Words of Wisdom — An interview with GSoC Scholar Adarsh S.

On the evening of the 25th October 2019, instead of having the usual weekly FOSS discussions, we thought it would be a great idea to have an online Q&A Session with the GSoC Scholar — Adarsh S. Here is a compilation of the questions asked and the replies given.

Introduction:

The final year student at Government Model Engineering College Thrikkakara, Adarsh S is a Google Summer Of Code scholar(2018) who specialises in Data Analytics and Machine Learning. Using his analytical mind and the skills he possesses in the field of big-data, he is constantly trying to do what he can for the betterment of society.

Question 1: How did you realise that Data Science is your cup of tea? Did you try out other domains and then come to the conclusion that you are made for this field?

Adarsh S: Hmm,well I remember what Amruth Chand said during one of the FOSSMEC talks about the two types of searching(can be applied to learning methods as well :) — either going breadth-first or going in a depth-first fashion. In the first method, when you go breadth-wise, you explore a wide variety of fields before going in deep(eg. Taking different courses on backend, frontend,ML etc) whereas when you choose the depth first approach, you fix a topic and go head-first (generally all research is based on this approach) . Before Data-Science, I’ve experimented with front-end development, back-end works, AR/VR, ML etc. Only then did I realise that data-science is the thing for me as I like working with tech and am also somewhat into the business side of this as well.

Question 2: What made you stick with the Python language for your projects?

Adarsh S: It is mostly because of the truth that I hate languages which are closer to the machine (C, C++ are examples). I experimented with other languages like JS, C#, Java,Octave, Python etc. Due to some luck, one of the languages I started getting into actually became a favourite.

Question 3: How is the process of collecting dataset for your projects like?

Adarsh S: This is kind of a bummer, because collecting a dataset is not an easy task. You gotta sit down and think about what you gotta collect stuff on, how you gotta collect the stuff etc. In reality, it is not actually writing code for scrapping which is difficult, but it’s more about the kind of dataset you are collecting.

Question 4: How do you find the best events around like InOut, FOSSASIA International Summit etc?

Adarsh S: Well, I am quite active on Twitter and I follow a lot of developers there who share quite a lot of good stuff. A friend suggested to me FOSSASIA and sent me the link. Well, I suppose the lesson to be taken from this is to maintain a good network of people. Make contacts with folks who have got a lot more stuff than you do.

Question 5: Most people who know you consider you to be highly successful. What do you think could be the reason(s)?

Adarsh S: Hehe, being successful means having constant growth. Just because a company made a profit once, it cannot be called a successful entrepreneurship. The profits have to be continuously increasing as the time passes.

In my own perspective/view, I am not successful enough. But if you want my advice on how to be successful, then I would say: Never stop learning. Constant learning = constant growth.

Question 6:How did you become a Google Code-In mentor in your First year?

Adarsh S: Well, I asked one of the moderators if I could become a mentor(back in November 2016 when I had minimal skills) and guess what, he agreed! Looking back, I guess the key was having the courage to ask.

Question 7: In what all languages and frameworks were you proficient in by the end of the first year in college?

Adarsh S: Well, I knew the basics of Python, a wee bit of Django framework and JavaScript by the end of first-year. Also, I had the Google Code-In Mentor tag on my portfolio. The word “Google” gives so much boost to your portfolio. It eventually ended up getting me several internships.

Question 8: What all events did you attend during your first year in college?

Adarsh S: Actually, I attended almost none of the events during my first year. The only things I did were classes, trips and sitting in a room alone with a laptop; the reason being that there isn’t much you can contribute to when you are fresh out of school and you don’t know much stuff. However, I ended up being a mentor for Google Code-In 2016, by just talking and coding with people online, but then again as I said above, there was a huge luck factor associated with it.

Question 9: What all languages do you think will have a real impact on the future?

Adarsh S: I don’t have a really strong opinion. But I am pretty sure that data science will be a huge domain in the future. So Python and R would give a boost to your resume. The same is applicable for Scala as well. Oh, and SQL is a must. Whichever industry you go to, having a knowledge of SQL will be sure to benefit you.

Question 10: What are your favourite Fiction and Non- Fiction books?

Adarsh S: I don’t read much fiction. Of the couple of fiction books I have read, I would say: ‘You shall know our velocity’ by Dave Eggers. Then all the books by Albert Camus and all of Tolkien except for Silmarillion. The Non-fiction list is huge:

1. Zero to One; This book literally changed my life. I have read it over five times. It is very interesting and gives you a different view of the world and life. Give it a read, it is a small book.
2. Books by Malcolm Gladwell
3. Books by Cal Newport
4. Paul Graham Essays (Not books, but a list of over 200 blog posts)
5. How To Lie With Statistics.

I own a kindle which I use to read all the books. I feel that the Kindle could be a good investment for students.

Question 11:What are some things you wish you had done differently in the initial years of college?

Adarsh S: I don’t really look back much. In my opinion, the time you spend pondering on the past could be utilised for bettering the outcomes of the future. So I would say to not look back; unless you are introspecting of course; in that case, the lessons from the past can actually make you a better person.

Question 12: Why have you put “guyandtheworld” as your username in various social media platforms?

Adarsh S: Well, I have a really generic name and I wanted something unique to represent the “brand” without any underscores, numbers or anything of that sort. Apparently, “guyandtheworld” was available on Instagram and so I rolled with it on all social media.

Question 13: What advice do you have to give to the students who have the desire to learn a topic, but are not really ready to put in the efforts required to achieve mastery?

Adarsh S: Well first of all you should have a belief that what you are planning to learn will be beneficial for you in the future. Otherwise, you are merely wishing without having a proper desire. That said, try setting both small goals and long term goals. For example, “I would complete this feature to implement login and authentication in 7 days”(short — term goal setting) and “eventually I would become a good backend developer”(long — term goal setting).

Any Final Thoughts you would like to add:

Well, yes, first of all, do not place any senior, any developer, any entrepreneur or literally anyone on the pedestal. If you try to do that, then their achievements, however futile, becomes a bit mystical, which should never happen as it will then instil a sense of inferiority in your mind and will in one way or the other prevent you from achieving your goals. Everything is in fact achievable with a bit of persistence and hard work. We are all losers here, no one in this world has actually achieved anything which you couldn’t. The amount of hard work and dedication they put in is what actually makes the difference.

Secondly, I always suggest people to use email services when seeking advice or help, the reason being that, when someone is using a laptop he/she is actually sitting down to work or to do something productive. Whatsapp is usually used for leisure. Also, if you mail a person they will actually be able to type faster and they could also be having access to more info and resources which they might have in their computers. That said, feel free to contact me on: guyandtheworld@gmail.com.