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If you are a technologist you cannot sit back on your past, say Priyank Kapadia
Pune city is buzzing with ‘technology knowledge share’, for instance, barcamp, foocamp, etc, and we had a huge community gathering who would come and talk about various technologies like Ruby, Adobe Flex, Agile Development practices, Blogging 101, HTML 5.
Pune Priyank Kapadia, alma mater of Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research (SICSR), is currently vice-president of a prominent investment bank, and an entrepreneur. Speaking to Hindustan Times he shares his mantra for success.
Tell us about your educational background? How were you in academics - a bright student, average or below average?
I did my Symbiosis MSc in Computer Application from Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research (SICSR) in 2008 with a specialisation in software development. To talk about how I was in academics, well I was a gold medallist.
What happened after graduation?
After graduation, I was driven by my passion towards giving back to society which led me into becoming a visiting faculty at the same institute, SICSR. Here I had the opportunity to mentor students on in-house projects and was also teaching various subjects in the Bachelor of Computer Application programme.Then, I started working for a product-based company and soon after took a plunge in the world of investment banking in Mumbai, with one of the top two investment banks globally.
Tell us about your journey to becoming the regional head of a prominent investment bank?
I began my journey as a developer, and I still continue to code. But, in the process, I continue to always challenge the status quo. I believe work ethics define us and not the titles,so I have always been thinking and acting like an entrepreneur. So, when that is imbibed in your culture you start creating an impact and along with that an essence of innovation has to be sprinkled on everything that is delivered in our field. I have had some phenomenal mentors and sponsors who have shaped my career and this is an integral part of a person's journey.
Tell us about your venture PHP camp and the current projects you are working on?
Around the time, 2009 to 2011, Pune city was buzzing with ‘technology knowledge share’, for instance, barcamp, foocamp, etc, and we had a huge community gathering who would come and talk about various technologies like Ruby, Adobe Flex, Agile Development practices, Blogging 101, HTML 5. Personal Home Page (PHP) or Hypertext Preprocessor as a technology was picking up pace during this time frame as well, hence, Amit Kumar Singh and I started PHP camp in Pune, which was focused on PHP and its relevant technologies to build a community.
What does the future look like?
I have only witnessed the tip of the iceberg, there is still a lot to learn. Technology is changing at a rapid pace and new processes are emerging which makes the future even more interesting. If you are a technologist you cannot sit back on your past laurels, you have to keep learning and evolve yourself over time, or else you stagnate.
