my own career and other people and other women other men a lot of times it’s not only that we can’t do it but we’re we don’t

Fahimeh: know we don’t know and we are lazy about it

Manuel: right well like you mentioned with Matt he he went through and told you hey have you ever have you ever done this can you try it well no but again it’s that encouragement to go through sure it was it wasn’t for work but it’s on your own you’re like oh this is a skill that now I’ve picked up it’s something I can add to you know my my little toolbox whatever it is but I think and what I’ve seen or heard from just your story is each thing that you’re doing just helps you know build that confidence so it wasn’t there sure I’m not saying that we’re never scared because I mean

Fahimeh: no I scared all time

Manuel: we’re scared all the time but you know that over time you’re gonna get

Fahimeh: yeah I know my capability and I that’s why I say sometimes we say oh I don’t know I cannot do it because we’re lazy you know we don’t want to do it because we don’t feel like we need to do it it’s like my personality is like that I I like to learn like every day something I every time I go to bed and I’m like okay let me review what I learned today it can be very a small thing it can be and who I help in my life to get to that point like a lot of like one of the example my daughter like she’s like right now she’s 23 years old and she’s going to Cooper Union you know one of the best school in this country and she was like I always teach her anything you want to do you can do it’s like always like she’s a mom are you sure you we can do this because she grew up only with me and me and her was like I was a father and mother at the same time and then I have to discipline her but I have to teach her oh you can do it you good at it if you put your focus on it I help her too and I think by the time right now she’s so independent she’s so like you know and I I see it I’m like I’m so proud at least one person I know it in front of my eyes I made some changes to somebody else’s life or even with my coworker you work with me like I I usually take and I’m gonna point this out because people usually look at job as a job it’s my job I get the paycheck you know for me job is not only job for me job coming is my life it’s like I get so involved with it I take it so seriously it’s not for me I work eight to five like I see a lot of people they say we have um and somebody told me lately look I told you you should have a um life work balance they start from eight or whatever finished by five done turn off the everything I never did it I never could do it like I get so involved with what I do it’s like becoming my life

Manuel: you’re so passionate

Fahimeh: I’m so passionate about it and I care a lot and I care about whoever I work with if you need something I’m here let me pick it up let me do it let me help you with it it’s just like that passion and I think that’s that’s the thing some people can see it like in me like I nothing for me it’s like but sometimes like I did some interview like couple days ago and I told them my work is so important for me and I don’t have a set time like I work 24 hours and I’m not lying I like when I was in my job that could text me 2 a.m. can you do this or we need this and I was up and doing it with you know no complaint but I told them that and they say no like they want you have eight to four job eight to five job like

Manuel: and does that does that amount of time you know we hear a lot about burnout and people burning out or just getting overwhelmed but it sounds like that’s not a thing for you because you’re just so so invested in it but in a way that because of the curiosity and continuing to learn and wanting to help people but at some point you know like you said for you it’s not a job it’s it’s almost like a lifestyle right

Fahimeh: yeah

Manuel: it’s a lifestyle this is what I want to do I want to improve not only myself but I want to help others is that has it ever gotten to the point where it’s too much for you or is it just that burnout you don’t feel it because you enjoy it so much

