1. With around 3+ years of industrial experience what advice would you like to give to your juniors stepping into the industry?
Ans: Advice: Know what you’re getting into. Get to know what your role will be, what the expectations are. Understand how your personal working style fits with that of the team’s and of the company’s. Also, assess honestly how this position may be placed in your future plans.
2. When and why did you decide to pursue higher education,i.e, MS in Human Computer Interaction?
Ans: Over the course of 3 years of working as a Developer, I did a number of personal projects just because I was curious about the state of things around me. Going through these made me realize that I was more interested in people’s side of technology and in architecting the solutions to improve how people lived and interacted with things around them. It was a drastic shift from what I had studied before and whatever I had worked on, and hence I decided I needed to formally study the area.
3. You were a Graduate Research Assistant, so has that experience been different from industrial internships?
Ans: One’s work as a GRA depends greatly on the institution and more so on the professor you’re working under. The nature of work varies from engagement to engagement. For me, I got the GRA because I had a rare combination of Computer Science and Performing Arts background, which my lab was looking for. Over the past year and a half, my experience has been of complete research - from extensive literature review to publishing research papers. It’s been very fulfilling for me because this intersection is personally very satisfying for me. For research, I think that’s really important - to do what you care about , and not what is ‘in’ right now.
4. You have been a Software Engineer intern as well as Software consultant at Microsoft. What tips would you like to share with your juniors applying for industrial internships?
Ans: Get your basics solid, and right. It often feels like people around you know a lot or are doing a lot of fancy things. It’s not worth getting frustrated. At all! Have your knowledge of DS, Algorithms and all the basic concepts solid. Technologies you can learn on the go, other things you need to have a strong grip of. And practice coding - lots and lots of it.
5. How has your journey at IGDTUW/IGIT shaped you into the person that you have grown up to be?
Ans: I received some excellent mentoring from professors at IGIT. My Bachelor’s thesis advisor (Mr. Vivekanand Jha) introduced me to the proper way of doing research and how to navigate academic choices. His advice has been really helpful for me. My other advisor (Dr. Shalini Arora) is one of the best mentors a student could ask for. She goes above and beyond for her students and I have personally grown a lot under her.
6. How has your journey been as a UX designer so far?
Ans: It’s been great and very fulfilling. It’s exactly the kind of thing I have always wanted to do, it just took me a little while to figure it out. UX design is very different from one’s traditional idea of what design is about. I am excited for whatever comes next for me.