A career in Telecomms Engineering: Q&A with Evenso Ndlovu

Ever wondered where a career in Telecommunications Engineering can get you? Well, we caught up with Evenso Ndlovu (EN), a former Mpopoma High School student and National University of Science and Technology (NUST) graduate now working at international communications giant Google. He shares his career story and insights with Phakama CareerTALKS host Nompumemelelo Damba (ND)

ND: You are a Telecoms engineer at one of the most powerful technological company in the world "Google", can you break it down for us, what you do there?

EN: Google is a massive company with a massive network, so my job is just a small part of what the company does. I'm employed as a Technical Program Manager responsible for Data Center (DC) infrastructure planning and deployment in Europe, Middle East and Africa. I design the Telecom infrastructure cabling and conveyances that support all Data Center traffic, with focus on the physical layer (layer 1) fiber optic Inside Plant (ISP) and Outside Plant (OSP) within a DC campus. The job involves collaborating with crossfunctional teams so in addition to doing the Technical Designs, I'm also a professional Project Manager and I manage the various projects from initiation to close out when we hand over the commissioned infrastructure to operations. At this point, the infrastructure can be used by the various products you're familiar with, such as Google Search, YouTube, Maps etc. It's an ongoing exercise so I also monitor DC infrastructure utilization and initiate capacity augments as and when required to support growing demands.

ND: What inspired or influenced you to become a Telecoms engineer?

EN: To be honest, I became a Telecom Engineer by chance. I knew I wanted to do Engineering early on because I've always loved Mathematics and Science but I never had Telecommunications on my mind until after completing my Bachelor's degree. Firstly, after completing my A Levels at Mpopoma High School, I had options between Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Electronic Engineering and I went for Electronic Engineering because it seemed like the cooler program at the

time, we sort of agreed with my friends that we were going to do that program at NUST. It was more of peer-pressure than anything, so I guess not all peer-pressure is bad 😀.

Telecommunications engineering just happens to be part of the Electronic Engineering curriculum and so I did the courses and thought they were cool but I also loved other areas like Control Engineering, Power Engineering and Embedded Systems. I finished my degree during probably Zimbabwe's worst Economic depression in recent memory, that was in 2009, and for those who were old enough, you know what 2008 was like. The impact of this was that it was incredibly difficult to find a job after graduation. I was therefore open to anything in the functional areas covered by the NUST Electronic Engineering program, including Telecom. I was fortunate enough to secure my first job with an upcoming (at the time) Telecom operator, and I guess I just fell in love with Telecom more. You can therefore say I got into Telecom by pure serendipity, but as a believer in God, I think it was God's providence.

ND: If someone wants to be a Telecoms engineer in Zimbabwe what are they required to do and where can they study?

EN: I'll assume that this is someone in secondary school. I appreciate that there are probably multiple ways to do this, but I'll give my version based on my experience. Firstly, you must love Maths and Science, or at least be good at those subjects. At A Level, you should do Maths and Physics and any compatible 3rd subject. I did Chemistry, but if I had Computer Science as an option at the time, I would have chosen it instead. At university, you can do Electronic Engineering at NUST or Electrical Engineering at UZ. Telecommunications Engineering is offered as a program at MSU, so that can be an option. I know people who did Computer Science and are now Telecom Engineers so that's another option. Computer Science is offered at NUST and UZ and I'm sure at other universities in the country. Some people have even done Industrial/Mechanical Engineering and have switched over to Telecommunications, so I think there are multiple paths, just pick the one that works best for you and gives you the results you need. You could even go to a Polytech college or Telone Center for learning and work your way to a university program like the ones given above, where you do an actual degree. I know many people who have done this and are quite successful, so make the most out of your own circumstances.

ND: Can take us through your typical day at Google?

EN: Well, there's no typical day here, hahaha. I'd love to tell you that I'm doing these impressive things and I'm such a rockstar at Google but that's really not the case. I've only been at Google for just over 2 months, and like I said earlier, Google is a massive company with a lot of complexity, so right now I'm still trying to figure out how everything works, I don't know what I'm doing for the most part 😃😃. I must say though, that I have a great support structure here, there's always somebody trying to help you succeed here, and I love that. Many of the things I work on are confidential and I cannot go into details but right now, a typical day involves, collaborating with others, asking many questions and reading documentation to understand how everything is done here. I can tell you that this is a unique company and many things are done the Google way, you will not see things being done the usual way, certainly not in my current role, so I have to unlearn and learn a few things. Even the Google veterans who've been around for years must keep learning because everything is done 10X and there's always something new to learn. It's quite an intellectually stimulating environment, so finally, I think I have a chance at old age if I survive disease and being hit by a bus 😀😀.

