At Robosoft, our mission is to Simplify Lives. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we chat with our behind-the-scenes experts – to know more about their values and inspirations. We also try to understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions and drive business results.

In this interview, let’s get to know Sudhindra Bhat, Test Lead. He has been with us for over a decade working on several projects in the financial services sector. Joining us as a Trainee Quality Control Engineer he has contributed to the success of several digital experiences over the years. In this conversation, Sudhindra talks about his journey with Robosoft, his inspiration, his advice for freshers, and more.

Q: Tell us briefly about yourself and your interests?

I am from Koteshwara, a small town in Kundapura taluk, Udupi district. My family had an agricultural background and our house was situated near the sea. This gave me immense pleasure to connect with nature and enjoy its beauty.

I believe that being simple, happy and healthy are great assets to have. I love to read magazines, explore testing tools & technologies and listen to fusion music. I also like to travel to lush green places and spend my time with family and friends. My day starts with yoga and the best part – it ends with playing with my 3.5 year-old daughter and listening to her stories.

Q: What was the trigger for you to join Robosoft? Tell us more about your role here.
During my engineering days, I heard about Robosoft for its quality of software development and technical skills. I joined as a Trainee Quality Control Engineer. The device driver project for HP on the Mac platform was my first project. I was blessed to have a supportive team and I started developing small scripts for software testing using Apple script and Shell script.

I worked as a backend developer for two years which gave me good insight into API design and development. My seniors guided me to learn and explore technologies by myself.

I have been working at Robosoft for the past 10 years in the BFSI segment. Robosoft, which evolved from a small city like Udupi, gives ample opportunity to learn emerging technologies and gain experience in various business domains. Today, Robosoft works with many global brands by providing Digital Strategy, Design, Development, and other services.

I worked on many challenging projects on Mac, Android, iOS and Windows phone in the BFSI segment. Along with manual testing, Robosoft gave me the opportunity to work on performance testing and automation using Selenium.

Q: What have been the key experiences of the recent quarantine phase?
Pandemic and lockdown taught us the need for an adaptive mind and the importance of human relationships. Many sectors suffered from job loss and uncertainties. At Robosoft work-from-home was implemented early and all our requirements were arranged.

During the initial phase of the lockdown, staying at home and balancing work and personal things was quite challenging. However, a disciplined way of scheduling time for professional and personal work helped me to balance things out. I had some challenges like frequent power cuts and poor internet connectivity and had to extend my work till late at night. Gradually, me and my family got adjusted and now everything is going smoothly. My daughter is surprised to know that a laptop can receive phone calls too – referring to the Skype calls which are now common. 😀

An advantage of the WFH scenario is that we can save time on travel. I took advantage of the situation and practiced Yoga. This helped me lose some weight and have an optimistic mindset during the lockdown. This also aided me to improve my professional productivity.

My advice to peers is that, as the familiar saying goes – change is the only constant and we need to adapt all the time. Give importance to both your professional and personal life – plan work at a granular level and keep a time limit for each task. Work honestly and happily for the day and end your day with the satisfaction of having justified your efforts. Last but not the least, as I mentioned earlier, the mantra of ‘Simple, Happy and Healthy’ always works!

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?
Today, technologies play a key role in our day-to-day lives. If you want to contribute and grow in this field, the only prerequisite is an attitude of perpetual learning. We need to stay curious about emerging technologies, trends and how they can be applied to make the common people’s lives better. Make use of online tutorials and practice regularly. Use apps from different domains and identify how they are helping end users to achieve their goals.

Concentrate on basic concepts and learn to find alternative workarounds if there are any technical constraints. Start with small snippets of code, then optimize and fine tune it. Build an architecture flexible enough to cascade and de-cascade other frameworks and plugins easily. Learn frontend or backend technology that you love. But remember specialization is important – don’t become the jack of all trades and master of none.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?
As I am from a testing background, I see a tremendous amount of opportunity in the software testing industry. ‘Testing As A Service’ is in demand especially in the financial services segment -as all transactions should be safe, secure and error-free. Software testing is becoming more challenging with apps being integrated with many other services like payment gateways, real-time payment systems such as UPI in India and others.

