Bhavani Ravi
Featuring Bhavani Ravi for our SaturdayShoutout Initiative. Read on to hear her views on being a Pythonista, running communities and being a woman in tech!
How and when did you get started with Python?
Bhavani: 2016. I started my career as a part developer with a team headed by Dorai Thodla. The first task that was assigned to me was to Learn Python followed by the spec for my project. Until that day I didn’t know Python. It was my Java and PHP skills that helped me during the interview. Being proficient in Java, learning Python was a cakewalk. I was able to learn and complete the project in Python within a week and never looked back.
Java? What is that?
What motivated you to pursue a career in this field?
Bhavani: You can either call it accident or destiny.
When I saw my “print 10000” numbers program running forever in a Turbo C, I was hooked. The same hook happened when I found application development, then android, then machine learning. I think the concept of constantly learning and being fascinated by new technology is what led me to this career and I wanna stay that way forever.
What advice would you like to give to women starting their journey in this field?
Bhavani:
Sometimes it can be daunting
Sometimes it’s stressful
Sometimes you wish you were not here
Sometimes you feel you are better off doing something
I asked around and it looks like what we are feeling is valid, most of the people in tech feel that way irrespective of gender. Gladly for us, with so many women-in-tech communities around, we have more support systems than before.
The things that help me get through these hurdles
- Helping out via community
- Workout and meditation
- Having an amazing support system of friends and family
- And a lot of twitter :P
Can you tell us about that “one” kick-ass project that you developed using Python?
Bhavani: This is a tough one. Every project I worked on has made me a better Software Engineer.
The projects that I am currently building with Saama are top of my list. It has stretched me to a level that I have never imagined. There were times when I was just staring at the screen for 3 weeks straight to figure something out. I can’t really talk about what the project is or what it does but I can see that the kind of problems we are solving for pharma and life sciences are mind-blowing. I have discussed the challenges in detail in one of my blogs — https://bhavaniravi.com/blog/backend-engineer-behind-the-scenes
P.S.: By the way, We are always looking to work with amazing people like you. So if you are looking to work on amazing products with amazing people and want a sneak peek what we are doing, I will happy to discuss it over a call just write to me on Twitter.
What characteristics of Python make it your preferred programming language?
Bhavani: The fact that it’s so close to human language, It kind of grows in you. You don’t need a pseudocode/algorithm you can just open a *.py file and start jotting down your ideas in Python
“Thinking in Python” is real.
Who’s your favorite Pythonista?
Bhavani: Omg this list is sooo long.
My whole team at Saama is excellent Pythonistas, They have spoken at multiple Pycons
David Beazley — I saw him live to code on Pycon India last year and I am sold
Swaathi Kaarkala — CTO Skcript — I interviewed for Skcript once and she gave me a ton of feedback on how to improve my code, my style of programming changed a lot because of that interview.
Naren(Dudewhocode), GDG Chennai Vijay and Shreyas, Niharikka, Sharmila, Gokul from Python User Group Hyderabad.
How do you manage time between work and community activities? What motivates you to do so?
Bhavani: To be honest it’s becoming hard as the career demands more of you.
“As a community organizer, sometimes the weekend you want is sleeping the whole day or sipping coffee with a good book. But after signing off the event, realizing you impacted so many people’s lives is the best feeling in the world even better than getting your program working on the first run. Kudos to everyone who is doing that.”
What do you think is the main barrier for a woman in tech these days?
Bhavani: As much as we are exposed and evolved there are 2 things that hold us back
Internal — Our preconditioning, Inner critic, Internal barriers — This internal conflict is so draining. Getting over the conventional ideas I was brought up with is something I am working on.
External — Support system — You need a strong support system. Only a well-grounded tree can grow taller. It doesn’t always have to be family, it can be friends, community, workplace anything that keeps you rooted and helps you grow.
Do you think women can have it all?
Bhavani: Yes, I think women can have it all if she wants to. I know a few women who do not want to have it all and that should be fine too. Having denied even the basic rights for so long, Women should have the option to pursue whatever she wants.
