Trisha Das
A Delhite by birth, a footballer, and a hardcore gamer, Arnav has spent the better part of his life in Pune, enjoying a more-or-less relaxed childhood. Although he loved coding, he was inclined more towards analysis than development and sought to accomplish just that!
“I got my first computer when I was 6. I have been into computers ever since. We had a dial-up connection back then. I used to play around with Microsoft’s Office, paint, and of course, video games.”
Arnav’s tone could easily convey how passionate he was about computers. And for a long time.
From LOGO to Java, he soon grew up, and so did the bug of programming. His brother, being a computer science engineer himself, helped him pursue further. Their parents were okay with whatever subject he chose, as long as it made him happy.
So, was his brother the inspiration behind his choice of career?
Arnav was pretty candid about it.
“I won’t say inspiration. He was more of a benchmark. He taught me most of the things I know, especially programming. He always pushed me to achieve more than what I was aiming for.”
But as much as he loved coding, he couldn’t see himself as a full-time developer.
“I was more interested in the analytic side of it, about how it worked,” was his remark.
Post his bachelor’s in engineering, Arnav landed a position as a game tester, which, he claimed, tickled his interest in QA.
It seemed like he had a fairly smooth journey, but that wasn’t so.
Working as a game tester made Arnav realize something that most of the corporate workforce can relate to — his contributions weren’t adding any significant value to either the organization or his own life. The real hurdle took shape when he attempted to switch.
“No company would take me seriously due to my former experience. Luckily, a friend referred my CV to Coditas and after an interview, I was selected! It’s been a good time since then.”
How has life at Coditas been for Arnav?
A QA engineer by designation, Arnav started off with testing software for bugs. In less than two years, he has taken up multiple responsibilities on his plate and even interviewed candidates for his team.
More importantly, he feels he has grown up a lot. He’s grateful for being bestowed with responsibilities. It helped set his priorities right, handle situations, and value a lot of things beyond the paycheck.
According to Arnav, everyone should work in a start-up at least once in their life. After joining the Coditas family, he realized that if you’re willing to go the extra mile, be it any role, learning opportunities are immense.
He is particularly proud of the fact that whatever he does now, holds meaning. His work brings impact— something he’d been striving to achieve since the very beginning.
“I love my project. I’ve been working on it for so long that it is a part of my life now. My team is great. And being here for 8 hours a day has made them a part of my life too. We have our fair share of fun while working together.”
In conclusion to our exclusive with Arnav, a message from him to all of us:
“Live life to the fullest. You never know when you die.”