We have a wide variety of testing opportunities like API testing, database testing, Big Data testing, performance testing, security testing, accessibility testing etc. Automation is common in this industry with tools such as Selenium, Appium, Rest Assured and a growing community of testers.

The performance of the application plays a major role in customer delight. No digital experience would be successful without good performance irrespective of an eye catching UI/UX. This opens up a broader avenue of business opportunity in the field of performance testing. Irrespective of the domain, security is a must and hence the security testing domain is rapidly growing and it requires technically skilled test engineers. Most of the testing tools are driven by programming languages like Java, Javascript, Python, Groovy etc.

As our lives are driven increasingly by apps, the field of software testing is an ocean of opportunities. I am very excited for its future and hope more software engineers choose this field to make a mark.

At Robosoft, our mission is to Simplify Lives. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we chat with our behind-the-scenes experts – to know more about their values and inspirations. We also try to understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions and drive business results.

In this interview, let’s get to know Suhas Narasimha Shetty, Technical Leader. Suhas joined our team as a fresher in 2014. In the past 7 years, he has worked on multiple cutting-edge projects and technologies for our global clients across domains. In this conversation, Suhas talks about his journey with Robosoft, his inspiration, his advice for freshers, and more.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies, and more?

Born and brought up in Mangalore, I am a true-blue Mangalorean. I love everything about it – its amazing beaches, rich culture, and delicious cuisines. As a person, I believe in being curious. I am a keen learner of everything related to technology – be it the latest trends, emerging technologies, or a new coding language or framework. Besides technology, I am also interested in the world of automobiles.

I am a sports buff and ardently follow MotoGP and Football. Music is my get-away after a hectic day of work. I like listening to different genres of music. My favorites are – Rock, Blues, and Jazz.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

I studied engineering in Computer Science from P.A. College of Engineering, Mangalore. Robosoft was one of the companies all of us aspired to join. The ‘Robosoft Interview’ was considered to be one of the toughest ones to crack. Very few students were able to pass that interview, only the ones with really strong basics were able to do it. Students who were able to get through the interview were considered to be among the most intelligent ones. It was a dream come true when I joined the league of students who got through the Robosoft interview and got an opportunity to join a team of truly talented engineers and amazing teammates.

At Robosoft, every day I learn something new. Every day we are solving technical challenges for global brands across domains. From the day I have joined till today, I have worked on multiple cutting-edge projects and that has helped me grow as an engineer. The opportunity to learn here is immense and this is what keeps me inspired.

Q: How has the work from home phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

Robosoft was among the few companies that took appropriate measures and gave us WFH at the very beginning of the pandemic. The company kept employee well-being and safety as a priority and continues to do so, as almost all of us are still working from home. I am extremely proud to be a part of such an organization. Robosoft’s HQ is in Udupi and before the pandemic, I used to travel from Mangalore every day. With WFH, I was able to save travel time, which helped me in increasing my productivity. I could also spend more time with my family. The client that I am working with is in a different time zone. WFH allowed me the flexibility to manage my work according to the client’s time zone and hence build a better relationship with them.

WFH has its perks, but I miss the in-person interactions with my friends and colleagues. I have made some amazing friends at Robosoft and I certainly miss meeting them.