Fahimeh: yeah it’s not too much for me it got to the point in some point in my life I felt like I am not appreciated enough and that was the point like I I really fight for everything I think is right you know and I did it at my work every time like you tell me what to do I’m doing it you promise me you do this I’m doing this I’m doing my part you didn’t do your part it it wasn’t too much it was got to the point sometimes I’m like why I’m doing it if they don’t appreciate it why they lying to me like it’s it becomes so personal for me if like you tell me Fahimeh go do this and I go do it and I’m like okay and you promise me if you do this you’re gonna get this correct I go do it quickly if I have like say three weeks for example like they told me privacy privacy laws came to I’m jumping around but privacy laws came to effect like when was it it was it’s supposed to come to effect June 2020 and by that time like nobody that much pay attention to privacy we had something like you know if you have European customer or EU you have to have GDPR but it wasn’t like big deal in USA not for domestic company you know they didn’t care 2019 it came out privacy laws gonna come to effect and if you don’t comply with it you get 7500 for each customer like they can attorney general come after you okay what we’re gonna do nobody knew about privacy I’m like and that by that time we had like I remember we bring like three four contractor they were under me when they came I you know I was managing them and COVID happened like end of 2019 like by say December November I wore wearing mask go to office they say why are you doing that like by end of November all of them like they say we cannot travel anymore done we cannot because they were helping us to understand what we have what product we have what when there we have where is all the data four people say bye bye we’re not gonna come back because COVID happened it has to like we cannot travel okay and then what we should do it’s me I’m like okay and we had very short resource because by March 2020 like a lot of layoff happened people take leave of absense and all and I’m like okay I’m gonna do it and I like I remember I work 24 hours between December to May 2020 I was like because you have to understand the law you have to come kind of like a mini lawyer to understand reading all this regulation and what is it and and that time it was California Consumer Act like CCPA nobody like we didn’t know what is like where is our PII data what I did like I swear to God in and we were all working remotely I I take initiative of it and I’m like I’m gonna do it but but I was doing it a lot of understanding reading the law getting to you know understand the language of that privacy law because it’s different language it’s the all contract like you know regulation it’s very hard to put like if I right now I give it to you after one paragraph you gonna say what they’re talking about do you know what I’m saying it’s like I put it my own time and I you know educate myself I’m like and I had it my boss was you know side by side with me and he helped but I put the program together talked to all the stake holders and get all the data it was such a big thing but when I like we started like anybody else say like I don’t think we can do it like it’s impossible in three four months we can comply with all this loss it’s impossible I it’s like I look at the

Manuel: they said the magic word to get you going

Fahimeh: I’m like I’m gonna do it I’m gonna put it together and I have so many like witness for what I did because we had one project manager on it too like it it was like amazing that time was so scary but when I put my head on it and I will make people work go ask anybody like I go if I need something I will ask them to do and I say it very nice you know I’m very nice person but and then I get to the force but I put a smile on and I force them and then I text them I message them in team I go email them I go by their desk I go like you get to the point I might annoy people but has to be done do you have like I never give up on it and that was a very current like thing happened and it was so important to do it and everybody thought we cannot be comply by May 2022 I was 2020 I was done with it because that was going to affect by June 20 I like by the time like by end of May I’m like we comply done I bring the tools I put it like it was it was exciting and that time maybe I work I don’t know 13 14 hours and then sleep two hours and then read about the privacy laws another six hours it was very hard but it was exciting that’s why I say I take the work is my life because if I was looking at this as a job I’m like okay it’s eight o’clock I start five o’clock I should be done bye bye it’s like a you care like the care of what you care about the company or what you want to make change or put that effect like impact on the company like no matter how long pass I was the person doing that job and never going to go it can get better somebody can make it better or it can get worse but what I did impact in couple months I am so like that take all my tiredness away because I’m so proud of it

Manuel: because it’s energizing to you so it’s you mentioned it right you’re you’re not seeing it as a job you’re seeing it as something that it’s you’re it’s not work to you I mean you’re working you’re doing work to figure it out to put all this together but as you’re finding things out as you’re doing new things like it’s almost like it’s it’s adrenaline to you like oh I want to do more I want to get this I want to complete this task and

Fahimeh: it just like a

Manuel: each little thing that you’re doing is just helping you get there more and more and you mentioned being able to also go through and you know you’re okay telling people what to do what’s expected I’m guessing that’s from when you managed back in your very first job and that skill is that something just being around your dad and watching him do that

Fahimeh: you have to teach yourself like for example I want to tell you this and this is like not only one person bring it up to me I do not have like for example you be a CEO of the company correct like people trying to very people they scared come to talk to you

Manuel: based on title

Fahimeh: based on title I don’t have that I don’t have that fear like I go straight like if I want I don’t know what is it I think it’s that you teaching yourself or you enabling yourself to give that much power and that much capability and that much respect to yourself no matter who is around you with what title or what they do you are as important they are your point must be as important they are like you cannot go for I never had like for Allegiant I came there very good like going directly to CEO text him talk to him bring my you know what is my concern right now because he I think it’s like a something if you don’t push yourself to do it you don’t never do it you have to understand and you know give yourself that credit and that you know power or that respect if you have something if you want to change something for some company or for your life or somebody it doesn’t matter you are capable of doing it and nothing can stop you and that what that is like one of my strong thing like everybody say how you do that like why not like I don’t know because I think the way I grew up with my dad and I always was around very important people coming and going and I never had like I never learned it’s you shouldn’t talk to them because might this person be somebody somebody somebody with that title like I don’t have problem go talk to them like

