IC SPOTLIGHT FEATURE — AUGUST
IC Feature of the Month: Arghya Mazumdar
Arghya Mazumdar is a Computer Science and Engineering graduate from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. Currently, he’s working in Microsoft as a software engineer in the business intelligence domain. He has a passion for solving data-centric problems and loves to build software applications for challenging requirements. When he’s am not working, he likes to play the guitar and make music videos. He’s also a huge football fan and loves to watch sitcoms.
Arghya was also a ranker in ISC 2015 Examinations and has also been featured in Telegraph YOU.
How did you discover your field of interest?
I think being a software engineer came naturally to me as I was into computer science from a young age. I was able to solve coding problems in my school life, but at that time, I didn’t realize the impact they can have in the real world.
People now think of computer science as a lucrative field, and as something which requires strong math and coding skills. While these aren’t false, these were not my motivations when I got into this field. I wanted to help society with my work and make applications that could benefit people. I wanted to apply common computer science concepts in areas like healthcare, public transport, education, etc. so that the world would be a more accessible place for us.
What were your key learnings from the interviews/application processes?
Firstly, I would want to say that you must always be confident in your abilities when you apply for an interview. For every opening, there will always be competition, but you should never get nervous and have faith in your abilities. You must prepare for the interview, and now there are so many online resources like GeeksforGeeks to do it. I would suggest you take any problem and try to think of its solution for 10–15 mins before seeing it and writing out the code if you have figured it out. This is almost what any software engineering interview is — writing down your solution within a time frame. The more you practice, the better you’ll get.
Also, try to research about the company that you are applying and figure out how you can help that organization more with your skills. Whatever be the result of the interview — it positive or negative, always remain humble and hardworking.
Sometimes things don’t work out in life, and the same happens in interviews but never get disheartened by it and focus on the opportunities which will come next.
What was your work with Goldman Sachs like?
I was very fortunate that my first experience as a software developer came in Goldman Sachs, one of the biggest investment banks in the world. My work there from a technical point was doing full-stack development of a web application that involved converting legacy code bases to modern technologies.
However, my learning from the internship went beyond this. I learned how an organization of the stature of Goldman works, how it is run, and how different engineering practices are over there in comparison to what we would have done in college. When I completed my project, I realized how essential teamwork and good communication is.
You have done 7 internships in your college. How did they help you?
(Laughs) I didn’t realize I had done so many internships. I think my primary motivation was to use the theoretical knowledge which I gained from college in real-life scenarios. I see that people nowadays do internships only for certificates or stipends. This should not be anyone’s primary goal. You should do internships because you are passionate about your field. The role of an intern is very different from a full-time employee because interns have more liberty in their daily work, and they come fresh from college, eager to put forward their innovative ideas.
Whether it was my research-oriented or company-specific internships, I not only explored the tech stacks and research ideas but also learned how all of this helped in designing a real solution that could benefit people. This is very different from a college project or lab assignment which you do and then forget.
You have been with Microsoft for a year now. How has the experience been?
The experience has been great to put it simply. Work- wise it is very challenging to come up with out-of-the-box ideas to specific problems and to push the limits of technology to the utmost. Apart from my daily responsibilities, I get encouraged to work on emerging areas and try to see how they can be incorporated into our existing ecosystem. The work-life balance I would also say is nice as I manage to get enough time to spend with my friends and family, which is essential. The culture of the company is one of the best I have seen or heard of as the values of integrity, accountability, team spirit, and empathy is rooted in the company’s ethics which has appealed to me widely.
What advice would you like to share for aspiring interns in software engineering?
Be passionate about what you do and work hard. This is the only advice that I have followed.
Any resources that could be helpful for students?
In terms of resources, practice coding problems (previous year questions ) from GeeksforGeeks, Interview Bit and give extra focus on data structures and algorithms because that is what is mainly asked in interviews. Do competitive coding in platforms like Codeforces and LeetCode and try to do short contests that have a time limit to mimic interview situations. Do not neglect what your professors teach in classes, especially for subjects like Database Management Systems, Operating Systems, Computer Architecture, or Computer Networks.
I have seen a tendency to only focus on coding and neglect these areas, but they are fundamental concepts that are asked in interviews, and not knowing them thoroughly will decrease your chances. In the end, always try to develop applications or better contribute to open source challenges like GSOC by utilizing this knowledge from coding and fundamental cs theory and read about System design (a lot of videos are there on YouTube only).
Data science enthusiasts, do Kaggle after you have acquainted yourself with the theories of Machine Learning. Lastly, be honest with yourself when you do these resources and ensure you are doing them properly even though initially it might take time.
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