WFH can be a boon or a bane depending on how you manage. We know when to start and stop working when we are at the office. At home, if we do not follow a schedule of logging in and logging out of work, it can take a toll on our health. Initially, I did the mistake of not having a schedule and that affected my health. It is important to set the objectives for the day, finish them on time and do something that helps you rejuvenate. Yes, we might have to stretch once in a while, but if you manage a proper routine most of the days you will be able to cope up with stressful situations better.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

These days freshers are worried about the best technology or platform that they should choose to sustain in this industry. The truth is, you will not be able to sustain yourself if you rely on learning one or two most trending technologies or frameworks. The tech world is ever-evolving and it is important to keep pace. That said, there is no alternative to having a strong understanding of the core concepts of software engineering or programming. If your basic concepts are strong, you will be able to learn and excel in any new technology. Another important thing will be to have the flexibility and the mindset to experiment and explore a variety of technologies. This will help you stay relevant to the industry.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

The tech industry is always evolving, there is so much to explore. In my opinion, we are yet to witness the full potential of emerging technologies. The scope of the industry we are in is huge, and we will see groundbreaking inventions in the future. The pre-requisite to be a software engineer keeps upgrading every year. Companies are now focusing on training talent and upgrading their technical skills so that they are future-ready. Upskilling employees has become a crucial aspect for organizations like ours to partner with a wide variety of customers in their digital transformation journey.

At Robosoft, our mission is to Simplify Lives. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we chat with our behind the scenes experts – to know more about their values and inspirations. We also try to understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Vidyalaxmi V. Shenoy M. – Senior Software Engineer at Robosoft. Vidyalaxmi joined Robosoft right after her college in 2013 and has been an integral part of our family for over 7.5 years now. She joined us as a Trainee Engineer after her campus placement. Over the next 7 years she not only grew her career but also helped Robosoft create many delightful digital experiences for its clients.

Let’s learn more about Vidyalaxmi from our conversations below.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies and more?

I was born and brought up in Mangalore. My dad loved traveling and he would take us on spontaneous road trips when I was younger. I guess that’s how I got my love for traveling. I like to explore new places and try the local cuisines and wish to be a travel and food blogger someday.

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know all about my love for exploring new places and restaurants. Apart from that, I’m interested in sports like throw ball, basketball, and badminton. I have also participated in state-level basketball matches during my school days.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

I got into Robosoft through my campus interview. I was one of the 2 selected candidates among 100s of others who sat for the placement in Robosoft. I heard a lot of positive things about Robosoft and was excited to join as it was close to my hometown. This decision helped me stay close to my parents as I didn’t have to leave my city.

As a trainee engineer at Robosoft who was passionate about coding, I got a lot of support from my seniors, mentors, and my managers. They helped me improve my coding standards and master the art of coding to some extent. I know we cannot master coding completely as it is a never-ending journey of learning new things every day, which keeps me inspired.

Robosoft has helped in my professional growth by providing me with a variety of opportunities. iOS development is my main forte. I also got to explore and learn Kotlin for Android development and React Native. Currently, I’m working on a macOS project but my newfound love is programming in Python and am fascinated to learn about AI and ML.

Q: How has the work from home phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

I developed a passion for cooking in the WFH phase and love trying out new recipes with my husband. Apart from that, I have also started taking some time out to exercise daily and adapted a lifestyle of healthy and clean eating.

Apart from some initial readjustment period, I didn’t face many challenges working from home. Although, I miss face to face interactions with the team members daily. I can consider myself lucky to have got a wonderful and supportive team. We plan our tasks very well and communicate everything in a clear and concise manner.

My advice to peers would be to keep oneself calm and dedicated in these unprecedented times. Remaining connected in this isolation has been possible through the virtual world. Stay connected with your team and avoid unnecessary distractions during work. Social media is a big distraction. For some unknown reason, we tend to check it every 10 minutes to see if we’re not missing out on something. This absolutely kills your productivity.

Also, dedicate some time to yourself. Do something that helps you calm your mind like meditation, yoga, or exercising. Understand and appreciate the role we play as individuals and as a team, and work towards a common goal. This is the mantra to move all the spokes of the wheel in seamless coordination.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

“The day you stop learning is the day you begin decaying.”

