Sky is the limit | Young Ideas

KIRAN PANDAY

At the Young Ideas forum this month, we brought together IT professionals and students to discuss the scope of IT. Information Technology is a vast field with numerous job prospects and by the end, we agreed that IT's scope is limitless.

On the professional side, we had: Ujjwal Thapa, multimedia designer who runs an IT company; Prajwol Shrestha and Pawan Shrestha (also owns an IT company), development engineers at Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya (MPP); Sunil Ghimire, professional system developer; and Dipankar Kasaju, creative director of Dreams and Ideas.

On the other side, we had aspiring IT students: Graduates in computer engineering Swasti Ghimire and Sagar Sapkota; Diploma students at Aptech, Bikram Adhikari and Prisma Dali; and undergraduate students of Information Management, Shekhar Maskey and Sami Shrestha. Excerpts:

WAVE: Is being an IT professional satisfying?
Ujjwal: I was always interested in designing as it required creativity. I enjoy working as a designer and am satisfied doing my own thing.
Pawan: At MPP, we develop systems and software that have the potential to change the face of IT for the local people. That gives me great satisfaction.
Sunil: I'm happy with what I do because I get total credit. It takes time and a lot of thinking to develop software but when I see it implemented and people benefiting, I feel good.
Dipankar: I'm very satisfied.

WAVE: To be studying a subject that changes everyday, what do you think of the curriculum, facilities, and faculty as an IT student?
Sagar: Our curriculum doesn't keep pace with new developments taking place in the IT world. At times, I feel I should have done a different course, not BE.
Swasti: The curriculum is only for marks. We can't make practical use of the theories taught. We can't even debug a simple virus.
Bikram: IT is a technical field and academically, we become jack-of-all-trades and master of none.
Shekhar: We need an innovative teaching approach to compete globally. Abroad, the curriculum is updated with the changes in IT.
Sami: I want to learn about computers. Guys learn from their peers, but for girls it's a different story. This course has, however, given me the base needed to learn.

Sunil: Blaming colleges and courses are self-set excuses because no college teaches how to deal with viruses and the like. The role of colleges is not to teach all but to lay a foundation so you can move on.
Swasti: The courses offered are more theory-based than practical; about 85 percent of IT students join because their friends are studying IT.
Shekhar: That's unfair. Kids are more career-conscious nowadays and you can't say 85 percent study IT because of peer pressure.

KIRAN PANDAY

Bikram: In the past two years, many IT colleges shut down as the boom subsided. Even IT-related jobs are hard to find now. We need to be 'experienced' in order to get jobs. Can you tell us how you recruit people?
Ujjwal: We go through resumes. It doesn't matter where you studied but experience is important. If you're experienced, it becomes easy for us to hire you. Work experience isn't mandatory if you've served an internship.

Shekhar: We study full-time. How can we manage internships?
Sunil: I was in the same position, Shekhar, but I took the initiative to make my own software and market it. Colleges provide good opportunities—they take you on field trips, you can use their resources. Make use of them.
Swasti: Not everyone can be Bill Gates, we have to talk in terms of average Nepali students.
Ujjwal: I don't like the word 'average'. If you have passion, you will do it. Internships are the best way to start your career. No one hires out of pity. The challenge is how you gain experience while studying. Pick up your phone and ask for internships.

WAVE (to professionals): With your experience, what do you have to say to the IT students?
Pawan: They need passion and patience. They need to know how they are going to stand on their own. They need to realise that computers could be used for multiple purposes.
Ujjwal: There's a difference between an artist and a technician. The way things are taught here produces technicians. I once sneaked into IT institutes to check out how they teach but got caught and thrown out. You should worry about what you want to do and how to make it happen. The focus should be on ideas, they are what guarantees a job.
Pawan: Someone said something about innovative ideas—stick to it.

WAVE (to professionals): What other factors do you consider?
Ujjwal: I would love a person who would call me on a Saturday morning to ask 'is the office open? Can I come to work?'
Sunil: There are companies that ask for long-term commitments. I know one that asks employees to sign a five-year contract. That's a turnoff.
Prajwol: From the company's point of view, it makes sense. That way, the company won't fall short of experienced people.
Pawan: Knowledge of domains is important, when you switch people you have to start from scratch.

Shekhar: Is it tough to start out on your own and survive?
Ujjwal: Idea-based initiatives are the strongest. But if you feel you don't have adequate knowledge, you can acquire it from resources. Try fixing a problem when it arises– that way you learn more.
Dipankar: I agree. Only when there is a problem can there be a solution. Another possibility is to approach co-workers.

WAVE: What about specific IT careers?
Dipankar: There are many opportunities and possibilities.
Sunil: There isn't much scope if you work only for your company but if you work on your own, it's limitless.
Pawan: I don't agree. I work in a company and also on my own. I feel there are possiblities in both, you might miss out on important things if you choose to go alone.
Shekhar: Confidence is important. We need more global knowledge.
Prajwol: Instead of limited learning, focus on research-based projects. There'll be tons of IT jobs but only in about a decade.
Ujjwal: Everything will be online in the future. People need to focus on being entrepreneurs—think of an idea and execute it. IT is a means, not an end. Use it to enhance your career.

The discussion continued informally even after the session, with participants exchanging ideas on marketing of software, salaries, Nepalinux, and visiting cards. Next month, same place, same magazine.