Manuel: yeah they’re just

Fahimeh: and they are very responsive to it like they are very like I remember I don’t know I I remember like couple long time ago say six seven years ago I was doing IT correct like not IT but like Compliance whatever like you call it working with IT department and it was them they coming like after three years or two years they come change your laptop they say refresh we’re refreshing your laptop and then I go to CFO of the company I’m like I need a refresher laptop he said why it’s working I’m like I know look this is my question your laptop working why we need to refresh your laptop and that conversation I had with him God like he really paid and he said that’s your the great point and got to the point I stopped that project for everybody a lot of people didn’t like it because and I said it to them don’t bring my name up please I don’t know what happened but this is losing we are losing money and it’s not a small amount if you laptop work why you need a refresher because the warranty company put it and that’s like kind of like BS know what like you know warranty is for something like you’re going to go exchange it or something broke yeah use the warranty but you’re doing this for everybody like say company has like three thousand people you’re refreshing each person computer after two years and got to the bigger meeting they bring my name out it came up and then they saw I saved the company like the CFO or CEO by that CFO came to me and said you save two and a half million for the company and I’m proud of it it’s something I put it in my resume and you know it was like it wasn’t because I was so happy I could make some good change to save company money

Manuel: right and you weren’t concerned I mean originally you were concerned you’re like hey don’t say my name but then even if they did

Fahimeh: first I said it I didn’t concern until I came and I you know I told people I said and they say are you sure you and I got like worried like am I going to lose my job because I bring this and I go tell them like I’m like can you please like keep my name there and somebody in that meeting with C suite and everybody text me and say your name came up because you said like here I risk it it’s like a risk my point is

Manuel: but it’s the risk versus the reward right like it’s a risk but in the bigger scheme of things people going through and saying oh what’s you I didn’t get a new laptop because of you that’s a small risk versus the bigger reward of now at the C-levels your name is coming up and you had a larger impact you saved two and a half million dollars you know you you almost I don’t want to see change the culture but you change the mindset of this is what we’re doing

Fahimeh: that that was my goal like I if I and I always say it if I can make small changes if I can make some impact in somebody life not only in corporation or company is or is somebody if every day I can have that impact to somebody life or you know do something that’s why like when I got layoff I was so shocked like for so many other reasons but the moment they call me and they told me I couldn’t talk anymore and I tell you why and what is my reason you know working very hard and caring about people or the company I did it was like shock and that is my fault too look and I want to say this and I hope whoever sees this take it to the heart and do it I was in my company for eight years nine years and my partner always telling me like him especially in past like six years because I’m improving so much I’m getting so many certification I’m making so many changes I’m managing I’m doing this and I didn’t get that what I got promised like you know and then he was saying like you know go apply not just apply to have one interview once a month as a you know as a practice

Manuel: as a practice and then also I’ve had another guest

Fahimeh: you yourself up to date what

Manuel: what’s going on in the market how all that’s working around and understand what your value is

Fahimeh: but and then I’m like no I was so loyal to the company and to my job and to my boss I’m like never like here is everything I want I just waiting they give me the title or they give me the money or like they will and I hundred percent trust that prom and I knew it back of my head I knew it I shouldn’t trust because if one time they promise you they don’t do it you know shame on them second time shame on me third time fourth time fifth time and he said how come you still have hope I’m like but one day gonna happen one day my hard work gonna pay off I have that and when they call me and say I’m like what do you want to say because I don’t like I couldn’t talk and I love this person call me like she was very nice and always I had a great relationship I’m like I need to hang up right now because and I was shocked like that was the biggest shock ever in my entire life I got because I never got layoff I never got fired I always changed the job you know before I had another like I always like line it up it was like for whole week I couldn’t like still after this two months I can not understand it I can not put it together and I cannot accept that like a lot of time in morning I wake up and I’m like okay I need to put it like why they did why me like why like because you know they use those words like your position eliminated but if you have other same position and didn’t like the logic doesn’t work for me like the logic doesn’t make sense to me and I’m it’s still looking for answer