This is true especially in the tech world where things change at a rapid pace. Always stay hungry for knowledge and be open to new ideas and opportunities. Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.

You can try your hands on as many technologies as you wish, but make sure to master at least one technology. Be passionate about what you do and stay up to date with the latest and trending topics in your field of work.

Be open to inputs and suggestions from people around you, be it your mentor, senior, or even a peer. Pick the right tools and never hesitate to play around and find out what’s working best for you.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

The most alluring part of the IT field is that it is limitless. One can keep innovating in a sector that is expanding by a quantum fold.

Digitization has given a big boost to the IT industry and changed the way customers view businesses. Almost every kind of business is backed by IT. Creating digital solutions using emerging technologies like AI, Machine learning will be the main catalyst to create a smarter world and will lead the way in the future.

At Robosoft, our mission is simplifying lives with delightful digital experiences. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers works towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we chat with our ‘behind the scenes’ experts – to know more about their values and inspirations. We also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Mohanakrishnan Rajasekar, Senior Technical Architect at Robosoft.  Mohanakrishnan joined our team last year. He comes with a vast experience of over 19 years. In his earlier stints, he has worked with enterprises including Accenture, HCL, Mindtree, etc. leading product development for various domains like Investment Banking, Credit Risk Management, Materials Management, BPM, Supply Chain Solutions, and Insurance. He also has entrepreneurial experience and was the founder of a company that built a Recruitment Solution web application for specialized skills.

 Q: Can you tell us about yourself – your family, interests, and work philosophy?

I am from Tamil Nadu. As an engineer, I love to learn new technologies and build innovative digital solutions. I am also passionate about farming and my vision is someday being able to provide affordable chemical-free food direct from farm to plate.

Challenging times have taught me the importance of determination and humility and gave me the courage to achieve my goals. I believe taking calculated risks is an important attribute to succeed. My principle in life is being honest and trustworthy both in professional and personal life.

Spending time with family and visiting my farm are my stress busters when I want to take a break and rejuvenate.

Q: What made you choose Robosoft & what is it that inspires you?

As a software engineer, the challenge of working with the latest technologies always excites me. The work that Robosoft is doing across domains and geographies, piqued my interest. I was excited to be a part of a team that is building such amazing digital experiences for global brands. Also, the fact that there are many talented engineers who have been a part of the company for long tenures inspired me to join Robosoft. I am really glad that I made the right choice. As a Senior Technical Architect at Robosoft, I am involved in building digital DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) experiences and e-commerce shopping experiences for clients in the US.

With friendly and helpful peers, and a supportive management team that believes in my technical and decision-making abilities, Robosoft has proven to be a comfortable workplace for me.

Q: How has work from home been for you? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities? Any advice to peers?

These are difficult times for everyone. Over the past year all of us have been working from home and not going out unless required. It is tough not to be able to meet with your loved ones in person but only virtualy. These challenges have also made us understand the importance of human values and ethics. We are seeing tremendous changes in people around us. It has brought out the humanity and empathy  withinin us. It has made us sit back and think about the things that we value in life. This year also has given me the opportunity to connect with my kids more, spend quality time with them and understand better.

At work front – it was initially challenging to connect with the team remotely. Especially right after joining, since  I had not met them in person even once.  It took a while to establish the connect with the team and its been smooth since then. We were able to work together efficiently and keep-up with the timelines and deliverables.

Work From Home has increased productivity but also has extended working hrs due to more calls and often results in ergonomic issues. Hence it is critical to take enough breaks and also inculcate a habit of exercising.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Freshers and students must have an engineering mindset. This means they should be ready to learn, experiment, and innovate,  rather than just being ready to do whatever is being told.

The technology trend changes regularly so do the customer expectations, it is important to keep oneself updated with the latest developments for a longer run in the industry. While ensuring you gain expertise in the technology you are working in knowing other trends and technologies will also be important for career growth. You will somewhere have to be “jack of all trades and a master of one”.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

The emerging trends show that in the coming year emphasis would be more on Digital First experiences, AI engineering, Total Experience or TX, Anywhere Operations Model, and Distributed Cloud.

