From Rooftops to CloudOps: A NAMALite’s Journey to Building Global Infrastructures
Coming from a small village where even basic internet was a luxury, I never imagined I’d be managing multi-million-dollar cloud infrastructures across the globe. During my final year project (FYP) in June 2021, COVID-19 had pushed us all back to our homes. I still vividly remember delivering my presentation standing on our rooftop under the blazing sun, just to get stable internet. That was the reality I started from.
After graduating from NAMAL, I faced my fair share of rejections while applying to companies. But I never gave up. Eventually, I secured a spot in a two-month Cloud and DevOps Engineering training program. I worked hard, Alhamdulillah, topped the batch, and even won awards for outstanding performance.
This opened doors for me. I joined Xgrid, where I spent three transformative years. In 2023-24, I was recognized as the Top Performer in the DevOps Department. During this time, I also earned multiple certifications—AWS Advanced Networking Specialty, AWS Developer Associate, Google Cloud Professional Developer, and more. These fueled my growth and expertise. Today, I’m working as a Senior Consultant DevOps at Visionary Systems Inc., handling clients from the US and managing complex, large-scale cloud environments. The journey wasn’t easy, but every struggle shaped me into who I am today.
How NAMAL Contributed to My Success:
Namal laid the foundation for my success. The programming courses, data structures labs, machine learning projects—all of it played a massive role in building my skills. The professors at NAMAL not only taught us theory but also encouraged practical, hands-on learning. That experience was crucial when I stepped into the world of DevOps and Cloud Engineering.
Lesson For Namalites:
- Know your “Why” - Have a clear vision of where you want to be after graduation.
- Connect with Alumni: Talk to people who’ve walked the path you aim for. It’ll give you clarity and direction.
- Embrace the struggle: Challenges will come, but they shape you. Whether it’s internet on the rooftop or job applications—stay consistent.
And remember, if I could move from rooftops in my village to global cloud operations, so can you!
A bit about Faheem Khan:
- Cloud Engineer to Senior Software Systems & DevOps Engineer
- Top Performer in DevOps at Xgrid (2023-24)
- AWS EKS Engineer at Visionet Systems Inc
At Namal:
- Gold Medalist
- Best FYP Award
- Dean's Honor Award
- Best 1st Year Student
- Best 2nd Year Student
- Best 3rd Year Student
- Best 4th Year Student