Faris Aziz: How to Get Promoted, Build Resilience, and Lead with Empathy

About this episode

Faris Aziz shares his journey of overcoming challenges and building a successful career in engineering and leadership.

Links - Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters - Become a guest on the podcast: https://forms.gle/wMqBmVhuzL46Ha3P7 - ZurichJS Discount: https://conf.zurichjs.com?utm_source=contejas&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=zurichjs-conf-2026 - Faris on X: https://x.com/farisaziz12 - Faris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farisaziz12/ - ZurichJS: https://zurichjs.com - SmallPDF: https://smallpdf.com What does it take to become an Engineering Manager at 21? How do you rebuild your identity when a chronic illness takes away your physical strength? In this episode of ConTejas Code, I sit down with Faris Aziz, a Staff Engineer at Smallpdf and the lead organizer of ZurichJS. At just 25 years old, Faris has lived a career’s worth of highs and lows. From failing his first coding bootcamp module to building a career ladder for a fintech startup, and from ranking as the 2nd fittest CrossFit athlete in Switzerland to being bedridden by an autoimmune condition, Faris shares the mindset required to navigate extreme volatility. This conversation moves beyond technical skills into the "internal garden"—how emotional regulation, sleep, and nutrition directly impact your…

People in this episode

Host: Tejas Kumar

Guest: Faris Aziz

Topics covered

• career development
• resilience
• leadership
• empathy
• personal growth

Keywords

• Engineering Manager
• chronic illness
• emotional regulation
• promotion
• leadership
• CrossFit
• career ladder
• resilience

Sponsors

Codecrafters

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Smallpdf, ZurichJS

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