Skip to main content

Blog Interview I did in April 2013 - Hassan Voyeau

Image
By

Today we’re fortunate enough to share some time with Hassan Voyeau. Holding more than ten years experience in the field, applicable education and extensive technical expertise, he continues to seek ways to utilize and enhance his skills. His love for Information Technology doesn’t go unnoticed and is quite evident with his blog TECHTT.

He can be seen covering a range of topics at a very dedicated pace. Be sure to check it out.


1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

  • Years working in the field? 11
  • What position/positions do you hold now? Applications Programmer
  • What are your hobbies? Photography and walking
  • What are your passions? Technology


2. What made you decide to get into the world of ICT?

Secondary school classes. I was getting top scores in my secondary school computing class.

3. How have past experiences helped guide and shape you into the person you are today?

By showing what works and what doesn't.

4. What/who was/is your main influence?

Dr. Ng/Morehouse College. His courses were extremely difficult. He and his courses brought out the best in me.

5. What are some of the job titles you've held in the past before being an Applications Programmer?

Application Lead and Programmer, MIS Data Analyst, Programmer and Systems Analyst

6. Tell us a bit about these jobs and what are some skills gained during time spent in these past jobs?

Some skills gained include time management, interpersonal, communication and coding. I learned a bit of everything needed to survive in the workplace. Discipline, efficiency, organisation, teamwork and initiative.

7. Tell me a bit about your job/jobs now.

  • Day to day tasks? The different stages of the system development life cycle.
  • What does/do your job/jobs entail? Develop custom applications using SQL, SSRS and ASP.NET.
  • What would you say are the requirements to be an Applications Programmer? BSc Computer Science (or related)
  • Do you love what you do? What is the next step for your career? Love technology. Don't like the 8-4 office lifestyle.


8. How would you say your formal education prepared you for the world of work?

Taught me the fundamentals of tech and how to learn.

9. Employers claim that tertiary students aren't always prepared for the world of work. They're either lacking skills/knowledge or experience.

  • How prevalent do you think this is in ICT locally? Can't say, don't have the info. I would guess it applies in some cases.
  • What do you think can be done to bridge this gap? Generally, quality over quantity.


10. Do you believe IT certifications can help bridge this gap?

Maybe.

  • What IT Certifications do you hold [if any]? Sitecore CMS 6.5 Certified Professional Developer
  • What experience have you had with certifications and what did it do for your career? Little experience. Haven't needed them thus far.


11. Anything you wished you knew prior to entering IT that would've better prepared you for the industry?

Can't think of anything.

12. What's the best bit of advice you received since entering the world of IT?

Something I came across on twitter : Dr Tariq Khokar advises developers to make something that people will miss if it went away @ #DevCa 2012 in his webinar.

13. What do you think is the future of ICT in Trinidad and Tobago and the world at large?

We need to keep abreast with what is current and utilise more ICT in the government and business sector.

14. How can ICT be used to contribute to the development of the nation, individuals and the wider society?

ICT is supposed to make our lives more productive and at the same time easier. For starters we need a dedicated Minister and Ministry of ICT. Computerisation of government services, incentives for work from home and broadband internet for all citizens.

15. Any last words for our readers?

My favorite quote - "all my life I had a choice between hate and love and I chose love" - AR Rahman.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Below the surface

By
This is a chapter from my eleventh book called Quotation Marks Sparks . __________ "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." - Jon Kabat-Zinn __________ I was looking at quotes that hit hard and this quote stood out to me. It seems mundane and obvious and often repeated. Life is about how we respond to the inevitable. It is not what happens to us but how we respond. I had to ask myself to dig deeper and look below the surface. Then I saw that when we surf we really become the waves. We become friends with the waves. The waves and us are the same. Further, the waves are created by us and in our heads. We can control the waves because who can surf all the time? Sometimes we just have to come to shore and build sand castles on shore. I asked my friend Gemini for feedback and he said that I was right, the Jon Kabat-Zinn quote initially seems like a simple call for resilience, but my deeper dive reveals profound layers. The idea that we can move beyond merely rea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thankful

By
It is 617pm and I have decided to write. Right now I am thankful. The cool of the evening has replaced the heat of the day. I took a bath and changed and now I am just relaxing. Sometimes I complain. Not often. But I feel bad afterwards because there is so much to be thankful for. There is always room for improvement and we have to identify the things for improvement and change is often good but we do not have to make it into complaints. Yeah I get it. Life is hard and none of us has it easy. Look on the bright side of things. And sometimes it is the little things that remind us that life is good. Things that we take for granted. Like I was coming in the maxi taxi today and heard a gospel song that was about gratitude. God does appreciate a grateful heart. Trinidad and Tobago celebrated sixty four years of independence yesterday and if we stop and listen to the many complaints we would swear we are living in the worst country in the world. That is not the case. We do get a lot of thing...
Post a Comment
Read more

Having a soft spirit

By
It is 137am. It started raining. I decided to write. I have heard about having a soft heart but what does it mean to have a soft spirit? And is having a soft heart related to having a soft spirit? My friend Chatty says that a soft heart feels deeply — it breaks, heals, and loves with tenderness — while a soft spirit moves gently through life, unresisting and at peace with what comes. The two are kin: a soft heart opens you to emotion, and a soft spirit teaches you to carry that emotion with grace. Together they make a person both tender and strong — able to feel the rain and still trust its rhythm. I like the quote, "a soft spirit in a hard world" by author and poet, butterflies rising. It resonates with how many of us feel. My friend Chatty tells me that that quote captures the quiet strength of staying gentle in a harsh world. It reflects the author's signature themes of vulnerability, tenderness, and emotional courage — the idea that softness is not weakness but a form...
Post a Comment
Read more