Manuel: right and it’s just that mindset of trying to figure out the problem you’re saying if the logic is not there it’s you’re having a hard time

Fahimeh: but it’s corporate America it’s don’t have any logic

Manuel: and then also so as part of that too so are you also taking that time you know you mentioned all of these things that you’ve done over the past and a lot of accomplishments and this isn’t something I do I’ve started doing I’m kind of working on on doing this but are you putting all those accomplishments all of those different stories are you putting those together now to kind of really be able to go through and show the impact that you’ve had

Fahimeh: yeah I’m getting better at it because you know I I when I was in my previous job I love my boss he knew my capability he he helped me a lot to get you know to where I am like I I you know it was me doing it but he was putting giving me that chance to do it and I am very grateful for that and I’m trying to because before when I started like first day when I got laid off I think I applied for that day it was 10 a.m. by 5 p.m. I think I applied for with not having like I could I took the LinkedIn resume I was that messed up I took the PDF of LinkedIn resume and I’m I think I applied for maybe 20 job first day without thinking the LinkedIn resume is not a good resume to go because nine years I wasn’t in market I was just shocked and freaked out and you know it was and right now when I look at it when I look back I think it’s great experience for me and I think anything happened for some reason I always believe that we put it to or like we create that you know environment but that’s reason why I didn’t like it and my partner say this is the best thing could happen to you because you right now you’re gonna put your focus like you understand how much value you have you’re gonna see what you did and what you accomplished and you know it’s gonna go somewhere you can make another place better you can like and by that time like first week I couldn’t understand like you know what I’m waiting like I go back like I see it and I want to go like because I love the people I work with

Manuel: right you enjoy that environment you enjoy the people but it is it’s one of those things that is very it’s a shell shock right and it throughout my career I’ve only had one time where I quit a job without having another job and I know exactly what you felt right like it’s that next day that angst of there’s nothing right oh my god it feels like it’s the worst thing that could have ever happened at that time and again you’re just you’re shooting things out all at once all it’s almost like the what are they called like the shotgun approach right it shoots a shotgun you’re not targeting like this is what I want to get you’re just like spray and pray right like just have it but it is one of the best things that normally happens it takes a little while to see that but after that point you start to reevaluate okay what are the skills I have what is it I really want to accomplish it takes time but then after that I noticed that and similar to you right we’ve had you know our career where it’s you know it goes up it goes down you’re constantly doing that but after that point going through that process and knowing that you come out on the other end because I have no doubt just based on everything you’ve accomplished and everything that you’ve done that you’ll get there but I feel like after that what feels like the lowest point I feel like the my career really took off from that point right it made me reevaluate what I want to do I know I know so I just I knowing you and knowing other people that I’ve talked to that have been in similar situations whether it’s a layoff where it’s that if if they have the mindset of I’m going to go through and knowing your worth ethic knowing exactly the type of person that you are it doesn’t always happen as soon as you know as quickly as we would like but when it does happen just knowing you I have no doubt in my mind that it’s just going to you’re gonna find it and if you thought that that past one was a great environment you learned a lot I already know that in the next place it’s going to be even

Fahimeh: better and just you know and I’m learning I first to answer your the other question yes I’m learning to how to because when you are so much in wanting and you never pay attention like I’m right now learning how to bring out what I did like couple first interview I did I swear to God I like to the point I didn’t remember like what I like what I did for this when they like it just so tension and so nerve-wracking to you know go through this interview and usually they are recruiter they don’t have any idea about the job they just they get the question you know and they ask you and it just like nerve-wracking but I’m getting much better at it over time like I go over my resume I make it look better like I go put it you know make it like they can read it better all my and having that confidence and understanding because it’s very scary for when like I and for woman especially I want to say three things for woman it’s hard second language if you have accent it’s another story because what I learned and it’s so funny for me I always laugh about it people they hear you with accent they think you’re not that intelligent like the accent coming in it’s like like and that’s the culture a lot here like because as much as we have so many diversity in this country but the accent can be very like sometimes it can be a very good door like to open that door because some people seen it as it is and don’t put it as judgment like they don’t judge you for it you know being the second language being woman and being in not not being in the market for so long and not being good at interview like I need to always like warm up to people like if I warm up I get comfortable I know but when I like in the call like when they’re coming and they ask some of the question is like where that came from like it just make me nervous like

