Faatima Asmal

Completing my honours in Computer Science prompted me to introspect on my career goals and sketch a path enabling me to achieve these goals. As a female who is passionate about software development I realised that I hold enormous aspirations, including inspiring other females, and accelerating my growth in the software development field.
I consequently accepted a Software Engineer position at ACI Worldwide which allows me to get a feel of a software development company. Not only has this exposed me to a new array of skills, people, and experiences, but it has also enabled me to explore one of Africa's best cities, Cape Town.
Here's to growing and climbing(Table Mountain included).

I recently underwent the McKinsey recruitment process. It was the first time that I had been through such a process and I found it to be both enlightening and exhilarating. The highlight was being informed that I was a successful candidate and that I had aced the PST. The latter took me by surprise as I had found the PST to be very challenging.
This experience allowed me to reflect over how I had become so comfortable in my routine that I had forgotten my true potential. Due to unforeseen circumstances I could not pursue the position that was offered.

The year 2015 saw me complete my BSc (Comp. Sci.)(Hons) at the University of Johannesburg. I challenged myself to complete the course in one year whilst simultaneously working full time.
The course fueled my curiosity for tech and exposed me to many different dimensions of Computer Science. This included Information Security, Digital Forensics, Biometrics, Mobile Development, and a few others.
The highlight of the course was obtaining 100% for the Ethical & Legal Aspects of IT research paper which was focused on how the South African law would have been applied to the Ashley Madison case had it occurred in South Africa.

I was fortunate enough to have obtained a bursary from Eskom to facilitate my undergraduate studies. Upon graduating I joined Eskom on a permanent basis. This new path opened my eyes to the world of electricity - power stations, substations, and control rooms. My software development background enabled me to provide automated Big Data solutions for the Eskom Engineers.
Working at Eskom assisted me to transition from a naïve student into a young professional. The highlight of my career at Eskom was being awarded a runner-up Eskom CE Award.
*N.B.* I did not flip the loadshedding switch.