Coffee talk with a Software Engineer

Rahul Prasad has been working in Hewlett Packard in its System Software and Technology Division after completing his BE from RV College, Bangalore. Here is the excerpt of the talk I had with him regarding the career options in the field of IT.

What are you working on now?

I am working in a team which integrates HP Serviceguard (A high availability cluster product) with popular database and Internet applications like Apache, Tomcat, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Samba and Sendmail.

Why did you decide to take up this career?

Right from the time my dad brought me a PC I got hooked onto the world of computers and the Internet. I took Information Science and Engineering as my major for my BE and joined Hewlett Packard after graduation.

What are the different career options available for someone who aspires to study this course?

There are various roles in a software development life cycle. They include coders, testers, system administrators, Quality Assurance (QA), designers to name a few. After a few years of work ex one can either take a technical career path which includes such roles as system architects, technical consultants and so on or walk up the managerial ladder.

What is the potential in India? And abroad?

Currently IT products arena has a lot of potential especially in India. Until recently companies came to India for their low cost structure. However, now we are seeing a lot of R&D companies opening shop in India to tap the vast knowledge potential in the Indian sub continent. Even in abroad the IT industry and the Internet space is going through a lot of changes and is creating a lot of opportunities with varied skill sets.

Which are the best universities for this course as per you?

The IITs and the NITs are obviously the first sot-after colleges in the country.

What are the advantages of this career?

One can expect big pay packets, easy work environment, opportunity to work on some of the "coolest" technologies... the list goes on.

What are the drawbacks of this career, if any?

Since product development wing in India is an offshoot of the one in US, we are exposed to the economic and market uncertainties in US.

What is the hot thing in this field right now?

Currently virtualization technology is very hot in the market and a lot of products are being "virtualized"

Who is your role model in this field and why?

In the field that I am working on? I don't know any :) Anyway, in the IT sector in general there are many.

What is the future of this career 10 years down the line?

Technology is changing rapidly and the IT sector keeps reinventing itself every 10 years or so. So hard to predict.

What are the kind of specializations available?

Refer my previous answer

Which specialization is the most commonly sought after?

All the specializations have their merits and demerits and it is upto the individual to choose the one that he enjoys doing.

What are the kind of companies that hire people who take up this course?

IT product and services companies

How much does it cost for the course?

Various across universities.

What is your advise to students who wish to see this field as an option?

I believe there is a lot of development happening in this field and has ample growth opportunities of students wanting to opt it. So if you are passionate about building software systems this is the field you must pursue.

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