Manuel: your personality doesn’t have the chance to come through when it

Fahimeh: No doesn’t and it doesn’t in one sentence I cannot explain what I did like you can read my resume like you can see I have all these certifications but it’s like okay tell me what day you got it I don’t remember what like you know it’s like some question like it can throw you off very quickly but I’m getting much better like I’m working on myself and like I can do it and over time you’re going through all this you know application and seeing and you figure out God I have a lot of you know I work a lot because what you see and I’m sure that work for a lot of people because when you are in this age you know mid-age and you have all this experience you did something right now you hear and you coming out you know it’s like I’m sure it’s nerve wracking for everybody it’s hard it’s very hard especially right now and I read a lot in LinkedIn about that people saying it’s very odd market it’s very hard to you know find the right thing because right now everything kind of hold on for you know so many different things but and then end of the year just like my suggestion to everybody don’t give up like it’s like I was the person most freak out like I got to the point I’m like I probably I should die right now because I lost my job and because I had always I have to do something but right now every day as before like I usually work very early I wake up go to my gym come back six o’clock I’m by my desk by my computer and doing something like I’m learning network like you know I wasn’t very focused on networking I’m sorry but like I understand the networking but not deep deep in it right now my partner helping me like putting network class for me to understand like my plan because this is my goal I want to be CISO one day or you know CEO like something something big and the title not that important but it is in this you know country in this society and by the time I want to be CISO I want to be good in every aspect in IT you can find especially in security networking firewalls like and that is my plan if I learn everything in not only to understand it like we all like I understand networking I understand firewall how computer work but I want to go deeply to it to the point I can set it up I can you know create it to be one day if I come CISO I can be the CISO have the technical knowledge and business minded and you know a lot of time we see a lot of you know CISO especially in IT these people like you know C level they don’t have any idea how the system work like if you become CIO of the you know what the company do you can you go do the job

Manuel: right a lot of times they don’t but sometimes it’s that’s why you hire the people that you hire

Fahimeh: but I believe that if you do like you know when you manage the team and I believe that and I did it for my like right now here I learned every like we have a team but I learned every aspect of it and then I can go if somebody cannot show up or somebody’s sick or you know the group one day none of them come to work what you do you have to be like at least understanding it at least knowing what button should I push you know I believe that like might I’m wrong might but I think to become somebody like managing like 100 IT you know personnel you should at least know the basic you know what they’re doing

Manuel: I see what you’re saying now so you want to make sure that you understand so that when you’re making those business decisions you know the effect of what this changes instead of relying on

Fahimeh: other people you know it’s good you hire people you they’re gonna do the job great but if you don’t know what is the job what that tool does or what that it’s not gonna be that effective for my because I always think like if like if you are my boss and you know about what I’m doing it’s much easier to explain to you what is the issue what gap we have but you know what we need to improve then only you be my boss and signing my paycheck and just comes like why you didn’t do this like you don’t understand my point is it’s good to learn you don’t lose anything

Manuel: and it gives you the opportunity to go through and collaborate more with the people and and just kind of be able to earn that

Fahimeh: and yeah one day if I be a CISO at least I know like what in the security in the compliance in the privacy like what we need to do what we need to improve what how we can do it you know just and then it just like come to the point like people think I’m crazy because I always like you know I need to do something

Manuel: and I don’t think it’s crazy I think it’s more you’re just that much of a driven individual right I can see that I can see the passion the the ability to want to do more and just that thirst for knowledge and and constantly trying to improve and and just get better so that’s definitely something that is coming through right like I we work together at two different times we’ve known each other but there’s a lot of while I knew that you from a co-worker perspective like I think after today I have a much better understanding of you just individually as a person right like I always knew that you were trying to get better and you know some of the reasoning behind it but now I get a bigger picture of just the type of personality that you have is just you don’t take anything necessarily at face value like you really dig deep to understand and know what’s going on how things work how can we make not only yourself better but also be able to make improvements in the workplace and have a reason behind it not just I don’t want to do that okay let’s not do this because of x y and z and you’re okay having a discussion let’s go back and forth hey okay go back understand and I think that that’s something that a lot of us don’t really do much and I’m really glad that I think the way that you kind of explained it and why you want to have that technical knowledge it’s really to be able to have the discussion it’s not because you want to tell people what to do but you want to be able to have the understanding to know so that if somebody comes to you not that you’re going to do the work but they say hey we’re going to do this you can have that knowledge to say okay if we do that here’s the impact if we don’t do that here’s the other impact can we you know let’s weigh the two options or can we come up with something else that might mitigate that’s

