From taking apart microwaves to fixing a thousand phones | #003
Remember those moments as a kid when you couldn’t resist taking apart your toys to see what was inside?
Well, that was me at 14, a curious teenager armed with a soldering iron, burned fingertips, and driving my mom crazy as I dismantled everything I got my hands on.
In this post, I want to share my experience of how I fixed over a thousand phones between the ages of 17 and 19.
The Spark That Ignited My Journey
At 16, I was fortunate to spend one year in the US, where I joined a robotics team (yes, I am a nerd).
During this time, I was in charge of the design and manufacturing of the whole electric plant of a 1-meter-tall robot.
Here, I learned about electronics and how to debug and diagnose problems.
Therefore, when I returned home, I started fixing phones around my town. And with crapy ads in a second-hand selling app, I promoted my services.
Moving Forward
After a couple of hundred devices, I mastered basic repairs. However, more and more people kept asking me if I fixed motherboards.
Therefore, I set up a microsoldering lab and started learning how to diagnose problems. With a lot of mistakes, for sure!
From replacing chips to swapping CPUs, I honed my skills in motherboard repairs and problem-solving.
As my reputation grew, I started gaining more and more traction. I expanded my clientele when word of mouth started spreading.
At the beginning of the year, I averaged 7 to 10 motherboards weekly.
Why I Decided to Shift Gears
At 18, I started my Dual Bachelor in Data Science and Engineering and Telecommunication Engineering.
After two years of fixing thousands of devices, I was at a crossroads. Balancing this freelance career with my undergraduate studies became increasingly challenging.
Moreover, the work I did became repetitive. What was once a hobby that I loved as I was learning every day was now a monotonous task.
While maintaining a modest workload, my focus shifted toward the Cloud and DevOps. The main reason was that I found new challenges and subjects to learn.
Insights and Main Takeaways
In this adventure, I gained experience in multiple disciplines, from electronics to business and selling.
From the technical point of view, what I took home was:
Self-learning and problem-solving are highly valuable. In this world, the bigger the problems you can solve, the higher you will be valued.
Problems that are difficult to replicate are the hardest to diagnose and troubleshoot.
Being able to adapt to new situations quickly is the cornerstone of survival.
Understand complex systems, how they work, and distill to their essence.
Talking to a lot of different people, I learned that:
Being an extrovert is a skill. You have only to be willing to confront undesirable situations.
Rejection and failure are the only paths to a YES. Face the fear of being rejected and always try new things.
Complex topics are explained best with analogies that people experience in their day-to-day lives.
And finally, this entrepreneurial attempt has shown me that:
An exceptional service is way better than any marketing or promotion. Word of mouth is the only way.
Don’t lower the price. Instead, provide more value to the customer.
Selling is a skill worth mastering. You either sell yourself or get sold.
Always ask for feedback to keep improving the service. There is always room for improvement.
Closing Thoughts
All in all, I have enjoyed the journey. I will keep fixing some devices, but it will not be my main focus.
From now on, my main focus will be pursuing a career in Cloud and Solutions Architecture. It is the place where I can learn the most.