“I still enjoy it. I love to solve problems – improving things, making them more efficient – whether with technology or process.” – Farhan Virji
As high school graduation approached, Farhan Virji wasn’t sure what career path to pursue.
He did know that he really enjoyed math. He also knew he wanted to enter the workforce as soon as possible, and studying for four years before doing so just felt too long. So he applied for the BCIT Computer Systems Technology (CST) Diploma, attracted to its two-year format.
Fast forward to today, and Farhan is the CEO of Keyhole.co, Co-Founder of Gestur, a leadership coach, a workshop facilitator, and a BCIT Alumni Association Board Director. His career has been anything but linear, filled with lessons, challenges, surprise opportunities, and exciting transitions. Farhan has a lot to share about his journey in tech and some of the lessons he’s learned along the way.
“My career has been quite the ride – from software developer to CEO. Lots of ups and downs, twists and turns, but thankfully, mostly positive changes along the way,” says Farhan.
Computing is for problem solvers
“I didn’t have a programming background when I started CST,” he recalls, “but I loved math because it had clear right and wrong answers. The more complex it got, the more I enjoyed the problem-solving aspect. So when I started coding, I realized it was a great fit: solving problems and using critical thinking to break down complexity.”
He credits his competitive nature and experience playing sports for helping prepare him to take on and overcome challenges as they arose in a field that was new to him. Early on, he even had moments where he pretended to understand more than he did, just to keep up.
“I would read up on concepts I didn’t grasp in class, and that’s when I knew I had made the right choice — computer programming fascinated me because it showed me a better way to solving more complex problems at scale,” he explains.
“And all these years later I still enjoy it. I love to solve problems – improving things, making them more efficient – whether with technology or process. I never get bored.”
Stretching the skill set
After twelve years working in software development, which he loved, Farhan faced an unexpected challenge outside of work: to organize a complex multi-city sports tournament.
“I became the project lead for the event,” he explains. “It was my first opportunity like that, using different skills and tackling all the aspects of a major event: communication, operations, participant experience, logistics, budgeting, etcetera.”
That experience ignited his interest in project management. He approached his employer, seeking ways to transition into a PM role. With mentorship from another project manager at his company, he soon found himself balancing both development and PM responsibilities—his first step beyond software engineering.
Taking responsible risks can pay off
While the Vancouver startup scene was picking up, Farhan was itching to try something new again. It was daunting to have to take a pay cut to enter the startup space, but Farhan took the risk and it proved right for him. “There are times in your life taking a risk is easier,” he admits.
“At that point I didn’t yet have a family depending on me, so there wasn’t much of a financial risk to join a startup. It was really a question about my ego. Ego can cause the best of us to make a poor decision, to not see the bigger picture.”
That leap paid off. Startups exposed him to rapidly evolving roles, diverse challenges, and the chance to make a direct impact.
“You have to figure out what’s important to you – title, money, type of work, flexibility, working from home? You need to know so you can make a decision,” he advises. “Then go after the things that provide this to you. Your priorities will change as you go through life and your career.”
Farhan learned early in his career that you can’t just work hard and hope others recognize you and give you opportunities.
“I used to think opportunities would come my way because I was working hard, but it doesn’t necessarily work that way. You need to build relationships, show the value that you are creating, be vocal, ask for what you want. Leaders are busy, and they don’t always know what you want, or where you can help.”
Everything leads back to the development team
Despite working in leadership positions for over a decade, Farhan continues to enjoy getting into the technical side of things. “I still love digging into the data,” he reports.
“In tech companies, all roads lead through the engineers. They are critical to the success of the business.” He says when his companies are considering building vs buying or partnering, the ideal scenario is to build. Integrating other tech into your product is not simple, and even when you buy/partner, you still need the engineers to develop the integration.
In fact, Farhan attributes his success in leadership roles within tech companies to his time being a developer. “At the leaders’ table I can ask technical questions that others might not be able to, because of my own skill set and where I started,” says Farhan, who has had leadership roles in customer success and support, product development, operations, as well as chief executive.
“I can build a good relationship with the engineering team because I can speak their language. I understand the specifics and the scope of things when we have a big tech lift that’s going to fall on the engineers.”
3 tips for those starting out in tech
- Develop your work ethic early: “CST was intense, I needed a strong work ethic to juggle everything, and it felt like a full-time job. I knew many people who went to university and found it difficult to adjust to the new reality when they entered the workforce. In contrast I found that going to work was easier than going through CST!”
- Look for mentors and build connections: “Throughout my career, I was lucky to work with brilliant people whom I learned from. But mentorship doesn’t have to be formal – most people don’t realize they want to do mentorship. Just start asking questions: people will want to help and share what they’ve learned. Attend tech events, go to meetups, and push yourself out of your comfort zone. And lastly, your boss should be one of your mentors. Learn as much as you can from them. One of the best ways to do this is to take on work from them, even if it’s work that you don’t enjoy.”
- Focus on value creation: “I always looked for ways to help my manager and contribute beyond my role. Don’t fixate on promotions – focus on doing valuable work. Ambition is good, so long as the motive is right – which should be to do the best work you can and to continuously improve. The best students I’ve hired focus on doing good work so that they stand out, and also challenge the status quo and bring fresh perspectives.”
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