ND: What are the challenges you face in your daily job?

EN: Although I've been at Google for only two months, I love it. I feel like the job I do is important and affects the lives of billions of people so that's a great source of motivation. I think the greatest disservice we can do for ourselves is to doubt our own capabilities. I think the no.1 reason why we don't get jobs is that we don't apply. If you don't apply, there's a 0% chance that you'll get the job, but guess what happens if you hit apply??

That percentage increases, and no matter how small, at least you know it's not zero. Always have a CV ready, no matter how comfortable you are in your current job. When you see a job you think you're qualified for, tailor that CV to the job requirements (without lying). Highlight relevant skills and experience as long as they are true, then hit APPLY. That's exactly what I did. I saw the job on LinkedIn and I applied, the rest is history. If you're not a believer in God, maybe you're going to get frustrated that I keep bringing God to the picture, but that's only because to me he's so real. God has always been good to me, and I think he's the main reason why I got the job. They wanted 1 person in Europe, fishing from across the globe, and I think I didn't get the job because I am smarter than the other candidates, it was God's providence.

I went through a rigorous interview process, which had about 10 interviews in total, all done virtually, some of the interviews had to be conducted at night because the interviewers were based in the US and we needed to work with the timezones difference. During the interviews, I needed to be authentic and at times vulnerable. They want to know you, not the person you think they're looking for. Being comfortable saying that you don't know the answer to something is a big part and also showing interest for the role you're interviewing for and demonstrating that you're a good fit is really important. That's probably what worked in my favour, but the greatest credit goes to God. Google has globally dispersed teams and we work on problems that appear monolithic. Collaborating effectively across different timezones can be quite challenging. In my team, I'm the only one based in Europe, the rest are US based, the onus is on me to get things going and make sure that there's continuity. Although I'm still quite new and haven't really worked on a big project, I have to constantly solicit for assistance to fast track my onboarding, but this can be challenging when most of the team are sleeping when you're at work and viceversa. The other thing is just the sheer complexity of the Google network, there's often nothing obvious, and one has to ask a lot of questions before they really get to the point they want to get at. There are multiple teams and at times figuring out where to get help can be a problem. However, I think these problems get better with time.

ND: How do you overcome those challenges?

EN: For the timezones issue, I often start my day late and work through to the evening just so I have more contact hours with my team. Thankfully, I can have that flexibility as long as I do what I need to do every day Navigating complexity is an ongoing process, but I have seen that effective communication can go a long way. I'm always willing to meet new people and learn from each one. This has helped me get around so far. Being willing to ask questions, even those you might consider stupid, the worst that can happen is not as bad as remaining ignorant. We now have a hybrid work setup so sometimes I work from home and sometimes I go to the office. I find myself going to the office more often because I want to interact with other Googlers, this has been a huge plus for me. Maybe the best benefit of going to the office is free food 😃😃.

ND: What have you learned from working for one of the most valuable brand in the world?

EN: I've learned that everyone is important. There's such an inclusive culture here and everyone has a voice. Even the products that the company designs have this as a design consideration. Of course, it's a journey so we can't say we've addressed all the problems. Being hired from Africa for a European role is amazing enough, there's no discrimination here. Google's values center around respect for the user, respect for the opportunity and respect for each other as employees. This is something that we can adopt in our private lives and do great work, it starts with respecting everyone. For me that's a great lesson!

ND: What advice would you give to anyone who wants to be a Telecoms engineer?

EN: Be positive, love Mathematics and Physics and go for it. It's hard to be successful if you don't have a passion for something, so I'd say make sure it's something you really want to do. It's also important to appreciate that Telecommunications is broad, you probably won't master all areas to sufficient detail. Identify the area that you like and master it, while retaining the big picture. Some people work in mobile communication systems, and even within that, you find Radio network specialists, transmission specialists and core network specialists. There are Satellite communication specialists, fiber optic communication designers, IP Network engineers and so forth. Find the space you're comfortable with, and be willing to change if your interests change. If you're a Christian, I'd say believe in God and pray, that's the foundation!