Meet Technologist: Saheel Sakharkar
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Meticulous. I like to plan things out, even simple things like “what am I doing for dinner tonight?” Once I have a plan in place, I do my best to stick to it or reconfigure it when it’s no longer viable. No matter what I’m doing, I have a schedule in the back of my mind that’s factoring in the time I spend doing it.
Pragmatic. When push comes to shove, I find the best problem-solving methods are those that are tried and true. Why reinvent the wheel? There’s always a place for ingenuity, but most problems we run into are already solved in some capacity. We can save ourselves some trouble by utilizing those solutions.
Considerate. People like to say kindness is free or that it’s easy to be kind. While I agree with the sentiment, I find it easier not to be kind. It takes more effort to offer a helping hand than it does to ignore the person in need. However, it remains important for people to help each other, so while it is the harder route, I choose kindness.
Why did you join Strategio’s Simulator?
I resonate with Strategio’s mission to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion for underserved and underrepresented groups in the tech industry. Additionally, the Simulator program appealed to me as a means of learning and getting practical experience with technologies and frameworks in demand in the industry, things I could not pick up through academia.
What were you doing before you joined Strategio?
Before joining Strategio, I served as a volunteer programming tutor/mentor for undergraduate students.
What are you most excited about this year?
I’m most excited about joining Strategio! I’m confident that my experience in the Simulator will be challenging, enriching, and an overall fantastic opportunity. I’m sure I’ll look back on it fondly.
What made you decide to get into tech?
From a young age, I enjoyed solving puzzles. Jigsaws, riddles, math problems, you name it. That puzzle-solving aspect is what drew me to software development. Every software that’s created is designed to tackle a specific problem in an optimal fashion, which makes it its puzzle to crack. To me, there’s nothing more satisfying than coming up with that solution.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to spend my spare time with the people close to me. Having dinner with my parents, calling up a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while, and seeing a movie with my circle of friends are just a few of the things I get up to. There’s nothing more grounding than being with your loved ones.
What is your favorite cultural value at Strategio?
Be better.
If every day you try to be better than you were the day before, you can look back at the you from weeks, months, and years ago and be shocked at how far you’ve come. Whether professionally or personally, there’s always room to improve. I believe that is something to strive for.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Either the Arctic or the Antarctic Circle. There’s no good reason for it; it would be an entirely impractical trip, but I’m beyond curious about what it feels like to be in a region of nothing but ice.
What’s your favorite restaurant?
P.F. Chang’s. Fried rice is my weakness, and the most consistently good fried rice I’ve had is from P.F. Chang’s.
