Talk IT

29-May-2009

Ashan Kumar met Kalhara Welendagoda, Manager, Professional Services and Support hSenid Mobile Solutions to understand How ‘IT’ changed his life.

Manager, Professional Services and Support hSenid Mobile Solutions, Kalhara Welendagoda

His early childhood dream was wavering between the aspiration to become a doctor or an engineer. He finished his A/Ls in Mathematics and was selected to the Engineering faculty of Peradeniya University.

He graduated in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, born in Kandy, to a family which always valued education. His father was a Government servant, and mother, a housewife, Kalhara studied at St Anthony’s College, Kandy.

“I had my first encounters with computers at the age of 12. At that time computers were rare, the very simple ‘Sinclair’ or ‘Commodore’, hooked up to a 14” B&W TV set, ignited my interest in computers. I didn’t get the opportunity to get a feel of a computer frequently, but I made an effort to complete a basic diploma in computing.”

Why did you choose IT?

“The only possible reason would be the curiosity to understand inside out of the magic box called computers”. Feeding structured instructions to a piece of electronics and getting some output in a monitor or in a printer really amazed me. Tech magazines were writing about the wonders of Intel 486 AT and about the emergence of something called the ‘Internet’.

“Exhibitions like Infotel stimulated my interest further. During the university times, I got the chance to learn the fundamentals of computer software and hardware. By this time I had chosen IT as my future career, but was still wondering whether it would be hardware or software related.

Finally during the final year in the University I decided to follow Software. With the emergence of Open Source Software we can dig in to the source code and experiment anything you wish”.

Impact of IT

“This impact is huge. When I first stepped into hSenid, all I could boast of was the theoretical knowledge I gathered during university and had no exposure to the industry or to the industry standard software.

The initial five years of my career as a Software Support Engineer was rewarding. I had to travel frequently which I enjoyed a lot. During the first year itself I got the chance to travel to Europe and work on Mobile Applications that served industry giants in the world.

The multicultural exposure helped me improve interpersonal skills. Being a Support Engineer I had to deal with demanding customers, manage pressure situations and tough deadlines as a part of work life.

The second stage of my career is the role of a support manager where the responsibilities and accountability grew. I had to manage a team of young engineers that helped me grow my leadership skills.

Mentors

“The guidance given and the examples set by our CEO Dinesh Saparamadu, and the then Engineering Manager Himath Dissanayake, whom I consider as my role models in my career, helped shape me to what I am today.

I managed to follow the two year MBA program at the University of Colombo while working on tight overseas projects. I’m really happy with the way the past eight years of my career has progressed owing to the vast exposure I had.

Advice to the upcoming It individuals

“IT is the demand of the future. It is always enjoyable for those who have the passion and eagerness to learn. There is a great demand for qualified IT professionals in Sri Lanka. There are enough opportunities to get qualified. Technology is changing every minute, you have something to learn almost every day.

It was not so long ago when we talked about analog mobile telephony, but now it is 3.5 G. The trend will continue and the demand will not die out.

“Click the ‘refresh button’. “You have to make sure that you keep up with the technology in order to not become obsolete. One should never be content with the knowledge in the field. Be humble. Accept the fact that what you learn now may already be outdated, or will be in the next minute”.

There was a time when we thought the software industry is all about programing. It is not. Opportunities are boundless. Programing is just one area in the software engineering.

There are other areas like software testing, software support, software Implementation, business analysis, sales and pre-sales, these are avenues many youngsters are not aware of. Grab the opportunities.

“The country needs you to take the Sri Lankan IT industry to the next level”.

The war has always curbed the continuous market growth in Sri Lanka, with investors looking at other potential geographies for obvious advantages.

The present situation would no doubt attract more IT and BPO investments will be to the country, which would provide Sri Lankan youth with opportunities to prosper and experiment.