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

Episode Information Show Notes 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 New episodes released every Tuesday. Subscribe to never miss an episode! Transcription 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 t