They give freedom, but they say… – 2024-02-29 10:53:23

He compares the income and experience he gained with those who work in global companies when he just started his business life in Azerbaijan. His saving grace is “A person has only one life, sitting in my comfort zone, I cannot earn what the employees of those companies earn.” Thus, he goes to Luxembourg to study and then work abroad. Shortly after completing his studies, he began working in a global company. We are talking about the young Azerbaijani Elvin Museyibov, who works as a quality engineer in the German department of the US Tesla company.

It should be noted that E. Museyibov was born in 1994 in Tovuz. He lived in Bilajari settlement in Baku from a young age. He received his secondary education at school-lyceum number 299. He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (English) from Qafqaz University (now Baku Engineering University). In 2018-2020, he completed a master’s degree in the Sustainable Products Creation program at the University of Luxembourg.

– Mr. Elvin, you received your bachelor’s education in English. Were you taught English since childhood?

– I received my secondary education in the high school located in Bilajari settlement. I studied English at the normal school level. After the 10th grade, I became interested in studying abroad. I saw that if I want to go abroad, I must have a good knowledge of English. After that I tried to improve my English. As I learned the language, I began to prefer foreign sources, research in English. Then I decided to get my bachelor’s education in English.

“I received a scholarship in Italy”

– During your undergraduate studies, you did internships in two places. Both are interesting places to experience.

– During the study period at the university, it was necessary to undergo internship programs. Either we had to do internships in places sent by the university, or we could find them ourselves. I found both internships myself. My first place of practice was the Shamkir Hydroelectric Station. Later, I had an internship in the “Shahdeniz – 2” project. Several local and international oil and construction companies worked together in the project. There were employees of many international companies in my team. It was a very good internship program. In addition to internships, I also went to a web programming course during university. It is true that programming is taught during the course of study in mechanical engineering, but it is not very deep. Later, during the university period, I was engaged in website development. Sometimes I also earned money.

– Wasn’t it difficult for you to find a job after graduating from university?

– When I was in my final year, representatives of several companies came to our university and said that they were looking for young graduates. They offered us jobs. I received a scholarship for a master’s degree in Italy. That’s why I didn’t look at the cases. I went and returned to Azerbaijan after studying for a month. I realized that Italy was not the country I wanted to live in. I decided to choose a suitable country and study there. I also thought that I would work for a while and then go abroad for graduate studies. A month after returning to Azerbaijan, I started working as a production engineer in one of the local technology companies.

– You probably explored this country when you went to Luxembourg for master’s studies…

– When I chose to study in Italy, I looked at the world ranking of the university and how strong its education was. When I chose to study abroad for the second time, I already paid special attention to the issue of the country. I looked at the quality of education, costs, living and working in a suitable country.

“They said that you will not be interested in this job”

– You worked at a university in Luxembourg for 2 years, then you went to Germany. Why didn’t you stay in this country?

– After completing my master’s studies – in 2021-2023, I worked as a mechanical engineer in the “ComPrintMetal3D” research project, which was a joint effort of a number of companies and institutions from Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium, within the University of Luxembourg. Also, I co-authored 3 articles covering 3D printers and materials science published in various journals during the project. After working on that project for 2 years, I moved to Germany. Let me say that I came to Germany for “Tesla”. Or I like Luxembourg better. Tesla is the company every engineer dreams of working for. That’s why I went to such a change of country.

– Which companies did you apply to after the university project?

– I applied to several companies in Luxembourg. 2 companies said that you have a master’s degree, your knowledge and skills are high for the vacancy you are applying for. That’s why they didn’t take it. They said that we will take you to this position, but after a short time you will not be interested in the job, you will want to change your job, and we have to look for an employee again. Such a thing happened at “Tesla”. First, I applied for a material testing specialist. I passed the interview with the Human Resources (HR) specialist, then the engineers interviewed. I answered the questions. I was sure everything was right. They also thought that the vacancy was low for me, they said “no”. After some time, they themselves contacted that we have new vacancies, which are more suitable for you, higher positions. If you are interested, let’s do an interview. I agreed. This time I was hired. I even told the manager that I have a master’s degree, so if you are going to say, “This vacancy is not for you,” then let’s stop the interview, let’s not waste time (Laughs). They said no, it will help you in your career.

“You have to take the risk, you have no other chance”

– What kind of work environment is there in “Tesla”?

– What distinguishes “Tesla” from other companies is that they focus on the result. When I first started, the first thing they said was, “You may or may not know something. If you have been given this task, take the risk, take it, do it.” It gives freedom, but it says that you are responsible for the result. You have to take the risk, you have no other chance. At the same time, my colleagues are professionals in their field. There are those who came here after working in rival companies. Working with them is an advantage for someone my age. Working with those personnel is an experience in itself. I am happy to work in this kind of environment.

– For example, which result is satisfactory in this company?

– I had a project I was working on. The company’s employees used to press 60 different buttons until they reached the result during different operations to do their daily work. I was required to automate this process. As a final result of the project, the process is now fully automated by pressing 1 button. This saves time for the company and avoids the human factor errors that may occur when a long process is done mechanically. That is, they look at what it gives to the company and how it is useful.

“If you feel like you’ve been hurt…”

– Getting hired in a company like “Tesla” actually didn’t take long in your career. What was the result of this?

– First, I would say to leave my comfort zone. The company I worked for in Azerbaijan was quite large, and my salary was normal. But I saw that I also spend 1 hour, as well as those who work at “Amazon” and “Tesla”. But he has more experience and money compared to me. I thought that a person has only one life, sitting in my comfort zone, I can’t earn what those working in those companies earn. I decided to study abroad first. Then I will continue to work there. It is not enough to get out of your comfort zone, you also have to work on it. It is also necessary to be able to be in the right place at the right time. It is also important to be constantly aware of the agenda. For example, “Tesla” did not exist in Germany before. But you should be aware that Tesla is coming to Germany. So, he opens job ads. If you apply at that time, you have more chances. Because they are looking for workers. If you apply there after 10 years, your chances of admission are less. They have a settled system, a team and are more selective.

– In other words, success comes as a result of a complex approach.

– Now you see the fruits of what you have done in time. For example, if I hadn’t taken a programming course during university, I might not be in this position at Tesla. Because a mechanical engineer does not need much developer knowledge. But in what I do now, it is necessary. Having that knowledge was an advantage. I suffered when I was a student, but now I see the results. In general, if you feel like you’re suffering, then you’re developing, or gaining experience. Time goes by anyway, you can’t stop it. Therefore, we should add more value to ourselves.