Star Interview by Ridheesh Amarthya

This interview has been written by Ridheesh Amarthya. Read this article till the end to know about his experience!

What are you most passionate about and why?

I would say I am most passionate about computers. For as long as I can remember, I have been lucky enough to have a computer and parents willing to let me experiment. I wanted to know how it worked and understand all the specifics.

This got me into computer hardware and programming. As a teenager, I convinced my parents to let me build my own computer, as it would be “educational.” I just wanted to play games on it, but the process of researching the parts and assembling it taught me a lot. Unlike most computer nerds, I took up programming at the end of my teenage years.

I did build basic websites before that, but that was more of a school project than a passion project. Gaming is what got me into programming; seeing my instructions translate into graphics on a monitor still amazes me.

If you have one superpower, what would it be and why?

If I could have one superpower, it would be the power to control probability. This is the most overpowered ability and is kind of like a superset of all the other superpowers. It is not very likely that you will get a billion dollars, but the probability is never zero.

This is true for any statement. The chances of it happening may be infinitesimally small, but never zero. Flight? Invisibility? Getting all the answers on a test right? Works for all of them! Might be a little hard to control, though.

How do your friends describe you?

I asked my friends how they would describe me, and the answers I got were “annoying” and “forgetful.” I would agree. But I also like to think that at the very least they wanted to add that I am helpful and easy to talk to but were too shy to say it out loud. I try to help out when I can and try to be there when anyone needs me.

Please tell us about your role as an Eco Researcher.

Working at a London-based startup was my first true professional international experience. I got to talk to people from all across the globe, which was really cool. It is a startup, I was initially hired as a Data Science Intern but was quickly assimilated into the research team, where I had the job of automating data procurement and data processing.

If I am honest, I did not know much about Data Science before. I had experience with web scraping, but that was it. Being able to understand their requirements and help them out was my focus. As the construction industry is slow to adopt any new technologies, most of their work is manual. With a few Python scripts, I was able to cut down their working hours significantly by automating repetitive tasks.

Tell us about your favorite games. How gaming has influenced your personality and agility?

As a kid, my first game was Road Rash. But the title of my favorite game goes to the Halo saga. My decision is heavily influenced by nostalgia. I got my hands on a trial version of Halo CE and played the one included mission a hundred times. I wanted to play the whole game, but could not get my parents to get me a copy, and even if I could, I did not know where to get it.

Thus began my quest to find it on the internet. This helped me gain a few “skills.” Although installing fishy files from the internet in 2007 did break my system a few times, I was able to learn how to reinstall Windows after a few years of trial and error (The technician made several visits.) After gaining a bit of financial independence thanks to paid internships and part-time work, I was able to play all the games I wanted; here I found my other favorites, such as Factorio, which just feeds my inner engineer.

Please share your experience at Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2022.

My team and I entered the SIH 2022 reluctantly. I chose a topic that no other team was interested in, in hindsight, this is what got us to the finals. Only a week before did we just being to understand the scope of our project.

When we were finally at the hackathon and got to interact with ISRO scientists, we collectively realized we had been grossly underestimating the event. This was further cemented when the event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was a great opportunity, and we gave it our all. My determination got me through 48 hours of programming without sleep or rest.

Before the final review, we were able to cobble together a working prototype. We were happy to have our project accepted by the ISRO scientists, but we missed out on the winning position. I decided to take my experience positively and have learned to never underestimate any project. Everyone should always try to give it their best shot.

What is the most important advice you would like to give to your juniors?

For me, the most important code is to always believe in yourself first. It is important to listen to what others have to say and take their advice, but it will always be up to you to make the final call. Do what you feel is right, not what everyone else is doing.

Sometimes you will not know what you want, and that is perfectly normal. It is in these times that you should take advice from people with experience and those you trust. I try to live by this code, and it translates into my philosophy of valuing your own time. Your time is precious; don’t waste it away. If you don’t believe that your time is valuable, others won’t either.

Think of time like a currency; you should spend some on yourself, not ignoring the basic requirements that need to be fulfilled. Rest, you get to spend as you see fit! You may invest it in something useful that will help you in the future or spend it with the ones you love. Try not to waste it on unfulfilling, shallow tasks.