“My interview?” The surprise in the question is quickly replaced by a pragmatic shrug and out come tumbling the life and times of Shashikant with disarming honesty.
Hailing from Nanded in Marathwada, Shashikant first worked as a Telecom Engineer for a few months before switching to Mobile Application Development. For someone who loves to play strategy video games, this was only a logical outcome.
He seems to be enjoying his stint at Redbytes since last year.
“The work culture here is far superior to any other place. The team is very supportive, they constantly push you to do better. There is a sense of healthy competition. Also, I feel a sense of ownership when I work on a project. If you know you are trusted, both ownership and initiative come naturally”.
Shashikant firmly believes that whatever happens, happens for good. So even a few ups and downs in a project wouldn’t be considered setbacks, but rather as opportunities to create something better.
“Shashikant with Faceron app client and team members”
Besides, one cannot control everything in life. So, one must do one’s best and leave the rest to fate. Could things go wrong if you have done it right? Mostly not.
Shashikant says that he though he has his set of likes and dislikes, he is not finicky about it. Makes for an easier life. He loves to spend his free time watching all sorts of fantasy/mindbender movies and series like the Harry Potter series, The Mentalist, The Witcher etc.
This brings us to an important question. How does his mind work?
What is his process like, especially when it comes to a project?
“I thoroughly study the documentation related to that project. Then each one in our team thinks individually; after which, we brainstorm together. Ideas are tossed around and weighed for their consequences before being finalized. Usually, doing a new project also means you can learn something new. Not just with a technology, but also with managing a project”.
Shashikant is currently working on Shride – an electric bike rental app.
When asked what advice he would like to pass on to budding developers, the maturity of his answer belied his experience of only 3 years.
“We all need to understand and learn the fundamentals first. Strengthen your fundamentals first, then build your skills on it. Look around and prefer a technology. Then be loyal to that technology. It is difficult to excel at anything, unless one shows loyalty”.
Perhaps, this sagacity also reflects in his understanding of the future. “Mobile app development is a fast-paced, ever changing field. What was incredible yesterday, is possible today.
As you can see, the Swift 5+ version which we use for iOS app development is also available on various platforms like Windows, Linux etc. And we can use Swift on the server side as well as for Machine Learning too. Since technologies can adapt and grow, we should too.”