More opportunities will unfold as the Anywhere Operations model allows for business to be accessed, delivered, and enabled anywhere. As per a Gartner study, by the end of 2023, 40% of organizations will have applied anywhere operations to deliver optimized and blended virtual and physical customer and employee experiences.

Clients will choose organizations that provide Total Experience (TX) solutions over their competitors.

Distributed Cloud is one of the safest areas for enterprises to bet on. Distributed cloud is the future of cloud which enables organisations to have services physically closer to help with low-latency scenarios, reduces data costs and adhere to laws that dictate data must remain in a specific geographical area.

A robust AI engineering strategy will facilitate the performance, scalability, interpretability and reliability of AI models while delivering the full value of AI investments.

At Robosoft, our mission is simplifying lives with delightful digital experiences. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we chat with our ‘behind the scenes’ experts – to know more about their values and inspirations. We also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Nanda Kishore, Delivery Head at Robosoft. Nanda started his career with Robosoft and has been a part of our team for 18 years now.

Q: Can you tell us about yourself – your family, interests, and work philosophy?

I am from Mangalore and I grew up in Udupi. Of all the roles I play in life, being a father is my favorite. I have two kids, a 12-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. I believe in leading a simple life and being approachable to people who need my guidance. I think that’s one of the most important qualities that any leader should have.

Being transparent and straightforward has been the guiding factor in my life while dealing with people, both in personal as well as professional life.

I love outdoor sports and have represented my college too, in Cricket and Volleyball. Earlier, I used to spend weekends playing Cricket in various tournaments. Now, I love playing with my kids during the weekend. Other than that, I love traveling and cooking. I like experimenting with new recipes often. YouTube is my go-to guide when it comes to cooking.

Q: What made you choose Robosoft & what is it that inspires you?

I completed MCA from Manipal Institute of Technology. After my internship in Bangalore, I moved back to Udupi and started looking for a job. I used to hang out with my friends near the Robosoft office, which was just 100-200 meters away from my home. I was fascinated with this software company in the middle of a small town like Udupi.

I always wanted to be a successful IT professional. As luck would have it, there was an opening for a QA testing role in Robosoft. I applied and got selected. I was supposed to join on January 1st, but my manager asked me to join on 31st December instead and attend the new year celebrations with the team. Since I was joining in the night shift, my first interaction with the team happened during the New year’s party, where I met all the team members and the management! That was an ice breaker for me. There has been no looking back for me since that day, and it has been 18 years!

I started as a tester for Mac applications on Mac OS 9. Within 3-4 months, I got an opportunity to lead a QA team for a global project. We were working on Deskjet, Laserjet & Photosmart printers, scanners, and copiers during those years. Today, I lead several projects for global brands across sectors and geographies. From a QA professional to Delivery Head, it has truly been an amazing journey for me.

From the flexibility to be near my family and hometown to immense growth opportunities, Robosoft has given me everything I aspired for from my professional life. Over the years, I have handled many interesting and challenging projects for global brands and worked on every possible emerging and new-age technology, be it AI/ML, Blockchain, voice, and more. The growth and scope of learning here are immense. Every day we handle a new challenge and work towards creating exciting and disruptive digital solutions, and that keeps me inspired.

The work culture here is extremely friendly. With some amazing peers and a senior management that is always approachable and ready to hear you out.

Q: How was 2020 for you? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities? Any advice to peers?

With the pandemic, lockdowns and the extended WFH scenario, 2020 was a challenging year for all of us. On a professional front, we learned to adapt to unprecedented situations faster. Earlier we had a few teams that were working remotely. But with the entire company working from home, managing communication within teams was difficult initially. However, with time we have learned how to plan and manage communication and work better.

