Software Architect Apratim Sharma might not have grown up around computers, but his love of mathematics and science, particularly physics, instilled in him a love of tackling puzzles using formulas and equations. And this is something he has since brought to his coding career.
“From the first time I used a computer, I really loved it. And it turned out I was pretty good with them — so that helped me to become a programmer. I have gone from designing a game for fun — and winning a coding competition as a result — to building enterprise software.”
For Apratim, problem-solving is more than just a skill he brings to the workplace — it’s a habit, a way of life. And it’s through coding that he comes up with solutions. “I love coding, and not everybody gets to do a job they love, so that fulfilment makes me feel happy and energized at work.”
Shelly Antony, Director of Applications in R&D at eMeter, shares his passion for overcoming problems. “What motivates me is basically a constant challenge — and I’ve never felt like I’m stagnating on this project,” says Shelly. “In fact, I’m always growing, I’m learning every day and that makes me get up in the morning and head into work.”
Both work with eMeter — meter data management software that’s used in utilities across the globe — and their teams also build products in different areas in the energy management and energy efficiency sector. These are areas that are constantly changing, requiring an agile approach to problem-solving.
Curiosity drives them and their colleagues
“If you’re curious, if you’re engaged, and if you’re passionate you can do whatever you want,” says Shelly, who has surrounded herself with a team of technology enthusiasts. “We work with the latest technology, and that gives people a chance to grow and to experiment with new innovations.”
Praising the workplace dynamic of eMeter, a start-up that was acquired by Siemens in 2012, Shelly says her team really benefits from the open work culture. “We want people to give 150%, and we are keen to enable that. Everybody’s walking toward that common R&D roadmap that we have carved out for us, but people are encouraged to share their ideas and address any concerns they might have.”
This focus on collaboration and plotting a journey that everyone can follow is also something Apratim enjoys, and he outlines how he and his colleagues come up with solutions in front of a whiteboard. “We brainstorm a number of iterations, and then get to prototyping — we just write quick and dirty code to make sure the solution is somewhere near where we want to go. As we progress we might find more issues or more requirements, and so it’s back to the whiteboard to improve those things.”
Sharing skills, sharing social time
From managers to software architects and developers to coders, Shelly says the team is made up of very strong individual contributors and everyone has a clear role to play. To keep the channels of communication and collaboration open, social activities outside of the workplace have proven to be a huge hit.
“We might go bowling and follow that up with a nice lunch — and it’s important that we spend this time together,” says Shelly. “It means we move away from the office environment, where everything is about the work, technical problems or customer issues, and have fun. We always come back energized.”
From religious celebrations like Holi — the Hindu springtime festival of color — to sporting pastimes like whitewater rafting, the time spent socializing is a great way to get everyone talking. “People have different skills,” says Shelly, “but when you put them in a room together, great things happen.”
Shelly Antony is Director of Applications in R&D at eMeter, a meter data management system, and Apratim Sharma is a Software Architect. Find out more about working at Siemens.
