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 Pramila S Shetty Senior Test Engineer at Robosoft. Pramila started her career with Robosoft and has been a part of our team for over 13 years now.
Q: Can you tell us about yourself – your family, interests, and work philosophy?
I was born in Udupi and spent my childhood in Mumbai. I moved back to Udupi when I was in High school, and completed my studies there. My childhood was spent in the lush green rural areas of Udupi since my family had an agricultural background. I loved growing up amidst the greenery and that has helped me appreciate nature and stay connected to my roots.
I am an optimistic person and always try to look at the positive side of any circumstance. I truly believe in persistence and hard work and live by the motto ‘try and try until you succeed’. This philosophy helps me to chase after my dreams and not give up easily.
My favorite hobby is spending time and goofing around with my year-and-half old kid. I like singing and dancing too, it helps me rejuvenate after a long day. I love to wear the chef’s hat in my free time and experiment with new recipes. It gives me immense joy when the dish turns out exactly as I wanted and everyone enjoys it too.
Q: What made you choose Robosoft & what is it that inspires you?
I was in college when the Robosoft Udupi campus was being built. I was really fascinated by this IT company operating from our small town of Udupi. I and my friends often discussed how amazing it would be to get an opportunity to work here. And, as luck would have it, I did get that chance.
After my BCA I got interviewed and joined Robosoft as a member of the Creative Works Department as a technical writer. As I learnt more, my interest grew in moving to the technical side of things and be a part of the engineering team that creates these amazing digital experiences. Robosoft gave me that opportunity and helped me make a shift. I moved to the SQA team. In parallel, I also completed my Masters’s degree and got a chance to join the QA and testing team.
My mentors at Robosoft supported me throughout my career journey. They not only helped me switch my career path and move to QA, they mentored me and motivated me to excel too.
Q: How has work from home been for you? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities? Any advice to peers?
The initial days of WFH when there were strict lockdowns were quite challenging. I had to adapt to a completely different routine than what I was used to. Besides managing a little kid, work, and household chores between just me and my spouse did become difficult. But slowly we figured a routine and processes to manage everything efficiently. I created a proper schedule for my project as well as household work. This helped me manage my responsibilities. Also, being flexible in setting my routine helped, I did not bother too much if day-to-day activities weren’t happening as before, I adapted to the situation. This helped me be at mental peace.
My advice to everyone working from home would be to have a planned set of tasks to complete each day and to prioritize the tasks. Know what is expected of you, and put in your best efforts. Also, remember to not be too tough on yourselves, and take time out to de-stress by doing whatever you enjoy doing like following your hobby or spending time with family.
Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?
My advice to freshers would be to take guidance from their seniors who are already in the field or lecturers and be informed about the career scope, before choosing a stream of specialization. However, do find out what technologies you are really interested in – and gain expertise in that, rather than just following the trend. To succeed in a field, one should be interested in what they are doing.
Technology is always evolving. So to grow and succeed you should keep upskilling and be up-to-date with the latest technologies. Never become complacent with your current knowledge, since technologies become obsolete in a matter of years.
Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?
Although the Covid-19 pandemic had led to a slowdown of all industries including IT, the economy has slowly started recovering. The IT sector sustained and grew and will continue to do so, since automation is one aspect that almost every other industry relies upon, be it Banking, Media, or others.
Also with the advent of new technology trends like Artificial Intelligence, Machin Learning, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, the IT industry will see good growth in the years to come.
