My Journey from Electronics Engineer to Project Manager
The LED That Lit Up My Path
I first graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering, majoring in telecommunications. Never in a thousand years did I think I would end up where I am today — a project manager. And it all started with an assignment in university.
Back in those days, we had to fabricate our own circuit board to make an LED blink using a 555 timer. I was never particularly good at hands-on technical work, and I ended up being the only student who failed to produce a working board. The LED didn’t even light up.
I was embarrassed and ashamed — but more motivated than ever. That night, I looked into why my circuit failed. I took some wires and components from the lab and began experimenting in my dorm room. I soldered LEDs directly to a power source, added resistors, and jumped cables here and there. Finally, through a spaghetti mess of wires, the LED blinked. All without a PCB, but I understood the application better than ever.
That night, I realized I loved building things from scratch and making them work.
Networking on Wheels
After graduating, I started looking for opportunities and ended up driving for Uber. I met people from all kinds of industries and learned about their work and their journeys. Occasionally, I exchanged phone numbers with customers. Without realizing it, I had begun building a professional network.
Eventually, one of those contacts called me. He was starting a new company and needed help with electronics design. He offered me a job.
I took the opportunity and stopped driving completely.
The Mentor’s Guidance
A good mentor is like a friend who never stops constructively pointing out your mistakes. My mentor taught me everything I knew about electronics. He gave me the freedom to experiment and fail — to design, redesign, and grow.
I worked day and night to complete his projects. I handled everything from design to procurement, prototyping, firmware development, testing, and eventually production.
For four years, I worked closely with my mentor and learned electronics engineering from top to bottom. Eventually, he would only need to give me the requirements, and I could handle the rest.
I thought I had learned everything there was to learn from him.
The Harsh Lesson of Entrepreneurship
Armed with my technical knowledge, I dreamed of following in my mentor’s footsteps — starting my own company and making it big. I shared my plans with him, and he wished me luck as I set off on my own.
But I was wrong. Running a business is a different beast compared to practicing a profession. I lacked the experience and capital to sustain a company. I brought in some childhood friends to start a business. Our plan was to build smart products: I would develop a smart LED system, and they would create an app to control it.
Three months in, with no sales and my savings drying up, we couldn’t afford to keep prototyping or buying new equipment. We turned to Fiverr and began freelancing in web design. But the part-time work wasn’t enough to keep us afloat.
We had to pivot.
From Hardware to Hustle
Starting a software business is relatively cheap — all you need is a laptop. No expensive equipment, no material costs. I started learning to code from my partners. It was challenging in a new way, but still deeply satisfying. I was still that same kid who loved building things from scratch.
It began with Fiverr, then grew through word-of-mouth and repeat clients. We began to profit. We kept networking, and we kept building. Eventually, we had enough work to start hiring.
Over three years, our monthly overhead grew from 5,000 to 50,000. It’s funny how we used overhead as a growth metric!
As we grew, I found myself managing expectations between clients and our technical team. I learned that project management and documentation were far from easy. I still coded and engineered when needed, but I was spending more time organizing than building.
At the time, I felt like my dream of entrepreneurship had come true — and I hoped it would last forever.
When Building Wasn’t Enough Anymore
If running a business were easy, everyone would do it. I constantly struggled with insomnia, worrying about whether we’d make it to the next quarter. I chased leads, followed up on payments, and completed projects to bring in new ones. It was exhausting.
Sure, there were rewarding days — but the tough ones hit hard. Especially when payroll was due.
After four years, I threw in the towel.
But I walked away with something incredibly valuable: I was no longer just an engineer. I had hands-on experience, plus the sales and networking know-how to lead projects effectively.
Now, as a project manager, I bring a unique blend of technical expertise, business acumen, and stakeholder engagement. I work with suppliers, clients, vendors, and teams to deliver real value — and that, to me, is the essence of project management.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Reflecting on my journey, I’m grateful for every step. It all started with the joy of building something from scratch and evolved into delivering meaningful outcomes to the market.
There were many ups and downs, and I know life isn’t done challenging me yet. I don’t know exactly where I’ll end up — but I know I’ll still be building and delivering.