True Career Story: Software Engineer

ARVIND KAMATH,
After 11 years in the industry:

"The joy I get in my work
It’s the joy of controlling machines!"

The path I took


Education

Indian School, Bahrain, (till the 10th class) 1995
Science in 11th and 12th Class, Sri Bhuvanendra College, Karkala, 1997
B.E. (Electronics & Communication Engineering ), Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal,, 2001
 

Work

2001-04: Software development team at Axes Technologies
2004-11: Senior Software engineer & Senior Tech Lead, Motorola
2011-present: R&D Specialist, Nokia Siemens Networks

This is my story

The thought of controlling machines using software was thrilling. This was quite evident during my childhood itself, when I would open up any device (read toy) I could get my hands on.

The choice of science for my 11th was a no brainer. The choice of the engineering stream of Electronics and Communication (E&C) over Computer Science was not an easy one.  I would have loved to take up Computer Science, however the lure of playing with electronic gadgetry was high.

I got my first personal desktop computer during these engineering days. I wrote code to play a game, and was very excited when I showed it to my parents. I realized software code is what I am going to write for a living.

The money was good to start with, the pleasure of controlling machines was even greater. This is how I came to where I am. Now I write software controlling the radios under the big mobile towers us 3G internet.
 
The popular perceptions & lesser known truths

The popular perception is that it’s a cool job, with lots of money. Even flexible work-hours are offered.

The lesser known truth is the numerous deadlines in companies, which can be quite stringent. Not easy to work – with both machines & people behaving alike! 

Advice for students who are interested in this profession

Prospects:
Plenty! There are both government organizations, and there are private organizations that employ software engineers. There are organizations that create products involving software, typically (on the streets) called "product companies". There are companies which assist other organizations write software, typically (on the streets) called "service companies".

The path to take:
11th-12th: Computer Science
Graduation: Engineering in Computer Science
Post-Graduation: MS in Computer Engineering.
Internships in good organizations working on architecting, designing, writing and testing software would help. It is very important that such internships are taken seriously, that this opportunity is utlised well. This includes understanding the processes that are followed, the structure of organizations, the path towards innovations. It is important that this period occurs during the course of the engineering program and not at the end.

Parting shot:
It is very important to learn and understand the fundamentals of things taught in every levels of school irrespective of what perception one might have or might have been told. It is this knowledge that differentiates one from others.

Entrance Exam

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Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams, follow their interests & curiosities and see the opportunities in life's setbacks-- including death itself.