Shristy Joshi Thakur
GSSOC'23 || TSOC'23 || SSOC'23 || MLSA'23 || AWS AI/ML Scholar || Building @SwitchDesi || Microsoft Azure#Include<Her> Cohort 2.0&3.0 & App Dev Cohort 1.0 Mentee || OSS Mentee @Codess.Cafe'23
Friday, 28 July 2023
Could you please introduce yourself?
Hello! My name is Shristy Joshi Thakur . I am a Passionate and driven prefinal year IT undergraduate with a love for technology and a strong desire to innovate. I am also an open source contributor at GSSOC'23, TSOC'23, and SSOC’23. I have been the semifinalist at Google Girl Hackathon 2023 , Mentee at Microsoft Azure #Include <Her> Cohort 2.0 & Cohort 2.0, App Dev Cohort 1.0 , GenRushAI and Codess.cafe. Mentor at MyNetworkHer, New York. I’m also a Game Development and Designing student at Xamk-SouthEastern Finland University. I am also a Microsoft 365 Developer at Microsoft. After learning ideas of Entrepreneurship from CAP E-Summit IIT Madras and I have been building an E-commerce startup, SwithDesi. Seeking to leverage my technical knowledge and creativity to contribute to cutting-edge IT solutions that positively impact society. My vision is to influence every woman and make them trust their wings so that they can fly high in dynamic world of tech.
Whats your background?
2 years down in Engineering I have done few amazing things, like:
1. Indulging in Entrepreneurship building startups from scratch.🌪️
2. Involving in Research projects in my college and seeking mentorship from my seniors who are nailing it somewhere in Govt. Research and projects. 🔬
3. Have the privilege of knowing and being mentored in the renowned Microsoft Azure Cohort for AI/ML, App Development, Dev Ops, Codess.Cafe and The Product Folks Microsoft for Startups GenAI Rush Cohort. ⚡🖥️
4. Mentoring hundreds of students of my college in the IEEE Society, Hackerspace. <3
5. Becoming Microsoft 365 Developer. 🌈
6. Participating in hundreds of cross country Hackathons, winning few and getting international invites.
7. Living with my family in Kolkata, because the college is in my city only and I am pursuing remote internships :D
8. Learnt 3D Modelling and Game Development at the Xamk - South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences .
9. Becoming AWS scholar and getting selected for many renowned scholarship opportunities.
10. Mentoring and helping students online to build a strong profile.
11. Work on very very cool projects that I am proud to know and own.
12. Doing open-source contributions in the renowned GSSOC’23, TSOC’23, SSOC’23
13. Being selected as an International mentor at myNetworkHer New York.
Whats your current role?
GSSOC'23 || TSOC'23 || SSOC'23 || IT 3rd yr || MLSA'23 || AWS AI/ML Scholar || Building @SwitchDesi || Microsoft Azure#Include<Her> Cohort 2.0&3.0 & App Dev Cohort 1.0 Mentee || Microsoft 365 Developer || OSS Mentee @Codess.Cafe'23
Why have you decided to learn to code?
I have been learning to code in JAVA for 8 years now and before that I used to code in low level coding languages like Assembly language, BASIC, Q-BASIC. Since my childhood only I had the passion of coding. I had been coding since I didn't even knew the meaning of Software Programming. Now I am grateful to advance in the career of my passion. I remember when our teacher used to give a coding question I was the first to produce the output and that spirit always continued to rise in me leading to an IT profession!⚡🖥️
Do you think its important to learn to code?
In today's rapidly evolving World coding is a crucial skill . According to me it is the backbone of technological advancements, and is responsible for the creation of software, applications, and websites that have transformed how we live and work. Beyond career opportunities, learning to code fosters problem-solving, critical-thinking, and creativity, empowering individuals to turn their ideas into reality. It plays a significant role in automating tasks, improving efficiency, and advancing digital literacy. By understanding coding concepts, individuals gain insight into how technology functions, promoting independent problem-solving and reducing reliance on others for technical issues. Whether in computer science or interdisciplinary fields, coding offers continuous learning opportunities and encourages adaptability in an ever-changing technological landscape.
Do you feel the tech industry is male dominated? How can we encourage more women into the industry?
As of now I have observed that the Men to Women ratio in tech industry is heavily imbalanced. I think we need more women to pursue an interest in STEM and organizations that support diversity and inclusion.
Did you struggle being a woman in the tech industry yourself?
During my journey, I have encountered times where I was one of the few women in my classes and in tech-related activities.
Whats the most rewarding and most challenging parts of your tech career so far?
One of the most rewarding aspects of my tech career was solving challenging and complex problems. Building innovative solutions and seeing them in action. Working with diverse teams during hackathons and collaborating on projects were also very enriching. It has helped me to learn from them, share knowledge, and collectively achieve goals.
Most Challenging Parts of my Tech Career were the long hours and tight deadlines to meet the project milestones. In some tech env I had faced gender imbalance and diversity issues, making it challenging to feel included and supported.
Not all my projects have succeed, and encountering failures. Learning from failures and turning them into valuable lessons was an important aspect of my professional growth.