THE VIEWS : A rewarding passion

Young innovator: Akmal started taking home an income from living out his passion for STEM at the age of 12.

EQUIPPED with computing skills that set him apart from his peers and even most adults, Muhammad Akmal Hazim Hafizul Rasydan’s skills are so advanced that he has been hired as a software developer, software engineer and backend engineer on a part-time basis over his secondary school years.

Among the projects he has worked on included developing a school management system to help parents in the online banking of their children’s fees.

Akmal Hazim started taking home an income from living out his passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at the age of 12.

Together with his friends, he rented out Minecraft servers, which earned him RM400 per month for hosting services.

A year later, at just 13 years old, he went on to develop a network speed testing application as a community service project.

Keen to impart his knowledge, the Malaysia Techlympics 2022 STEM Icon speaker has been involved in community programmes where he taught coding, and created videos on online banking integration basics for new developers.

The first runner-up at Digital Ninja 2019, in which he built and developed a camera that detected when a durian fruit was ready to be collected and informed the owner through short message service, Akmal Hazim shares his passion with LEONG WENG SAM.

I’ve worked with many organisations on building web applications and mobile applications, and won a few awards. With my skills, I can even automate petty tasks.

My parents are very supportive of my work outside of schooling hours and I hope I’m able to inspire more Malaysians to delve into the world of very exciting technology. Anyone can code and improve lives.

Many local solutions were developed by local folk who understand the requirements, context and capabilities of the environment around them.

Students should keep an open mind to discover their talents. A programme like the Malaysia Techlympics will reach youths from all corners of the country. Programmes are fun, making STEM seem less inhibiting or difficult, so ‘anyone can STEM’ and no one is left behind.

If STEM is really not for you, then try something else to discover your talent and purpose. I keep myself inspired by staying curious about what I can solve and by always having a learning posture.

When you pursue your passion, you will learn and grow. Don’t focus on just earning an income. I started out tinkering with Minecraft – and we were renting servers at an average of RM100 per server owner.

It didn’t seem like much but it gave me the experience, and I’ve grown so much since then, in both soft skills and technical skills.

I am currently leading a software development project under the Youth and Sports Ministry to improve productivity and efficiency through faster document processing using web technology. My aspiration is to start my own business as a professional software engineer someday.

Akmal Hazim, 17, SMK Shah Alam, Selangor, student

Note: An initiative of the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, the Malaysia Techlympics 2022 is a platform for students nationwide to gain exposure to inquiry-based and project-based learning in science, engineering, computing and microcomputing, the Internet of Things (IOT), robotics, drones, mathematics, creative design and animation, and three-dimensional printing and development.

A series of 25 competitions based on five themes will be rolled out until November.

Competitors will undergo qualifying rounds at school, district, zone and state levels to reach the national finals where grand prizes worth up to RM500,000 will be awarded.

Weng Sam, 19, a student in Pahang, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. To join Star-NiE’s online youth community, go to facebook.com/niebrats.