Childhood engineering dream becomes reality
Fiston Musuya became extremely interested in engineering when he was just a child. Watching how people programmed robots and worked with large machines fascinated him. He also had a strong sense of adventure, something that drew him from his native Congo in Africa to study engineering in Krakow, Poland. “When I was there, I had to learn the Polish language in order to attend Krakow University.” That language is just one of an impressive five that Fiston speaks. During his time in Poland, he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering and worked toward achieving his childhood dream of becoming an engineer.
His engineering career began in Europe, where he worked in Poland, France and Germany. He then made his way to the United States via Chicago and says that local excitement when the Cubs finally won another World Series rivalled that seen after the election of President Obama. It was during his time in Chicago that he began considering employment at Nidec Motor Corporation. A recruiter contacted him to discuss a position that sounded really challenging and right up his alley. He had another job prospect in California—but his heart was set on staying in the Midwest.
Moving from Cubs to Cards Country
Both a familiarity with the region and a much lower cost of living were factors in his decision not to head to the West Coast. Since moving to Missouri, Fiston has become a fan of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. That may seem ironic considering his relocation from Cubs country. An outdoor enthusiast, he loves how green and beautiful the Nidec campus is—especially in the spring and summertime.
He hasn’t regretted his decision to move to St. Louis or to accept the position as a Mechanical Engineer at Nidec. “My job is very challenging, but I really enjoy it. The first three months I learned a lot because I had a chance to work with software and tools that I had only dreamed about before. Now that I have access to these valuable tools, I can improve my work tremendously. I really love the chance to work with top-of-the-line software that’s among the best in the industry.”
Not only does he enjoy the opportunity to use cutting-edge technology, he also values working with equally superb colleagues. “One of the things I most like about working at Nidec is having access to many different people with a variety of backgrounds and experience. Almost everything I need is in the same place. So I can contact manufacturing if we need to make a prototype, or I can go to the lab to do my research. It’s especially rewarding for an engineer to be able to see how the development of the product we’re working on is going through. I really like that.”
The sky's the limit with Nidec
Fiston also believes that the sky is the limit when it comes to professional growth at Nidec. “I think one of the things I’m most happy with is the organization here, because there is really a lot of room for learning, advancement and training. This company does a great job with internal communications and collaborating, I really like that compared to other places. When I was at one company it seemed like a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy. Things just didn’t move very fast.” That was definitely something he appreciated seeing streamlined at Nidec.
When it comes to mechanical engineering, Fiston says that persistence is exceptionally important. “The work we do requires patience and the ability to never give up. The nature of the work is very challenging, but it’s rewarding when you receive good feedback or you have solved a problem that was hard to find or to understand. That makes me very excited. I like that sense of accomplishment.”
This sense of accomplishment helps solidify the fact he is doing exactly what he always wanted to do. “I am really happy working here at Nidec. Solving problems and preventing failures, testing and finding answers to complex problems of engineering give me great joy.”
The one piece of advice he would give to people considering employment with Nidec or just about to start with the company is, “Give it everything you have. It’s a really good place to be. Our work is challenging but there is also a lot of room for growth, so it is definitely worth it to come to work for Nidec. I am very pleased I decided to work here.”