Call it the Housari hustle.

At 17, Abdurrahman Housari has already stacked up 100+ college credits, worked as a lab technician, landed two engineering internships, and built a functioning computer from scratch – just for fun. Ask him how he fits it all in, and he won’t brag. He’ll just say he doesn’t like to do things halfway.

You’ve earned more than half an engineering degree while still in high school! How did you get to this point?

My parents have always pushed me in terms of education. Some of my earliest memories were of summer vacation before first grade. My brother and I had to complete 15 minutes of math problems and read a page before we could do anything else.

When I was in 8th grade, I learned from my older peers that there was a chance to take college classes at Greenville Technical Charter High School. I also heard that it was hard, that students would study for two hours or more a day. At that time, studying for 30 minutes was typical for me; an hour was stretching it! So I thought, There’s no way I’m taking college classes in high school.

Once I turned 15, though, my motivation became my own. I wanted to push myself. I started with a preparatory class my freshman year, followed by general credits and engineering-specific classes my sophomore year.

Since then, I’ve used CAD (computer-aided design) software, completed all the maths required for engineering students, and taken classes on DC (direct current) and AC (alternating current) circuits.

When we were learning about binary programming and logic gates, I asked my professor if I could build my own computer for extra credit. It didn’t have a lot of memory, but I enjoyed the challenge of going from nothing all the way to a working computer. It was tedious but also fun!

I recently graduated, and Clemson has accepted all my credits, so I’m transferring there and saving 2 – 2 ½ years by starting with dual enrollment at Greenville Technical College.

You and your brother have moved through school shoulder-to-shoulder – despite not being twins. How did that happen, and what’s your dynamic like?

My brother is actually a year younger than me. My mom put him in school when he was three years old, thinking that he would just repeat kindergarten the following year. But he passed, so they let him go through, and we’ve been in the same grade ever since.

There’s always been a mentality of “I don’t want my brother to get too much ahead of me!” But that’s also been an incentive not to fall behind. If one of us is working, the other will push. But also, if you have someone in class with you who understands, it can help you fill in the gaps when you’re missing something. So there’s rivalry, but there’s also cooperation and support.

You’ve worked in a machining shop, at an engineering firm, and as a lab tech. Walk us through how each opportunity built on the one before it.

During my junior year, the career counselor at my school helped me get the job at the machining shop. I worked there making metal parts, and it gave me a lot of hands-on experience.

Later, I wanted something more engineering-focused. My career counselor helped me land an internship at Good Sense Automation, an engineering firm in the Upstate. It was there that I learned about robotics and 3D printing.

That internship led me to my most recent job as a lab technician for Greenville Tech. While I was installing some 3D printers on the Greenville Tech campus, the head of the Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics department said he needed someone to help run the 3D printing labs and asked if I would be interested.

In that role, I supervised labs. I helped develop curriculum. I substituted for a teacher. And obviously, if anything needed to be fixed or installed, I helped with that as well.

You’ve also mastered a very different skillset – one that’s less technical and more people-focused. What made you want to become a tutor?

Tutoring is probably not something most people expect engineers to enjoy! But it’s a way for me to combine two of my biggest interests: helping others and math. If I can explain things in a different way or offer a peer-to-peer perspective, I want to do that.

In the spring of my junior year, one of my professors observed that I was doing really well in my engineering classes, and he knew that I enjoyed teaching. Through that connection, I got hired as a tutor for Greenville Tech, which was great experience since my goal is to become a professor.

And to me, math is like a new way of thinking. I’m able to see how calculus builds on algebra, how differential equations build on calculus, how AC circuits build on both. The more I practice math, the more I discover those connections. And the more I discover those connections, the more I enjoy math.

It sounds like the Housari hustle is in your DNA! Any other influences worth noting?

Twice a day, I go to the mosque – usually for about two hours. That rhythm shapes how I think and live. I pray five times a day, fast during the month of Ramadan, and study religious topics in Arabic. All of that adds another dimension of understanding and discipline to my life.

There’s a narration from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that says when you do something, God loves for you to perfect it. So if I do something, I like to be committed to it and do it well. Even if it’s just homework, I don’t want to do it half-heartedly. I try to give my best work in every situation.