Reza Ilham Mubaroq — Harmonising the code and sound
Pairs can come in many different forms, flavours, and flourishes. Just like an acoustic guitar with a celluloid pick, or a self-taught learner with hard-boiled ambition, today we turn the spotlight on to one talented iOS software engineer who has richly cultivated a mighty pairing of his own.
Located in the heart of Jakarta, and with a heart that’s twice the size of the city, Reza Ilham Mubaroq is that talented individual. He has quietly made his name in the world of engineering and startup since 2013, and on the other hand, exuberantly making hits of his own in the realm of music.
Whether it’s his contagious kindness, his never-give-up attitude, or having that stalwart heart, one thing is for certain: Reza’s ready to make a real change.
Are you ready to join him on this indelible journey ahead?
Self-engineered into development
Unlike your average individual, not everyone ends up doing what they love and what they’re passionate about. And fewer do what they want to do in their adult lives. For Reza, “engineering” was never at the top of his mind, especially not throughout his formative years.
Reza began his engineering journey by first enroling into one of the state vocational high schools in the city of Bandung, pursuing an education in computer software engineering. While it wasn’t until 2015 did he then become a full-fledged iOS software engineer, he first broke into the IT and tech industry by making his mark as a web developer.
“Straight from my high school, all I knew was HTML and PHP, so I started working as a web developer,” he explained. Reza had bigger ambitions than just typing code and just pushing publish. He wanted to do more than what was served for him, and carve out his own riches.
Instead of a road filled with smiles or littered with shiny gold, or of a peace of mind, that was not at all what Reza got.
When he graduated in 2013, Reza was interested in continuing his studies and to enter a college. Hailing from a humble background, his parents didn’t have the resources needed to help him set that dream alight.
Despite being disheartened at cutting off that dream early, he kept his head up high and kick-started his career into web development. Eventually, he fast-tracked his way into gaining the requisite experience and knowledge as a software engineer, and he never looked back.
Before he started working as a web developer, Reza had also started on his fascination with electronics, and one in particular caught his eye: the iPhone.
“When my dad worked as a secondhand technician at an electronics store, that store had an iPhone 3G I believe, and I used to use that phone everyday,” Reza said. “So I said to myself that someday, I will work on an app for the iPhone.”
That opportunity soon came knocking in just a few years while he was working at his previous company, when his boss at the time asked Reza if he would like to learn about the iPhone. “I said yes, of course! He would tell me about the projects, and I got to work on the iMac, and learnt all about iOS software engineering in the office,” he explained.
For many, “self” and “learning” are two completely different words that may never come into contact with each other. For Reza, there is only one word: self-learning. And that word shows up everyday, in every way.
Since he broke through into web development, Reza has pretty much had to learn everything there is to know about engineering all by himself.
“I learned programming from YouTube, from Wikipedia, learned it all from home, on my Windows laptop,” he said. “I was a self-taught engineer. I didn’t know of any class for iOS at the time, and I had no money for it anyway.”
“I didn’t have enough resources to learn, but I had friends and so I asked them for help. We worked on real projects for iOS, and even if the code wasn’t good, in fact it was very bad, that was how we all learned from it.”
With the newfound knowledge and confidence that his learnings brought him, Reza leapt into his role as an iOS software engineer, and since, has continued to shape, sharpen, and further improve his skills.
Coding the ‘i’ in iOS
Transition is difficult. Despite the skills and knowledge Reza got from his previous role as a web developer and in his own learnings on his own time, the switch to becoming an iOS software engineer was no small feat.
When asked if he faced any challenges when he shifted into the role of an iOS software engineer, Reza’s answer was a resounding “yes”. He followed up by saying that the soft skills and technical logic behind both roles are dissimilar, even if it might appear to be the same from the outside looking in. Just because they have ‘engineer’ or ‘developer’ in their roles doesn’t mean that they develop in that same way.
The fundamentals we inherit from one role doesn’t automatically disappear when we step into another. Soft skills such as communication and idea execution remain the same; but the software and the platforms we use can be adapted to fit how we approach it.
Reza understood that more than most. Being a self-learner, he was able to pick up the tools of the trade and leverage it, so that no matter the role he’s placed in, he can always make the best of his situation.
Since his transition, Reza has found that he has been far happier, with more productive days than not, and constantly finding more ways to test and push his personal limits.
“For me, I think it’s just to keep moving, and to fight through it,” Reza said matter-of-factly on the advice that he would give to individuals looking to break into the world of engineering. The two consecutive words ‘keep moving’ were also the same words that he used constantly when talking about pressure, stress, and the challenges he faced throughout his career and in his personal life. And the two words have very much so become his own mantra.
One of the many challenges that engineers face happens to be the communication breakdowns that may occur between themselves and a designer working on the project, and Reza opens up on his experience.
“It’s difficult to manage communication breakdowns because I don’t check Figma everyday,” he explained. “We’re not really creating the design and the component, but breakdowns happen sometimes when tasks are done and items are moved, and we’re not told about the changes or about the updates.”
Heated discussions between design and development should not be common amongst projects and initiatives, and when it comes to defusing them, Reza suggests for both parties to be understanding of the other’s heavy workload.
“Development is difficult as the data is harder to implement. I think designers and engineers should talk more often with one another. Just communicating on the Figma board is not enough,” he said on how these breakdown in communications can be resolved.
With almost 10 years of engineering experience in total, one could argue that Reza has probably seen a lot. In that same span of time, evolution has taken technology to a whole new place, and in the year of 2023, we’re talking about one aspect that is eagerly illuminating around the world: AI.
“The landscape of engineering has evolved for good, but it is also scary. Just like the movie with the robots, they will take over our world. I think that’s exciting, and sometimes scary. AI is scary.”