Fahimeh: like really hope to you know it’s like my point is it’s the teamwork it doesn’t matter you are my boss or not it’s matter we are doing this together like I always hate that management style to just like you know I’m going to the meeting and you do all the work and when you the management didn’t understand the work it’s hard to you know communicate with them it’s hard to see the part is missing it’s it just my point is if everybody and I believe no matter what kind of personality you have if if everybody a little care about themselves and the work they do like we could make a lot of better decision in society we could make a lot of better you know company like sometimes right now we’ve seen it a lot we have a lot of lack of knowledge or lack of I don’t know in the corporation like it’s so many holes on it like it could get much better like some corporation great they are great because they like they are we like working as a team

Manuel: they’re building that culture that says hey let’s work together let’s figure this out

Fahimeh: yeah like figure it out and they have an open mind for new you know new what they call it like the new new different views new eyes like if like they are open to bring somebody in to say give that chance to them to see how they do it it’s more open minded than you know going by book like if you don’t have this this this this this and they always say like if they say you have to have a bachelor degree master because I was I’m working my master degree like you have to have this you have to have that like by having the master degree like I have a master degree what that did for me nothing it’s nothing give you it’s good to have it it put you to and it I always tell it to young people go get your degree but when you get to the some point of your career having the bachelor degree or master degree doesn’t have any you know any more value of your work or like it give you knowledge but it’s not like I know people they don’t have bachelor degree but the knowledge they have the skill they have you never can find those knowledge and the skill in the book

Manuel: it’s one of those things that just everybody has their own career path which is kind of why I want to put this out is just there’s no one way to do it no right some people you know the degree whether you don’t have a degree whether you started in IT or got introduced as a child versus later on and make it a career change I mean this is this is one of those things that I just want to expose people and make people aware of just kind of what’s available to you

Fahimeh: and that’s great and

Manuel: and you mentioned it right there’s nothing’s impossible right but you do have to put the effort into doing it and you can really learn and do anything that that you set your mind to

Fahimeh: yeah it just you need to have like you know some opportunity somebody open some door for you like you do the work but you you know hopefully everybody whoever work very hard get that chance to you know somebody give them that opportunity to show what they do and you know bring whatever they have in table and you never know and that’s the beauty of life you come so like you know people come and goes in your life in your work in your you know company and they bring something they touch you in some way you never tell that ever gonna happen you know I hope people give that opportunity to each other be you know nicer to each other be kind and let that happen it’s not having five certification or three degree doesn’t mean anything it’s show you work very hard it show you had you know a path in your life like you want to get to that like but doesn’t mean that make you better or worse if you don’t have it because I see it first hand a lot of people they never been to a school they never go like they got their diploma done but they are the most successful people I ever see and I admire that

Manuel: well I appreciate you coming on and kind of telling us about your your career

Fahimeh: thank you for having me thank you for inviting I hope I could help somebody if I could like with my talk help anybody

Manuel: and I think it will I mean I’ve had a couple people reach out and just say that hey they’ve they found either the entire episode or bits and pieces from it that very helpful and inspiring so

Fahimeh: yeah absolutely

Manuel: so yeah I’m glad that that you came on and for those of you that are either watching or listening I appreciate you taking the time to kind of go through and you know hear these stories and hopefully your understanding and learning something from each of these conversations I do have just a one ask is if you could go ahead and please share this with someone that you think that could find this valuable and helpful for them in their careers and you know please subscribe or comment and let me know what you are or aren’t liking as part of these conversations if there’s particular roles or people that you would like to hear from I’m always interested to kind of find out what people want to learn more about so with that please plug in and download the knowledge and we will see you next time.