I have followed a regular work schedule every day. While there will always be disruptions in your schedule, especially when you are handling so many projects simultaneously, it helps to make a daily to-do list. Earlier, I used to de-prioritize a couple of things for the next day. But given that we are at home, I try to finish the work I have scheduled for a particular day on the same day.

I think WFH has increased productivity for all of us. But, it has also extended the working hours due to more calls and meetings. It is important to be involved in a stress-relieving activity –  be it yoga, meditation, or any other hobby that relaxes your mind.

I love singing and have been a closet singer so far. During this time music has acted as a stress buster for me. Earlier, I often sang in a place where no one is nearby. But now I have started performing in front of small gatherings of friends and family too 🙂

On the personal front, 2020 has been a year of tremendous learning. It has taught us the value of taking hygiene and health seriously. Fortunately, at Robosoft we had a steady business and we also expanded as a team. This is not the case for other industries. Many people have lost their jobs during this time. This realisation has taught me to be grateful and be more prudent about savings.

During these times when many people are struggling to even get food on their plates, 2020 has taught me to be more empathetic towards the less fortunate. It has also reinforced the value of sharing, being more cautious towards our spending patterns, and reducing wastage.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Technology will always evolve. Some years ago we were talking about device communication, today we talk about technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation, Big Data, Blockchain, and more. These technologies will also change in the coming years. My advice to students and freshers is to pick a technology which you are genuinely interested in and gain expertise in that – instead of following the herd, follow your heart.

Having said so, it is also important to be updated with the new technology trends, learning continuously, and exploring newer avenues. This will help you stay relevant for the industry. But don’t be a ‘jack of all trades and master of none’. Gain an in-depth understanding of the technologies that you choose to learn.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

In the coming years, cloud computing and automation technologies will gain more traction. Data analytics will also be an important area that will grow.

But most importantly, enterprises will choose digital partners who provide holistic services and not just one-off solutions like app development. At Robosoft, we have also evolved to offer end-to-end digital services to our clients. We started with Mac development but as we grew, we moved to mobility and web solutions and today we are a full-service digital agency offering services like advisory, design, engineering, and analytics.

At Robosoft, our mission is to create digital solutions that simplify lives of millions across the globe. Our talented team of software and product engineers, design thinkers, digital consultants and more, consistently work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we chat with the ‘behind the scenes’ experts – know their passions and inspirations. We also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions of users and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Gourav Bhandari, Digital Consultant at Robosoft. Gourav started his career with Robosoft and has been a part of our team for close to 3 years now.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies, and more?

I come from a Rajasthani lineage, but I was born and brought up in a town bordering Maharashtra and Karnataka, and now I am living in Hyderabad. Multicultural experiences and good memories from every place I have stayed have guided and taught me a lot of life lessons so far.

Empathy and putting the needs of others before my own has been my guiding principle in life.

I am always excited to meet new people and learning about their lives and experiences that make them who they are. I find it fascinating to know these stories, there’s so much to learn from everyone. I strive to make people feel comfortable in my presence.

I love traveling and going on solo treks. Before the pandemic, I traveled to a new place every season. I really hope to do that again soon, after the pandemic is over. Traveling allows me to adapt to new situations and use my planning skills to ensure I have the most fun I can. In my free time, I also love to binge-watch, some times I watch my favorite shows or series multiple times.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

After completing my MBA in Marketing, I joined Robosoft as a digital consultant almost 3 years years ago. When I was starting my career, I was unsure of a career path, but I found the right mentors and the right direction for my career here.

Interacting with global clients, working on multiple domains & various projects, and solving a new problem daily are the reasons why I love to work here. Robosoft has always given me a lot of scope for future growth – I don’t think any other company would have given a fresher like me the challenging responsibilities as I have here. Every time I faced difficulties in my work, I was mentored and guided by my supervisors and peers. Whatever I have learned so far, has positively impacted my career and will help me grow in the future too. The experience I have had with Robosoft has done wonders for my self-belief and made me a more confident professional.

