A few months ago, I shared a story about one of our ZTM students and how they managed to get hired in their dream job as a Software Engineer at just 21 years of age.
This alone is a huge achievement, but then he reached out to me to let me know that things had changed again…
That’s right, he’s been promoted to a team lead within his first year of being there. Thanks in part to ZTM focusing on giving you the skills to move into more senior roles quickly, but also his drive to keep improving and learning.
I figured I would reach out to him and ask how this happened and what had changed since we spoke to him last.
This is what he had to say...
For those who haven’t read the first article yet, who are you and what do you do?
Hi, my name is Huzaifa, I’m 22 years old, and I’m a software engineer currently working at a company called Woltrio.
Recently, I was promoted to a Team Lead role, where I now manage projects and lead a team of developers!
How long have you been in this role?
I’ve been working at Woltrio for about 8 months. I was promoted to Team Lead around a month ago.
After joining the company, I focused on improving my skills, contributing consistently, and taking ownership of my work. Over time, that led to me being promoted, which was amazing!
It feels like all the hard work I’ve put in has finally paid off.
At the same time, it motivates me even more because I know there’s still a lot of growth ahead. Better still, there’s a noticeable difference in salary, along with more responsibility, authority, and overall impact in the work I do., which I’m really enjoying.
Speaking of skills, I know you took a few courses before you got hired, but what's the whole list so far now?
Yes, I’ve taken several courses from ZTM that helped strengthen my technical foundation.
(Spoiler alert, but it's a pretty big list because Huzaifa clearly is passionate about keeping learning and improving. Fun fact, but all of the courses he took are included in a single ZTM membership wink wink).
![Complete React Native Developer [with Hooks]](https://images.ctfassets.net/aq13lwl6616q/2gqVi4hhjq9vgvdh63UoKZ/0366c66ecd9f9e928745231d061dbb56/react_native_zero_to_mastery.png?w=600&h=337&q=50&fm=webp&bg=transparent)
So yeah, just a few. It definitely helps to build upon each of them, and you can start to see how they all work together.
Sidenote: This is one of the key elements of becoming a senior dev or team lead, because you start to see how the whole picture works. That way, you can find the right solutions while understanding external limitations or goals
What advice would you give to other ZTM students who want to follow a similar path and get promoted quickly?
As you can probably guess, my first tip is to never stop learning. Keep pushing yourself to grow, both technically and personally.
Also, don’t underestimate soft skills like communication, leadership, and teamwork. They matter a lot more than people think, especially as you move into higher roles!
Other than that, just put in the work, and it will pay off.
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