As gears shift and trends settle into place, Reza also has his eyes on any updates in the tech scene too.
“I mostly get my tech news from Twitter and YouTube,” he said. “I also try to learn and practice anything new that I read too.” Reza also mentioned he follows many tech experts, including iOS software engineer Mayuko Inoue, who previously worked for Patreon, Intuit, as well as Netflix. Her videos enlighten others into the world of engineering, and helps individuals like Reza answer questions around life within tech.
Reza also explains that moving to become an iOS software engineer has been his biggest win. “If I hadn’t moved, I would probably not be doing as well as a web developer. I just feel that I can do better in my current role.” He credits the first banking app that he ever built with his team as one of the milestones he’ll remember as an iOS software engineer.
And so, with one foot forward and an ambitious mind set to roam free, one thing could never escape Reza’s thoughts: his unyielding love for music.
The sound of music
As far back as he could remember, Reza was certain that he had wanted to be a musician, even when he was just a little boy. One of his first few influences was Nazril Irham, better known professionally as Ariel, where he discovered songs such as Semua Tentang Kita from Ariel’s band, Peterpan.
That opened his eyes (and ears) up to wanting to play, record, and most importantly, write his own kind of music.
When asked if he could go back in time and still choose to be a software engineer, he replied simply:
“I would be a musician if I could, but I would choose not to since I can do both engineering and play music right now. I just want to create and produce music for a long time. I want to pursue my dreams.”
Melancholy and reflection seems to be Reza’s point-of-view when it comes to making music, and his catalog of chill symphonies mirror that to a large degree. “My songs always come from my real life experiences, and I try to write that kind of music,” he explained.
Reza’s latest song, ‘Oh Shit! I’m Getting Old’, is undeniably a look-back and a look-ahead at his life trajectory thus far. He laments about the stresses of life, on finding a partner, on what the future holds and more as he croons along to a catchy chorus.
“I remembered in October 2021, my best friend was getting married. I arrived at the wedding party, and saw all of my friends with kids, some of them even with 2,” he explained about the story behind the song. “Some of them even had degrees from another country, so I just thought: ‘oh shit, I’m getting old!’”
“On my birthday in January, I wanted to give myself a gift, so this song (‘Oh Shit! I’m Getting Old’) was a gift from myself to me. I know at my age, I won’t receive any presents from other people, so I decided to give a gift to myself instead.”
On his next project, he’s already got a well-cooked idea and a plan in place. “My next song is going to be in the city pop genre, talking about the future and next year, and about waiting for happiness,” Reza said. He teased that the elements of hip-hop, guitar, punk, and possibly cyberpunk could make their way into his next song, though only time will tell if he chooses to use some or all of them.
Reza also brought up the possibility of having ChatGPT be his partner in rhyme. “I use ChatGPT everyday. It helps me write rhymes and lyrics about anything, but my next song could be written by ChatGPT. It could be fun!”
Even if AI is scary, we must admit: it can also be a helpful tool not just for writers, but for musicians like Reza himself.
An act of kindness and positivity
Where the darkness is heaviest, the undimmed light shines brightest. And Reza has harnessed exactly that, wielding kindness and positivity as he confronts life and the world around him.
“What you will always have is the ability to keep fighting, and not to run. I always do that, I never run, and I always try to fight,” he said. “I always try to be kind to everyone, because I truly believe that networking and making genuine connections with people is what’s helped me get to where I am today.”
Reza credited his father for instilling him these values that he’s grown to embrace and use in his life.
“I learned it all from my father. He gave me the motivation, and I learnt to “keep fighting” from him, because he always says to me that you can do anything. He tells me everyday that I need to smile and to believe in myself.”
Even today, as Reza is enroled into a college doing a part-time degree on marketing communications, he continues to keep his chin up and stay positive and focused. “I first started in the middle of 2022, and I had a dream that I wanted to have my own start-up in the future,” he said. To him, the first step is to acquire a degree.
It’s no small feat to juggle studies after work, and Reza’s witnessed it first-hand. “I miss my classes sometimes! But that’s why I try. I miss a lot of classes, but the requirement for me is that when the final exam comes, I do my best to finish it,” he said.
“My mother wanted me to go to college, to be a degree-holder. She always talks about the importance of having a college education. I wanted to do it to make her happy.”
Dependability and usefulness are some of the identifiable characteristics that Reza strives to have in life. Even if he may not have the time nor the understanding to do it, he always puts his best foot forward. That also means surrounding himself with good friends who support him, push him, and in the same way, allow him to be the best version of himself.
One of Reza’s favourite quotes from The Holy Quran also further cements this thought: ‘The best human being is the most useful for others’. He says that “I want to teach coding to children, and if I have all the time in the world, I want to visit the places I’ve never been able to.”
On the personal side of things, Reza has one goal that he’s set for himself. In a year filled with significant pairs, he’s on the lookout to get paired up too. “Usually, every year I want to reach greater demands about my job or hobby, but this year, I want to focus more on my personal life, to find the perfect woman and settle down.”
Reza’s strength lies in his ability to pursue the beautiful significance in the complex fabric of life, with an attitude that’s strong enough to karate chop hate and hatred in half. And with a heart of gold, a sense for sound, and a penchant for deep, deep sentimentality, there’s just no one else in the world that pairs code and sound better than him.
In a world where technology and evolution go hand-in-hand and move faster than The Flash in a bright, red blur, the ability to be kind and positive are two of the biggest attributes we must never lose. And Reza’s got it down pat.
How are you setting your marks? And are you pursuing your dreams? If there’s one thing that we can learn from Reza, it’s that there’s never a wrong time or a later day to start doing what you love.
After all, if not today, then when?
Special thanks to Reza Ilham Mubaroq for sharing his story and to Syasya Nur Nasriyah for interviewing.