To be a part of an organization where the learning curve is great, hard work is appreciated, innovation in work styles and freedom to express and explore is encouraged is a perfect fit for my expectations, and like-minded colleagues make it an icing on the cake!

I like to grow every single day. Incremental growth is what drives my happiness, and not long term milestones and achievements. I like to be challenged in any task I pick up, and that is why I chose the path to be a digital consultant at Robosoft.

Q: How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

For me, the quarantine phase has been about learning new skills like cooking and realizing that I am rather good at it 🙂

For someone who loves to travel, quarantine would have been hard if not for the valuable time spent with family, which has been a blessing in these times. That being said, I have a newfound respect for a productive environment to work in and the importance of balance in self-discipline and socializing.

Over time, not having a team to rely on just a few feet away has made me more independent and proactive. One thing that has been a revelation is the importance of taking short breaks every 2-3 hours. I have realized working for long hours continuously without breaks is counter-productive, it is always better to take out some time to relax even in between a very busy day to maintain your efficiency.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

When I was starting my career, I wasn’t too fixated on what I wanted to do, and that I think helped me at some levels. What also helped was exploring different opportunities and roles, to find a role that gives me inner happiness. My advice would be while starting your professional journey, try to not stick to a concrete role definition, instead to be open to different experiences. Everything seems challenging at first, but “nothing apart from rocket science is rocket science”. A fresher’s real talent is the hunger for knowledge and experience, and one should make efforts to sustain that hunger by learning every day and resist complacency.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

Digitization is no longer a desire, the market now sees it as a need. The world has been forced to innovate, and companies have tasted what agile offerings can do to their business. Drastic change seems to be the new normal in the coming years. IT is an enabler industry that helps organizations gain a flexible, scalable, and connected relationship with their customers, and as such has an optimistic scope in the perceivable future.

At Robosoft, our mission is to create digital solutions that simplify lives of millions across the globe. Our talented team of software and product engineers, design thinkers, digital consultants and more, consistently work towards driving this mission.

In our interview-based series, we chat with the ‘behind the scenes’ experts – know their passions and inspirations. We will also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions of users and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Prabhav Kumar, Project Leader at Robosoft. Prabhav has been a part of our team for close to 5 years now.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies and more?

The importance of being kind, humble, straightforward, transparent, and understanding the difference between the “needs” and “wants” in life are some of the ideologies I have learned and refined at the right time in my life. I’m ever grateful to my parents for encouraging my interests and lending support in all my endeavors. I take life as it comes and don’t complicate life-events.

I’ve been an avid sports-person since childhood. I’ve had the opportunity to explore skating, table tennis, and badminton at state and district levels. I also engage myself in music, and singing continues to be my go-to stress buster. Look me up on YouTube. I hope I just got myself another subscriber 🙂 and… I love pets!

As a professional, I’ve been a QA engineer & worked on test automation in the insurance domain, developed applications on iOS platform on the VMS domain, and am now working as a Project Manager delivering projects on web and mobile platforms.

I follow a very simple Mantra in life. “Did something great happen? Don’t get ecstatic! It’ll pass. Did something terrible happen? Don’t worry. That too, shall pass!”

I believe in keeping it simple, having fun, spreading love and happiness, and that is something everyone needs to embrace. It invariably gives us the strength, courage, and competence to tackle all our problems easily. This applies at work too.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

During my engineering days, I had heard about Robosoft being the tech innovator where employees got to work on fancy Apple gadgets. Around 11 years ago, for a select few in my class, it was a feat in itself to get through all the screening rounds at Robosoft. Unlike the tech giants, where freshers “have fun” enjoying the amenities, we knew we’d actually have fun getting our hands dirty working on the latest tech with profound professionals, who were enthusiastic about making a difference in the industry. December 2015 is when I received an interview call from Robosoft, and my journey began in January 2016 as a Senior iOS developer.

