Work and Role: Then and Now
Previously I was responsible for development and team building, which
involved bringing in new technologies and expertise in the team and have
the team grow and improve every day. Now, I am more responsible for the
client communication, problem solving for the team, requirement
analysis and scope management, plus design and usability consulting at a
higher level. Outsourced product development is a lot more than just
development hours by a developer, it’s about understanding and
consulting at a very strategic level where the insider inputs that we
can provide, define the success and failure of a product.
Two Years Down the Line
Couple of years is a long time in our industry. Webonise is expanding at
a rapid pace with clients in 3 different continents across 7 countries.
But there is still a long way to go before we Webonise the world. I see
myself personally working on new challenges while growing with the
organization.
What I Learnt Along the Way
The only lesson that keeps me on the track and helps me create value for
the clients and the company is to be fair and honest with what I do. Be
it consulting a new feature or interviewing a new joinee I make sure I
am fair and honest with everyone and with myself.
My Advice If You are Starting Out
Start early, and think ahead. If you are in IT then getting a job is not
difficult, but if you really want to be successful than you have to
have a key differentiator. It could be your constructive and positive
attitude or an understanding of an upcoming technology.
Must Focus Areas For the Future
NFC and cloud integration will be the most sought after things in the
coming year. The mobile devices will start becoming seamless with the
PC. And we will see m-commerce becoming a tangible reality.
Do We Need Certifications?
I am not a big believer of certifications, they are helpful to build
credibility when you are starting out. For me the certifications were a
way to learn a given platform thoroughly and completely. To prosper
professionally in IT you need to be a Jack of all trades but a master of
at least one.
Books/ Websites I Recommend
Follow the active tech people on twitter and blogs. Read, Read and read.
There is enough information online to fill yourself up with. For young
developers, I would really suggest reading the Head First series of
books. I am also a big fan of Devdutt Pattanaik if you want to
understand and work with people. Stackoverflow is a heaven for any
developer these days be it any technology. In the mobile domain
superficially the platform documentation for Android is a good place to
start with.
Last But Not Least
There are a lot of alternative platforms in the mobile space that are
fast catching up like HTML5, JavaScript, Titanium and Sencha Touch. I
would advise the young developers to look at mobile development with a
more 360 degree approach. This is still a very young domain and is
itself evolving, thus there is a huge scope for learning and creating
new things.
