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• Can you tell us about your first experience using a computer?

  I have always had a knack for gadgets and went even crazy for digital gadgets. The first time I touched a computer was when I had to insert a diskette into a system unit when I was only about 7-8 years of age. Then computers had this iconic blue light and even though I couldn't make out much from the screen, it was fascinating regardless. Following this, I played around with typewriters, and organisers and even attempted odd tricks with series 40 mobile phones.

• What is the technological evolution that has marked you most and what will be, in your eyes, a turning point in this field?

  The technological evolution that has marked me most will have to be blockchain technology (and maybe artificial intelligence as well). Just like the invention of the internet brought about exponential changes and limitless possibilities, I believe blockchain technology will revolutionise a lot in the technology industry especially as it has to do with resolving the fears and inefficiencies of a centralised internet.

• Explain your expertise, your interest in it and, more broadly, its importance in the computer world.

  My major area of expertise is in design-focused web programming (specialising in JavaScript/Typescript language and user experience and interface design). I took interest mainly due to the flexibility of the web and its technologies. Although I have experience with other mainstream programming languages - PHP, Python and C/C++ - I'm largely interested in building web applications as more and more device types and form factors are getting connected to the internet (Internet of Things) and I feel the world of applications is fast transitioning into more web-based applications (progressive web applications) than native applications as they're more efficient for the end-user.

• Do so-called 'visionaries', such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg inspire you or do you have other role models?

  I have been highly inspired by the above visionaries a lot earlier in my career. However, I'm largely inspired by tech companies and their strategies as championed by their CEOs e.g. Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Tim Cook of Apple and Elon Musk of SpaceX/Tesla. I am also inspired by several thought leaders outside the tech space as well with examples being some of the early "stoic" philosophers - Zeno of Athens, and Marcus Aurelius.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I once got hired with 3 of my friends to build an e-commerce site barely 2 weeks after I started my web development journey. I barely knew anything other than HTML and CSS and I definitely had no idea something like WordPress or other website builders existed so we opted to build it from scratch. While 2 of my friends were like me - noobs, the other was actually quite good at server-side programming and so all our codes were collated on his PC. We didn't use any version control software, just passing code files around in a flash drive. His PC crashed just when we were due to present a working prototype to the client - weeks of codes were lost. Since that day, I began to learn the best practices and industry standards in approaching any project I ever undertook.

• What would you say to an uncomfortable person in front of a screen who says that "IT is too complicated"?

  IT seems complicated when you consider all the possible concepts you may have to learn, how fast the industry is moving and how daunting the rumours about the industry could get. Take a deep breath, first define your end goal and then pay attention to how IT can help you achieve that goal. There's always an opportunity for everyone in the IT industry, regardless of your field of interest.

• What are your other passions, related or non-related to computers?

  I am highly passionate about music, teaching and philosophy. I play the bass guitar and piano; I'm a volunteer instructor on several platforms as I want to help onboard more people into the tech industry as I'm certain this will create diversity in solutions, methodologies and overall advancement of the tech industry;

• What makes you a Superprof in IT?

  I'm an avid learner and I consider teaching my "superpower". I absolutely love simplifying concepts and mapping relationships between everyday actions and items with "rocket science" concepts to make them easily understandable.