I worked in that role for around 3 years with some great tech minds and learned a lot. In due course, I approached my mentors with my plans and about my other areas of interest at work. I was thrilled when I was given an opportunity to transition to project management and delivery. I took maximum advantage of my experience in QA & Mobile app development and put it all into action along with the newly assigned responsibilities. It gave me a holistic view at a microscopic level, right from inception to delivery of the products we worked on. It only proved that Robosoft respects and supports the interests of their motivated employees who can make a difference – this inspires me and propels me to give my best in the interests of the company and our clients.

Q: How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

Well, being home-bound for a prolonged period is something that no one anticipated, and let’s accept, no one was equipped with all the necessities for a pandemic like this.

I stuck to my Mantra. For the teams I work with, it was all about how mentally prepared we were to adapt to the changes presented and collaborate. Without a doubt, Robosoft did a fantastic job of helping with the initial set up when we started working from home.

Yes, the transition was tough & challenging. Yes, we felt lonely with minimum human interaction. Yes, we missed working at our office spaces, hanging around with friends, lunch & tea breaks. But we did make the best of the alternatives we had at our disposal. We had video calls occasionally to catch up with the team, discussing everything but work, and everyone had stories to share.

We also had “Chai-pe-Charcha” with our HR team and COO. Everyone had a gala time dressing up and sharing stories. People sang & played instruments. It was a subtle gesture, yet extremely refreshing. These small moments made a big difference in these tough times.

Most of us would agree that the reality is that we are working longer hours from home. Initially, I believe, it was the absence of face-to-face communication that led to us taking a longer time to achieve even the smallest of tasks. But now, we’ve acclimated ourselves around it and found effective ways to communicate. So let’s use that additional time we have—especially the time saved from “not commuting”— to be with family, friends and loved ones.

I’m certain the transition after the office reopens would be equally challenging as we wouldn’t be able to dedicate the time we’re now giving towards work. We’d have to re-think around making adjustments to the schedules that we are now set to. We’ve got to be prepared for that!

My advice to peers: give yourself at least an hour every day to meditate, workout, listen to music, read novels or do anything that freshens your mind and body. Avoid News during this time as it only poisons your mind with political drama, crime, hatred, and all the heinous acts of the so-called humans. Mental rejuvenation plays a critical role in being productive at what you do. Do something that relaxes your mind and doesn’t get you anxious or worried about what’s happening around.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Always follow your dreams; not someone else’s. Listen to the inner voice that tingles happiness when you do something productive. Yes, there are researches going on in edge computing, XR (Extended Reality), AI, ML, IoT, Blockchain, Data Science, etc., to make our lives easier, but that’s not the only path to the future. There’s a plethora of unexplored paths that might be perfect for you. Identify the path that gets you going and pursue a career in it.

Having said that, technology keeps evolving in ways we cannot fathom at times. Have a progressive outlook and keep yourself updated on what’s upcoming & trending in your field of work. Follow relevant Blogs, Podcasts, YouTubers, and the multitude of options you have access to, to gain all the knowledge you can absorb. Never stop learning, and you’ll never run out of opportunities in your field.

I’d also recommend subscribing to websites like Udemy, Skillshare, Edureka, Coursera and similar platforms to learn more about technology that interests and inspires you.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

In my view, the “as a Service” model would be the way forward. Most companies use SaaS to obtain services for a fee so that they can focus on their core business. So why not work on building one! Think of a modern tech and make it available as a service and you’ll find a customer base for it. Eg: AIaaS (AI as a Service), BaaS (Blockchain as a Service), DaaS (Data as a Service), IDaaS (Identity as a Service) to name a few.

This is again a small fish in the ocean, and the ocean is out there for us to explore. The tech industry will never fade; it’ll keep evolving, and as far as we are equipped with the technology and knowledge to support the evolution, we’ll always remain in the spotlight.