My Story

Right place at the right time

By: L.B. Tesfaye

For as long as I can remember, when someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I always said confidently, "An engineer or a doctor." At the age of 11, I fell in love with the game of tennis, which for the next several years became my passion. It also altered my answer to my career question. I wanted to become a professional tennis player. And when I finished college (after studying engineering or attending medical school) I was going to open up my own tennis academy. Well, the tennis career didn't quite pan out, but I did become an engineer.

I am currently the Labs Director at a very successful Ziff-Davis magazine: PC Computing (soon to be re-named Smart Business). This 10-year-old magazine has over 1 million subscribers and reaches 2 to 3 million readers each month. Our readers are loyal fans who look to us every month to give them the best advice on technology as well as to identify the best products and services for their businesses. Behind each product review is the dedicated work of a group, our lab staff, that generates the data needed by the editors to rate, rank and make product recommendations. That is where I come in. I help design and manage every aspect of the product testing process. We run benchmarks on hardware to determine the performance; we conduct usability tests on software, hardware, and web sites to determine their ease of use; and we also conduct hardware durability tests. We are the ones who put every product through these tests. As far as I am concerned, I feel that we get paid to play with the products!

How did I end up at one the most successful magazines in the US? By being at the right place at the right time!

I came to the United Stated right after I finished the 10th grade. I first lived in Minneapolis, MN where I finished high school and college. A few months after I arrived in Minnesota, I met an American woman (a very close friend of one of my brothers best friends), who wanted to take me under her wings and help me with my schooling. She made arrangements for me to attend a private, all-girl, Catholic high school (from where her daughters graduated), similar to Nazareth School in Addis. She would soon become the second most influential person in my life. I chose engineering school over medical school because of her. I still remember her comments to me that made me choose engineering: "Wouldn't you want to be one of the few female engineers? There are plenty of women doctors?" I figured that it would be an exciting challenge. However, not everyone around me was as encouraging. I remember my college advisor telling me to pick an "easier" field without even looking at my school records. I even had a close family member tell me to pick a more appropriate (female-oriented) field such as nursing or pharmacy. "Isn't that what most Ethiopian women are studying?" "Wouldn't you want to be in a field where you would feel more comfortable?" Well, I took that as a challenge that I wanted to tackle. I remember reading a quote by someone famous once: "The best thing in life is doing the things that people told you that you could not do".

I attended the University of St. Thomas on a full scholarship and graduated with a BA in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science (this school only had a pre-engineering program). I then transferred to the University of Minnesota and graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering. Then in January 1992, I moved to the Bay Area to pursue a career in the high tech industry. Unfortunately for me, that was the worst time for a fresh graduate with no experience to be looking for a job. I spent six months desperately looking for work. It took a very successful and considerate Ethiopian to help me get some experience by offering to give me some time in his computer shop (Thanks, F. A.). And this was the experience that helped me land a job as a technical support specialist at a mail-order computer retailer. I spent the next 2 and a half years learning as much as I could about computer hardware and software and troubleshooting any computer related problems over the phone.

In the spring of 1994, I was ready for a change and put in a call to a temp agency looking for new work. A day later, I got a call from them asking if I would like to work for a magazine on a temp-to-permanent basis. When I found out that it was one of the magazines that I read regularly, I decided to jump at the chance, even if it meant that I would be leaving a secure, permanent job for a temporary position that may or may not become permanent. I knew that this was an opportunity that I just could not pass up. Well, I interviewed on a Friday (after work), got the job offer on Monday, quit my job that same afternoon, and started working at PC Computing on Tuesday. And I have been here ever since.

The first issue that I worked on was the September 1994 issue, which had the Internet on the cover (the first magazine to put the Internet on a cover story) and it discussed how it was going to change the way we work and live. I tested online services, web browsers, and the few web sites available at the time. I was excited to be one of the first people to work on this new phenomenon. There has never been one issue, ever since I first started, where I have not had an opportunity to learn. I work on the latest and greatest technology even before the rest of the public hears about it. And best of all, I have a great time doing what I do - playing with technology.

There have been a lot of influencers in my life, including a few individuals who have inspired, coached, supported, and consoled me along the way. The most influential person in my life has been my father. I grew up admiring his vision and his ability to make something out of nothing. I admire his courage to try new things, his patience to wait for the right opportunity, and most of all his constant support and encouragement. He always told me that education is the key to my future, and that it is something which no one can take away from me.

I believe that my passion to succeed in life comes from the way I was brought up to always give 110% and to never expect anyone to give me anything for free. I had to earn it. I am also grateful for the positive influence of my sponsor. She was a single mother, who was raising 5 kids while she put herself through college at night. She also took me to a lot of women's issue related workshops and to hear powerful speakers. She wanted me to be exposed to as many positive role-models as possible. She even encouraged me to join INROADS, which meant that all through high school, she had to take me to early Saturday morning workshops. (INROADS is a minority organization that helps business and engineering students get internships at sponsoring companies). Joining INROADS in high school and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) in college were the two best moves for my career. Not only did I receive valuable training in communication, interviewing skills, financial management, and presentation, I gained friendships and support that I enjoy to this day.

I now try to volunteer at various organizations including the Ethiopian Community Services in San Jose to help other Ethiopians succeed in life. I am also blessed to have a mother who has dedicated the much of her life to helping needy children in Ethiopia. She runs a non-profit organization in Addis Ababa called Alem Children Support Organization (ACSO). They currently help over 350 children with their daily needs. Her goal: to help change as many children's future by teaching them not only academics, but also nutrition, family values, and spirituality. I can only hope to have half her ambition, courage and tenacity. And, with God's blessing, I too can make a difference in somebody else's life.

If you want to know more about ACSO, please send me an email through Seleda (their web site is currently under construction). If you know anyone who is looking for a career in publishing at PC Computing (a writer, an editor, etc.), please have them contact me or check out career opportunities at http://www.zd.com.