Interviews 
Fayyaz Khattak Shares His Passion for Magento and the Role of Cloudways in the Community
- Syed Muneeb Ul Hasan
- December 7, 2017
The strength of the Magento community is the number of very excellent people who help grow and nurture the community and the platform. Today we have brought a well-known personality from this fast-growing community, Fayyaz Khattak who is currently working as a Magento Community Manager at Cloudways. In this interview, he has discussed his contributions and ideas about the community.
I will not take your much time, so let’s start talking with Fayyaz!
Muneeb: Thank you for being with us today. Fayyaz, please shed some light on your career with our readers.
Fayyaz: I started my career when I was 16 as an IT technician at a law firm. This was the time when I enhanced my skills as a full-time web developer, building and maintaining static websites for their clients and customers.
In the middle of 2014, I eventually wound up working as a software engineer (PHP). I was a bespoke developer, building websites and web applications from scratch using multiple CMSs and frameworks. After about two years, I joined Cloudways as a Magento Community Manager, with a 100% focus on PHP, Magento, and the communities.
Muneeb: What is the one thing you like about Magento that makes it different from other ecommerce platforms? What was your reason for choosing Magento?
Fayyaz: Without any doubt, Magento is an excellent choice for ecommerce stores. Initially, Magento appeared to be a real challenge. However, I love to learn new things, and this was the reason for choosing Magento.
Now it feels great when I know and understand the workflow of such a robust platform. Magento gives you so much opportunity to think out-of-the-box and implement or extend new functionalities at its core.
Muneeb: As a Magento Community Manager at Cloudways, tell something about this company?
Fayyaz: Well, as a Magento Community Manager at Cloudways, my objective is to learn new things and educate the community about PHP & Magento development. The idea is to share knowledge with community members and solve Magento and PHP related issues that the community members post at various social groups and forums. I also attend local meetups and events, where I educate attendees about Magento and the Cloudways platform.
Cloudways offers a lot of opportunities to learn and implement new ideas. It’s not just a company; it’s like a family where great minds help one another to accomplish the challenges and tasks. The way we are participating in the community is remarkable, and we always implement new and experimental ideas to improve our workflows for better results.
Muneeb: Being a Magento Community Manager, what would your message be for the Magento Community’s growth?
Fayyaz: From my experience, it feels really good to watch the Magento community evolve with the platform. Knowing the fact that the growth is still happening, and how important community is for every individual, I would suggest more community engagement and more inclusion of Magento enthusiasts. Focus on the weak points for the betterment of the community.
Muneeb: Can you please name some resources that are useful for newbies who want to learn Magento?
Fayyaz: In my opinion, everyone is doing a fantastic job in the community. If you are a layperson, I recommend the following resources:
I also write Magento related articles and tutorials on Cloudways blog.
Muneeb: Where do you see Magento in the coming years? What features or changes would you like to see in future versions of Magento?
Fayyaz: With Magento 2 on board, I think the coming years of Magento are better than ever. I always say this, and I have good arguments for my point. I think it will dominate the ecommerce industry just like Magento 1. The simple reason is that Magento 2 is the transformed version, that has revolutionized the way ecommerce stores are built and maintained.
Muneeb: What do you love the most about your job? Can you please share a picture of your workspace?
Fayyaz: I love almost everything about my job. We all work on a product that affects millions of people, in one way or another, and helps make people’s lives more comfortable. I really love the idea of being useful here.
My job requires constant learning, and there’s always something new to do, something new to apply and new solutions to write about.
My colorful, comfortable workplace:
Within the office environment, I can work from any place that has a good supply of coffee and a cozy sitting space.
Muneeb: How do you enjoy your spare time and how do you manage your work-life balance?
Fayyaz: Work-life balance is necessary. To manage it, I think we should work smart, not hard! This involves intelligently prioritizing of tasks which allows you a certain amount of time per task and doesn’t allow you to waste time on less productive activities.
I love traveling! I spend most of my spare time with my bike and often go out for rides with friends. During holidays, I along with other riders, prefer to visit and explore different places.
Muneeb: Now it’s time for a fun Rapid Fire round!
Rule: You can’t spend more than 15 seconds on this question ;)
| Muneeb | Fayyaz |
|---|---|
| Shopify or PrestaShop? | PrestaShop |
| Movies or Games? | Movies |
| Travelling or Party? | Travelling |
| Tea or Coffee? | Coffee |
| PlayStation or Xbox? | PlayStation |
Muneeb: Lastly, who would you nominate for an interview on Magenticians?
Fayyaz: I would like Sherrie Rohde, the Community Manager at Magento Inc. to be interviewed next on Magenticians.
